The LuLac Edition #773, Apr. 3rd, 2009

PHOTO INDEX: OUR 1964 LOGO, POP CULTURE ICON ERNEST BORGNINE, AND GOVERNOR ED RENDELL.

MORE LEGAL STUFF

Well if you thought the investigations stopped with the Judges in Luzerne County, you are mistaken. A closer look is going to uninsured motorists cases. Court documents were taken from the Luzerne County Prothonotary's Office to be used for a federal grand jury that will be seated next week. A subpoena sought all files or records relating to underinsured motorists from Jan. 1, 2002 to the present. 87 files or records were turned over to federal authorities, according to the county court administration office.
Meanwhile theFBI is now investigating the Wilkes-Barre Area School District and Wilkes-Barre Area Vocational-Technical School.
The FBI requested a list of the Wilkes-Barre Area Vocational-Technical Joint Operating Committee board members since 2005, said attorney Jