Idiot watch

Michelle spotted this.


Man charged with selling aspirin as heroin


Billy Paul Rogowski Jr., 21, address unknown, was charged with two counts of possession with intent to deliver a non-controlled substance, and one count each of possession of a non-controlled substance, theft, possession of a small amount of marijuana and resisting arrest.

What is a non-controlled substance? And how is selling it a crime?

At least he has a business plan.

Rogowski told police, according to the criminal complaint, that he sold the aspirin as heroin so he could get money to start selling real heroin.

This reminds me of Hunter Thompson running for Sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado in 1970 on a platform of putting "dishonest" drug dealers in stockades.

His platform also included promoting the decriminalization of drugs , tearing up the streets and turning them into grassy pedestrian malls, banning any building so tall as to obscure the view of the mountains, and renaming Aspen "Fat City" to deter investors. Thompson, having shaved his head, referred to his opponent as "my long-haired opponent", as the Republican candidate had a crew cut.

He got 44% of the vote.

Chris Carney has to put up with forgeries and teabagers

The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity hired the PR firm Bonner and Associates to help them oppose climate change legislation (ACES) who sent forged letters to Congressman Chris Carney and 2 other House members.
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Carney voted against the bill.

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Carney’s Rep Hammered in Pike
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Just like every other Congress critter, Carney's staff is available at times for people to ask for help with government programs such as Social Security, Black Lung or VA benefits. Most of the time 10 or 20 people will show up asking for help with a specific problem. This was not a town hall meeting with the Congressman but about 50 people showed up all hot and bothered about health care reform. His field rep, Ed Zygmunt, wasn't prepared to deal with it and fumbled badly. Ed's job is to solve problems with the bureaucracy not to deal with an angry mob.

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Some of the "concerned citizens" included Republican Pike County Commissioner Richard Caridi, Republican Milford attorney Charles Kannebecker and Republican former New Jersey State Senator John Scott who flirted with a run against Carney.





Why these people want to be continued to be screwed by the health insurance companies is beyond me.


Congressman Chris Carney will hold a town hall meeting in Honesdale on August 17 from 11AM-12PM. The meeting will take place at the Community Room, Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, 32 Commercial Street, Honesdale, PA, 18431.

This should be fun.

Update: I just got off the phone with Congressman Carney and he had this to say...


Rude is not the right word for these people. Ed was just doing his job assisting people with private matters and they deprived their neighbors from getting help with their problems. They should remember that I'm one of the Blue Dogs that slowed the process down so we could have a discussion about this issue.

Juvie Brothers update

There are so many scandals going on it is hard to keep track.

Skrep's dad testifies before grand jury They might want to know about Debit Cards, no bid contracts at the prison and a 20 year lease with PA Child Care along with questions about who actually owns that bar.

Judge recommends $3.5 M defamation verdict be vacated Billy D'Elia's influence doesn't go as far as it used to.

Supreme court orders juvenile records preserved Common sense rules the day even when it involves Judges.

Defiance doomed Ciavarella, Conahan's plea deals Hopefully they are looking at more than 7 years in jail.

Moses sues LCCC, claims firing was retaliation DA Jackie Mo stands by the charges

Feds subpoena five PA teachers Many more teachers may have to put a hand on a bible.

Intellacom- Maybe Not So Intell-igent If school board directors are taking bribes someone is paying them.

I'm sure that I missed a few.

Joe Sestak announces he is running for Senate

FOLSOM—Congressman Joe Sestak officially entered the race for Senate Tuesday morning, ending his long march toward a primary showdown against Senator Arlen Specter next year and setting up what will be one of the most high-profile races in the country.

Sestak has toured all 67 counties in Pennsylvania drumming up support and has been exchanging barbs with Sen. Arlen Specter (PA-?) for months. My favorite was Specter's criticism of Sestak joining the Democratic Party "only" in 2006 so he could run for Congress. The irony of that statement is that Specter switched party's a few months ago because he said he couldn't win a Republican primary against Pat Toomey. Many of my Republican friends would say that he has been a Democrat at heart for a long time. Toomey welcomed him to race.

"Pennsylvania Democrats will make an important choice between Joe Sestak, a consistent liberal who really believes in his values, and Arlen Specter, a career political opportunist who believes in nothing but his own reelection."

Toomey has an op-ed in today's Inky announcing that he would vote to confirm Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court. I'm sure that is going over well with the abortion hot heads and gun nuts that make up the GOP primary electorate.

Here is the welcome video from Sestak's website.





Check The Pennsylvania Progressive for video of his speech later in the day. He also has a Facebook page.

You can meet Joe Sestak in Scranton tomorrow 1:30pm at Tripp House, 1011 N Main Ave, Scranton, PA 18505

Other candidates in the race are Republicans

Peg Lusik

Larry Murphy

Robert Townsend

and Democrat

Bill Kortz

Toole in

It looks like The Lu Lac Politcal Letter has stopped swilling TAB and is now gulping Snapple. Between soft drinks David made it down to Penn Plaza to witness former Pittston city clerk/administrator Wil Toole file his petitions to get on the ballot as an independent candidate for Luzerne County Controller and snappled the picture on the right. Toole needed 982 signatures but filed more than 1500 on his nominating forms. The usual formula is to get at 3 times more signatures than what you need to withstand challenges and you can bet that there will be challenges to some of the signatures.

According to the TL article Toole was highly critical of past controller Steve Flood. I'm not sure what he is critical about. Steve Flood sounded the alarm bells about the 20 year lease of the PA Child Care facility in Pittston Township and Juvie Brother, Michael Conahan, made sure he was taken out when he ran for reelection. Maryanne Petrilla was recruited to make things right and she has yet to explain why she dropped all the investigations that he initiated.


Republican nominee Walter Griffith was measured in his response saying he was “kind of disappointed” that Toole switched parties to get on the ballot...“If he’s a Democrat all his life and just switches to run, that says a lot about his integrity,” Griffith said. “It’s just one more person that people will have to do their homework on.”


Bob Morgan won the Democratic nomination and has to be worried about a long time Democrat from Pittston being on the ballot even if he is calling himself an "Independent."


Morgan said he briefly reviewed Toole’s nominating petition Monday and said it was signed by many “old guard” political figures in county politics. “Clearly this is an attempt by the old guard of the county to take control of this election. Mr. Toole is being nominated by the old guard.”


My advice to Walter is to let it alone and let Morgan and Toole fight about signatures. If Toole is on the ballot in the fall he splits the Democratic vote and you win in a walk.

Luzerne County GOP picnic

I made it to the Luzerne County Republican Party Family picnic yesterday along with at least 200 other people at the beautiful Hartis Horse Farm in Dallas. The host was recent Controller candidate Bob Sypniewski who spent the day directing traffic. I was wasn't able to stay long and bit my tongue when some of the people started Obama bashing and repeating misinformation about health care reform. Yes, it was bleeding afterward but since this was a social occasion I decided not to get into any arguments with people that can't be persuaded anyway. Speaking of the unpersuadable, I ran into Dave Madeira as I was leaving and he was arriving.

The only picture I snagged was of our next Court of Common Pleas Judge Bill Amesbury and sitting Judge Tom Burke then my camera battery died and I didn't take a spare. Bill won both nominations so he is probably a lock but he stressed to me and anyone else that asked that he is not taking anything for granted and will continue to campaign hard. Republican Judge nominee Dick Hughes was working the crowd and I may just bullet vote for him. Blog buddy ZEN was there with his family and his son confirmed that he has filled his head with untruths about me:) Executive Directer Renita Fennick was the social butterfly of the event and made sure she greeted everyone including your humble narrator- "Oh, it's you."

My counseling efforts worked out between Jonathon and Controller nominee Walter Griffith. They kissed and made up. Carolee Medico was there and is probably headed back to the Courthouse for a repeat performance as Prothonotary.

I had a nice chat with SPCA Director and former WBRE weather guy Vince Sweeney and his wife Carol, at first I thought she was his daughter. Just kidding pal, you're a lucky man. Vince and I have the same talent for breaking machines like weed eaters, lawn mowers and appliances. He told me that if you want a cat the SPCA is handing them out for free which got my wheels turning. I'm sure Quincy would love another playmate but Ptolemy would freak and Mrs. G would also be a hard sell. I'm not sure but I think I'm on the hook for the next fundraiser for the SPCA at Francis Slocum Park in October. I already drop off my albumin cans there but not out of purely altruistic motives. Let them take them to Bilecki's junk yard.

My old friend Carl Romanelli is not optimistic about the health care legislation that will come out of Washington. He prefers a single payer system as do I. He told me that the best thing about being an Independent/Green is that you can go to any party's event and not get anybody mad at you. I suggested that instead of running for statewide offices that they will never win the minor party's like the Greens and Libertarians should put some effort into winning city council, state rep and school board seats and build as a bench for the big races down the line.

Because I was pressed for time I didn't get a chance to say hello to everyone. Some of the people I missed were Wilkes-Barre Area School board candidate Harry Haas , Hanover politico and head of the Malt Beverage Assoc. Dave Shipula, Mr. Flack, Alice Coffman and I'm sure I'm leaving out many others.

A real treat was meeting my Facebook friends David and Kathy .

I also met Superior Court nominees Sallie Mundy and Temp Smith who will be covered in a future post.

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Moses was there greeting everyone and spent the afternoon trying to convince them that they didn't really need all that food on the plate.

Did I drop enough names ?

The Judge doesn't buy it

Plea deals shot down


Ex-judges’ fate now in limbo

It looks like Senior U.S. Judge Edwin M. Kosik agrees with many of us that 7+ years for taking bribes to lock up kids wasn't enough jail time for these 2 crooks. The maximum sentence is 25 years and the judge said the plea called for less jail time than normal sentencing guidelines. Reading his order he is especially miffed at their conduct since the guilty plea. According to the pre-sentence report Michael Conahan is still an arrogant and obstructive asshole and Mark Ciavarella has been making statements to the media that are both self-serving and don't reflect reality. Finders fee my ass, he took money to jail kids.

So what is next? They can:
- Withdraw their guilty pleas within 10 days and proceed to trial.
- Attempt to negotiate another plea agreement.
- Leave their pleas intact and allow Kosik to determine their sentences.


I bet that they opt to go to trial and try to drag this out for years which will add to the frustration of the victims.


Laurene Transue, whose daughter Hillary’s experiences in Ciavarella’s courtroom helped expose his unconstitutional conduct said... “This whole process has taken so long, and my daughter’s whole adjudication hearing lasted 60 seconds. This has been going on for six months, but my daughter had 60 seconds before Ciavarella.”

Idiot watch

An update.

Remember the guy that was driving around Pittston last year with a sign on his truck that said "If your (sic) in America and can’t speak English, get the Fuck out."


Well I'm sure it will not shock you that he is suing the cop that cited him for disorderly conduct and anybody else that he thinks that might have deep pockets. He was never prosecuted because the charge was dropped but claims his right to free speech was violated for receiving a ticket in the first place. I agree with that. The police should have never cited him for expressing his opinion even if he used a swear word.


If he left it at that I could be on his side but he alleges that the ticket resulted in damage to his vehicle, including a shattered rear window, slashed tires, a creased bumper, a broken mirror and scratches and dents. He also alleges he suffered an attempted knife attack by a woman and was forced to install security lights on his house. I never heard or read a report of this assault. Hughestown Mayor Paul Hindmarsh said he doesn’t think the retaliatory acts cited in Decker’s complaint were related to the citation.
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“I think it was a personal issue he had with his neighbors, to the best of my knowledge.”

A commenter on my last post about Joe the pickup owner made a great point:


...the real humor in the sign is that those who can't speak English would not be able to read his message and follow directions. At the very least, "Joe" should have listed his declaration in Spanish.


Si tu en América y no pueden hablar Inglés, obtener la mierda a cabo.

GOP Picnic Tomorrow

The event is at the beautiful Harteis Farm in Dallas. Details at the Luzerne County GOP website.

Moses is the official greeter at Bob's farm.

Palin as poetry

I have enjoyed Sarah Palin's last 2 Quiter from Wasilla speeches along with most comedians, cartoonists and other Democrats. Some of my Republican friends have also enjoyed the spectacle but for different reasons. Has anyone ever seen her birth certificate?



This video is for my blog buddies Dave and Mark

It's about more than the kids

The Legal Intelligencer has a devastating story about the Juvie Brother's that details their misconduct that goes beyond the Cash for Kid's scandal saying that was just the tip of the iceberg and only the most blatant example of the corruption overseen by the two judges. In addition to Billy D'Elia former Judge Michael Conahan had a long history of links to organized crime figures. A lifelong friend of Conahan's, Tom Pendergast, said that he set him up with no show and delivery jobs that he was nervous about taking and walked away from the extra "work."


It also goes into the allegations of case fixing of auto accidents and tax assessment cases involving Bob Mericle. In addition, as The Legal first reported in March, multiple sources have said the federal government is investigating whether Luzerne County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Toole allegedly took a payment from Powell.

It also identifies Conahan's cousin Bill Sharkey as the "bagman" who would collect the "finder's fee" from local attorneys after a favorable judgement.


And former Controller Steve Flood was the object of Conahan's ire.


Flood, according to Stretton, attended a party after his election to the controller's office in 2001 with other political types. Conahan was there, Stretton said Flood had told him, and so was at least one prominent attorney from the area.

At one point, Conahan saw the attorney, Stretton said, relaying Flood's story.

"Conahan turned to the lawyer and said, 'Hey ... how about that $10,000 you owe me for the settlement last week,'" Stretton said Flood told him.

"That's what got him suspicious about these guys," Stretton said. "He walked out and, after that, they became adversaries."

Another source said Flood related the same story.

Four years later, in 2005, while Flood was running a re-election campaign, he and Stretton were sitting together when the phone rang.

Flood answered.

A prominent attorney from a major firm was on the other line.

"Conahan just called and said if we give one penny to your campaign, we'll never win another case in the county again," Stretton recalled the attorney telling Flood.

Ciavarella: "I never took a dime for sending a kid away."

WNEP has an interview with former Judge mark Ciavarella where he apologizes for his conduct then contends that he didn't do anything wrong in his dealings with juvenile defendants.


"I mean, I had the greatest job in the world. It was the best job anybody could ever have and I screwed it up. I the one who did it. I have myself to blame for that, nobody else. I'm sorry that I brought such shame to the bench. There's a lot of good people who sit on the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas who don't deserve to be tarnished by what I did. Unfortunately they do get tarnished for that and that's wrong. They didn't do anything wrong. I did, they didn't," the former judge added. "I pled guilty to an honest service fraud, pled guilty to some tax matters. I did not plead guilty to cash for kids or quid pro quo or extortion."

Watch the whole thing, it's really something.

Wil Toole for Controller

CV: Wil Toole, a former Pittston City official, is planning to run as an independent candidate for county controller. Toole said he plans to file his nomination papers as an independent candidate by the end of July. If he gets enough signatures to appear on the ballot, he will join Republican nominee Walter L. Griffith Jr. and Democratic candidate Bob Morgan on the November ballot.

Toole flirted with a run for the Democratic nomination in the spring and applied for the job in 2008 when Maryanne Petrilla became Commissioner. Rapid Edward never got around to filling the post. He was spotted at a Pittston Area School Board meeting in April circulating petitions and has a LTE in the Voice offering suggestions to improve county government.

Put controller on several county boards


At the end of July, I plan to file my nomination papers as an independent candidate for the office of county controller and it is issues such as these that have promoted me to leave retirement and take an active role in county government. I have attended many meetings of the county commissioners as well at the retirement board and during these meetings, I have offered several suggestions to help resolve various fiscal and procedural problems and neither my appearance nor suggestions have ever been mentioned in reports of the meetings. Again, I find this lack of coverage very disheartening. How can I muster public support for these suggestions when no coverage is afforded my efforts?


PittstonPolitics.com has an archive of his recent activities. If he makes the ballot it is not good news for Bob Morgan having a longtime Democrat from Pittston in the race.


So far Walter Griffith is the only candidate with a website up.


Update: The Yonk informs us that Wil Toole also has a website.

YouTube weekend

The Luzerne County GOP now has a YouTube page. There are 4 videos of the recent Lawn Party at the Westmoreland Club that I was unable to attend. They seem a bit overdressed for a "lawn party" and why is the action inside?

In this clip we we can see State Senator Lisa Baker and Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta singing a duet of "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights." Well, not really but we can always hope.

This week's Luzerne County investigations

Feds seeks terminal construction records


What outfit is investigating the Airport is not clear.


FBI subpoenas WVW business records

Just add it to the list. W-B Area, Pittston Area, Vo-Tech, LCCC and more to come.


Chief deputy sheriff accused of harassment


At least we know he was in work that day.



The theme song for all Luzerne County government agencies.

YouTube weekend

Saint Ronny warns that Medicare will lead to slavery.

YouTube weekend

Cyndi Lauper is returning to Penn’s Peak!


We got tickets to the show in Jim Thorpe. If anyone else is going let me know. Maybe Dana will show up and buy me a beer.

Lisa is not running for Lt. Governor

According to the story by Bill O'Boyle in the TL today State Senator Lisa Baker is not running for statewide office.


Baker’s name has been mentioned in talks and on Internet blogs as a potential candidate for the lieutenant governor’s post.


I have done a search of PA bloggers recent posts and can only find one mention of her moving up and that was from moi.

Get well Senator Lisa

Plus she is going to be Governor some day.


I'm glad I can create a groundswell for a candidate. If a Republican is going to be in the Governor's office she would be my choice.

Idiot watch

A Wilkes-Barre man was arrested on Monday after he shot his microwave oven. It's not clear if the microwave was the target or if he doesn't like it when the Hot Pockets come out so hard that you can't chew them.


If you have warrant out for your arrest the best thing to do is take a nap at 1 AM when you are shitfaced and behind the wheel of a car.


I don't know if this is a typo but the CV reported that a hooker wanted $102 for her services at the Mohegan Sun casino in Plains Twp. Why the extra two bucks? The parking is free.


Then there is this.


A woman commanded her Pit Bull to bite a guy in South W-B then pointed a gun at him and when he tried to get it away from her she bit him. Maybe we need a vicious people ordinance instead of a vicious dog ordinance.

Note: I've tried to teach my last 3 Golden Retrievers to attack on command without success. The last training tool was to whack a mannequin in the crotch with a tree branch while yelling Nixon. It didn't work.

Joe Sestak for Senate

Congressman Joe Sestak was in Luzerne County over the weekend. Bill O'Boyle and Mike Sisak had a chance to chat with him and he laid out his case for taking on Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary. He earlier described Specter as a "flight risk."
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Specter was a Democrat when it helped him win office in Philadelphia then switched to the GOP to win a Senate seat. Now he is a Democrat again because he knows he can't beat Pat Toomey in a Republican primary this time. I'm no fan of Toomey but at least he knows what he believes in and I can respect that.

Rapid Edward, Bob Casey and the President are in Specter' s corner but the idea of Arlen Specter as the Democratic nominee for US Senate makes me and many of my friends in the blogosphere and elsewhere in Pennsylvania want to throw up.

Some choice quotes:

“I’m getting in this because Pennsylvania voters need a choice, a choice of someone who will vote for them and their values.”


“I believe changing parties is not the change Pennsylvanians need for the future. We also need a senator who is in this for Pennsylvania and not for saving their legacy.”


"If you run on principle, politics will take care of itself.”

“But he actually voted with President George Bush four out of five times. This country has seen an economic collapse; good families have lost jobs and health care benefits. We need a senator that will fight for them and those key issues.”


"It's about Pennsylvanians, it's not about your job," Sestak said of Specter. "We Pennsylvanians have lost too many jobs in this recession to worry about his job security, particularly since he voted with President Bush on the economic tax policies that sent us over the precipice into this recession."

Michael Steele coming to Wilkes-Barre

My friends in the Luzerne County Club GOP tell me that RNC Chairman Michael Steele will be in town September 9th. The time and venue are being work out.

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The local Republican party is staying busy this summer with a party scheduled this Thursday at the Westmoreland Club and a Family Picnic set for August 1st. Register of Wills candidate Gina Nevenglosky will be hosting a meet and greet in Hazleton on August 30th and Senator Lisa Baker has a clam bake coming up on August 13th.

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The details are on the County GOP website.

Chris Doherty for Governor

Borys is reporting that Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty is looking at running running for Governor of Pennsylvania next year. He won both nominations in the primary so with his reelection as Mayor being assured he can concentrate on moving up the ladder.
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Shooting for the Guv's spot is a bit of a surprise to most of us but Dan Hirschhorn of pa2010.com called it last week. I've sounded some false alarms about Doherty running for Congress in the past but this sounds like the real deal. State Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney confirmed that he is raising money for a run and has been polling statewide.

Other Democrats looking at the race are Tom Knox and Jack Wagner . GOP contenders include Tom Corbett, Jim Gerlach and Pat Meehan.

They're out to get me

Just before the 2007 election Mike Savokinas got some press with the age old claim that his signs were being stolen. The police were called and nothing became of it but it was a news story for a day or two. At the same time Sheriff Barry Stankus was getting beat up in the press because he had a part time job and failed to list it on his financial disclosure form. The timing of two events cast a cloud over Stankus and Savokinas won the election. After the election it was revealed that our new Sheriff was working on the railroad after he took office and has reportedly given that up.

Recently the FBI has been called in to investigate the discovery of drugs in 2 Sheriff's vehicles because DA Jackie MO punts every allegation of local wrongdoing by the political class. Savokinas said "It's not uncommon to find drugs in a police vehicle." The initial investigation of the incidents was bungled and will probably not amount to anything.


Now another drugs in the car incident has come to light and he almost blames his political enemies. The fact that the government is still locking up people for drug offenses for over 50 years and it has been ineffective in deterring drug use is another story.


CV: Luzerne County Sheriff Michael Savokinas won't "point fingers" or "name names," but he's convinced political enemies "planted" drugs in a department vehicle for the third time this year...

Savokinas said the recent drug discoveries also smack of a plot to destroy his reputation while he worked as a police officer in Avoca. Former Avoca police Chief Edward Lukowich pleaded no contest last year to criminal charges for spreading claims Savokinas sold drugs from his family's restaurant, Savo's, in Pittston.


TL: Though Savokinas did not implicate anyone, he said there were several confrontations with influential county figures who he said might want to see his reputation damaged.
“It could be a multitude of a couple different things … to force me out of office, to ruin my name so I never win another office politically. I don’t know why.” he said.
Specifically, he noted George “Nipper” Nowakowski, whom he defeated in what he termed a “bitter” 2007 Democratic primary race for his current office; former Republican Sheriff Barry Stankus, whom he beat in the general election; and Luzerne County Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla.


“From that point on, I got calls from Maryanne Petrilla,” he said. “She said, ‘You’re done politically,’ and from that point on, it’s been downhill ever since.”


Petrilla calls him a liar.


Maryann said she never made such a comment. “Obviously, he is not being truthful with the public at all, because there was never, ever a situation where I threatened to ruin Mr. Savokinas’ career.”


A comment on an earlier post about this subject:


Gort:

You forgot to mention that Savokinas was set-up by the former Police Chief of Avoca. You probably don't have the balls to publish this comment.

Thanks for your input Mike.

Carney and Kanjo have some bucks

The 2nd quarter campaign finance reports for Federal candidates are now available on the FEC website.

In the PA 10th CD Sophomore Chris Carney(D) has $300,000 cash on hand pulling in $228K from PACS and $124K from individuals. No Republican challenger has emerged yet. I hope they find a couple of a couple of candidates soon so we can have as much fun as the 2008 primary between Hackett and Meuser. Maybe this guy will take a stab at it.


Paul Kanjorski (D) has better than $600,000 in the bank with a big chunk of his latest take coming from banks, insurance companies and labor unions. His prospective opponent is Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta who reports $4,000 cash on hand and $263,000 in debt from his last 2 failed campaigns to become the Congressman from the 11th CD. Barletta only raised about $3500 and loaned his campaign $48,500.

Hardball

Hardball is back on MSNBC at 3AM replacing The Ed Show. Love him or hate him Chris Matthews has one of the best political shows on TV. I'm a night shift worker so I notice these things.

Mayor Jim on the mend

Gort,

Thank you for your kind words regarding my recent hospitalization. By way of update, I was released from the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital shortly after noon on Monday. I had been taken by ambulance the prior Tuesday morning, and I was the subject of a bypass operation later that morning. Six bypasses later, I began the recovery process. I am quite glad to be home.

My most sincere thanks go to the professionals of the Kingston/Forty Fort Fire Department for all they were able to do for me on Tuesday morning. Also, I cannot thank enough the men and women of the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital for the first-rate and compassionate care they provided. They were tremendous.

Thank you as well to the hundreds of people who sent well wishes with calls, notes, cards, text messages, facebook postings, and gifts. Every one certainly meant a lot.

I'm looking forward to a complete and successful rehab and being back on the job as soon as possible.

Again, many thanks to all.

Jim Haggerty

Huber Breaker

Responding to my critics. This comment was left on my Pile of Junk post:

First you endorse Republican Baker as a future Governor; now you want to tear down the Huber breaker; one of the few remaining edifices of our coal mining heritage. I think it is far more important to put money into preserving an important piece of history as opposed to investing in entertainment venues such as the arena (which you support) and sports complexes, etc. etc. I thought you were a history buff???

Yes, I am a history buff but I'm not a fan of boondoggles. Spending $10 million or more to restore the Huber Breaker is just not possible right now. The state is looking at a $3 billion deficit and Luzerne County hasn't balanced the books for as long as I have been blogging and then some. Even if the money was available to restore the breaker I doubt that it would be a crowd magnet just like Steamtown has very few visitors.

If you want to see a coal breaker the Eckley Miners Village has one and they are begging for money to fix it up. An entertainment venue such as the Wachovia Arena attracts people, it makes money and has transformed an abandoned strip mine into the most vibrant retail hub in the area.

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As far as what happens to Lackawanna County Stadium I think the best thing to do is repair it. Again, because of budget restraints a new park is not in the cards. But for the most part I don't give a shit since the clowns up north chased the Phillies farm team out of town and replaced them with the Yankees AAA club. We could build them a new stadium and they will still move the the team to Newark or somewhere else.

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I didn't endorse Lisa Baker for Governor but just made a prediction. I would probably vote for the Democrat in any future hypothetical race. In today's environment she wouldn't win the GOP nomination because she isn't sufficiently nuts about taxes and social issues.

More on KOZ's

The Legislative Budget and Finance committee released a report last week on the Keystone Opportunity Zone program. The thing that jumped out at me was that there isn't enough data to adequately evaluate the program's effectiveness. From what data that is available it looks like 75% of participants didn’t create any jobs.


Policy Blog: If that wasn’t bad enough, the Department of Community and Economic Development does not even have a method to calculate total program costs. Therefore, it is impossible to run a cost-benefit analysis to determine if KOZ-related “job creations and capital investment” (see above) justify the amount of state and local tax revenues being forfeited.


CV: "We found that many KOZ participants are providing little, if any, job creation of capital investment in return for the KOZ tax abatement and exemption benefits they receive," said study director John Rowe.


The recommendations in the report's highlights are the same I have been advocating for a few years. The tax breaks should only go to someone that has a believable business plan to develop the parcel and if they don't produce in a agreed to time the tax exemption should be revoked. While many of us look at large increases in our property tax bills the owners of the now defunct Lowe's Restaurant didn't pay local property taxes for the last 10 years and didn't create one new job. And I'm sure there are many other sweetheart deals for the well connected that shortchanged our local school districts and local governments.

A big pile of junk

After the owner, Al Roman, of the Huber Breaker in Ashley threatened to sell the place as scrap metal the Bond Brothers went into panic pass mode and decided to take the property by eminent domain. The Commissioners have since backed off from that but Mr. Roman smelled the bucks and now is suing.

Huber Breaker owner suing county for $1.7M


No. 1 Contracting Corp., owner of the historic Huber Breaker, is seeking nearly $1.7 million from Luzerne County in a lawsuit filed last Friday. No. 1 is suing the county for abuse of process, malicious prosecution of civil proceedings and negligent interference with a contract. The company claims it is now obligated to remove steel from the site at a cost of almost $200,000 - instead of getting nearly $1.5 million - because of county decisions.

It would take at least $10 million to restore the site and make it into some sort of tourist attraction that very few people will ever visit. We don't need another White Elephant like Steamtown.

In other Luzerne County news the $9 million budget gap will filled by borrowing $18 million. It must be an example of the new math.

Get well Senator Lisa

State Senator Lisa Baker recently had her gall bladder chopped out and we hope she will mend quickly. Her bill to examine the Luzerne County Juvenile Justice system recently passed and she is needed to keep up the good work. Plus she is going to be Governor some day.

The All Star break

The Red Sox have a 3 game lead in the AL East with Tampa Bay and Toronto hanging around. The Dodgers are running away with the NL West but that usually doesn't usually translate into post-season success. You got to get hot at the end of September. The Phils look good. The starting pitchers have been outstanding the last week and they can score some runs. They have a 4 game lead over the Marlins and the Met's suck.

It's only 75 degrees in July

And it feels good. This would be a nice day in May but by the middle of July it should be at least 85 or 90.

I blame Al Roker.

Radall Terry was in town

FORTY FORT -Terry, the 50-year-old founder of the anti-abortion organization Operation Rescue – known for promoting civil disobedience – was at The Beer Deli in Forty Fort to urge people to join his fight against the confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor...Sotomayor has not publicly disclosed her stance on Roe vs. Wade.

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It was less than an overflow crowd. I should have brought some bricks so the people in attendance could hit themselves in the head with them because that would be more effective in defeating her confirmation. Of course he passed the hat and got a few bucks which is what this was really about.

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He had this to say about the murder of Dr. George Tiller:

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CNW: "Dr. Tiller was a mass murderer...But even Mr. Tiller - like other murderers - deserved a trial of his peers, and a legal execution."

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So much for being "pro-life."

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A question for my anti-abortion friends. Do you really think that if a law is passed it will end the practice? or will it double the casualties? For as long as there have been people walking the earth ways of ending an unwanted pregnancy have been known. The difference is today that it can be done safely without coat hangers or dangerous drugs.

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Another question. If a woman decides to have an abortion and you consider it murder is it 1st degree murder since it is premeditated? The punishment for 1st degree murder is the death penalty or life in prison. So how long should she put in jail or should she be subject to a "legal execution?"

Luzerne County theme song

We have the Bond Brothers and the Juvie Brothers and in honor what is going on with the Sheriffs Department the Chemical Brothers seems like the right choice. I don't think I can even list all the scandals going on right now, maybe the The Yonk is right and the courthouse should just be blown up. Other suggestions for a theme song are welcome.


Out of Control-chemical brothers

No honor among thieves

Former Judge Mark Ciavarella denies that he extorted payments from PA Child Care owner Robert Powell calling him a liar. Wired for sound attorney Powell says he did exactly that and claims to be a victim of the Judges greed. The part that I found to be funny was when Ciavella contended that Robert Mericle just walked into his office one day and offered to give him almost a million dollars as a "finders fee." I wish I had such generous friends.

Get well Mayor Jim

Kingston Mayor and Chairman of the Luzerne County Government Study Commission Jim Haggerty had emergency bypass surgery at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital on Tuesday. Let's hope they get his ticker on beat again. I've had a few conversations with Jim over the last few months about home rule and other subjects and found him to be very receptive to my ideas. He is one of the good guys on the local political scene.

Sarah Palin resigns

I know I'm few days late to this story but it was a great weekend and the only TV I watched was baseball.

Like most people I'm still scratching my head about her decision to just walk away from her responsibilities. Last week's article in Vanity Fair, It Came from Wasilla, started another round of recriminations over the McCain campaign. Palin Story Sparks GOP Family Feud. Then she drops the resignation bombshell in a nonsensical, rambling word salad press conference that will be remembered for her reference to dead fish going with the flow. Most people think that this is the end of her Presidential ambitions although some think the old rules don't apply. My favorite Palinololgists are amateur obstetrician Andrew Sullivan and T,J &P and even they can't figure out what the hell is going on with her. The most plausible reasons for her resignation is that she wants to cash in on her fame or there is some scandal lurking around the corner. I'll bet on the money option as she could easily become even more outrageous than Ann Coulter and rake in the bucks. But the scandals could be out there and her lawyer is threatening to sue anyone that would even suggest such a thing.

Just for fun the speculation is "Then again, tomorrow we may find out that she's been hiking the Appalachian Trail with Vladimir Putin."

But JudiPhilly got to the bottom of it:

She used a bunch of sports metaphors in her press conference. To keep with that all I can say is she is as wierd as a football bat.

I'm going to work tomorrow

I have had the winning Powerball numbers for the last 5 years but they just can't figure that out. Anyway, I can take comfort in the fact that my dollar helped pay for my Mom's bus ride and someone's prescription.

July 4th message from the President

Gort-


This weekend, our family will join millions of others in celebrating America. We will enjoy the glow of fireworks, the taste of barbeque, and the company of good friends. As we all celebrate this weekend, let's also remember the remarkable story that led to this day.


Two hundred and thirty-three years ago, our nation was born when a courageous group of patriots pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the proposition that all of us were created equal.


Our country began as a unique experiment in liberty -- a bold, evolving quest to achieve a more perfect union. And in every generation, another courageous group of patriots has taken us one step closer to fully realizing the dream our founders enshrined on that great day.


Today, all Americans have a hard-fought birthright to a freedom which enables each of us, no matter our views or background, to help set our nation's course. America's greatness has always depended on her citizens embracing that freedom -- and fulfilling the duty that comes with it.


As free people, we must each take the challenges and opportunities that face this nation as our own. As long as some Americans still must struggle, none of us can be fully content. And as America comes ever closer to achieving the perfect Union our founders dreamed, that triumph -- that pride -- belongs to all of us.


So today is a day to reflect on our independence, and the sacrifice of our troops standing in harm's way to preserve and protect it.

It is a day to celebrate all that America is. And today is a time to aspire toward all we can still become.

With very best wishes,

President Barack Obama
July 4th, 2009

P.S. -- Our nation's birthday is also an ideal time to consider serving in your local community. You can find many great ideas for service opportunities near you at http://www.serve.gov.

Happy 4th

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

Joke of the day

I think everybody needs to realize that it’s 2009, and the days of no-show jobs are over.”-Luzerne County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla

Conehead

Quincy has had an allergic reaction to something which is common in Golden Retrievers. Trying to figure out what exactly is making him chew himself is difficult. At first I didn't pay much attention to his licking and chewing his hind quarters because dogs are dirt bags and they all do it but he really did a number on himself. We thought he was having a problem with his anal glands but the Vet checked them out and they are functioning properly. Some of the possibilities are his food or more likely a reaction to fungal spores, pollen, cat dander, weeds and grasses that he either inhales or soaks up through the skin. We are treating him with oral and topical antibiotics and he has to wear this ridiculous looking helmet until the irritation clears up. Plus we have to give him steroids as if a 8 month old puppy isn't hyper enough. After a few more days on the roids I will check to see if he can hit a baseball out of the park.

More puppy pictures on my Facebook page.

A Savo pizza and a coke

Remember that Barry Stankus lost the election because he was squeezing a few oranges at the Sunshine Market.


Illegal drugs found in two sheriff’s vehicles


Feds launch probe of Luzerne County sheriff

So drugs were found in two sheriffs’ vehicles which will probably not amount to much. According to Luzerne County Mike Savokinas it happens all the time.

The Yonk lists all the other problems with his leadership of the office:


1. TRAIN-When Savokinas first took office, it took reporters dogged questions before the Sheriff admitted that he was still working for the railroad, in effect double dipping. A furor erupted and the Sheriff took a leave from the choo choo job.

2. HEROIN-Savokinas admitted to WILK talk show host that he had 7 bags of the drug stashed in his office for safe keeping. The chain of evidence implications in this admission are breath taking.

3. TIME CARD-Savokinas has been widely criticized for letting his office procedures go amuck when it came to keeping track of his people’s vacation and personal time.

4. GUARNARI-The Sheriff’s top deputy was not in the office for a few weeks and there was no record of vacation time. Guarnari who was interviewed by WBRE’s Joe Holden was not happy with the line of questioning and lunged at the reporter’s microphone.


All sorts of accusations have come out in the comments on the CV article that I will cherry pick. Since Mr. Savokinas has a habit of suing people I want to emphasize that these are not the opinion of Gort42 nor do I attest to the veracity of the accusations. But they are interesting.

From the CV Comments:


-I don't understand what the fuss is all about. I routinely find cocaine and heroin on the floor of my car when I unlock the door. Doesn't everyone?


-Lohman is not the only crooked cop that Savokinas is involved with there are many. maybe the FBI should look into that. Just go to the Scranton Police they will give you some background on one of them. Mental and criminal.


-I'm amazed at how this newspaper permits blatant allegations of criminal behavior to be published along with peoples' names without any corroboration - this is a lawsuit waiting to be filed.


-how long can the DA cover up the crime at the xmas party at savos pizza place. everyone in town knows about savo covering up what lohman did. some things in the small town never change.


-X'Mas, We can add that party to the list as well, but there was an incident a few years back and of course it was swept under the rug because of him being in law enforcement.


-Are you referring to a party around Xmas??...at his restaurant??? I heard a lot of rumors on Main St. Pittston, but seems everything was swept under the rug......if the rumors turn out to be true, and the FBI can get some answers, there will be a LOT of folks in some BIG trouble (another rumor was that county detectives weree aware of this incident).... I hope it comes out so we can continue to knock down the blue wall


-Its a real shame that people are so blind to this. So many people in Pittston Twp. where Savokinas is from knows this stuff about him, but noone comes forward because they are afraid of his frivilous lawsuits and threats. He has relations in law enforcement and the courthouse to protect him again. Wake up people put a tail on him you will see alot more!


-If someone wants to know why to cocain was in 'his vechile", maybe they should ask the Pittston Twp. Police about the incident a few years back.....


-maybe if they searched his residence they would find an extensive collection of Grateful Dead albums and tie dyed t-shirts.



-Savokinas,Guarneri and Lohman are all personal friends.Each one of them has testified for the other two at lawsuit proceedings.


Savokinas was on WILK yesterday and you can listen to it '>here.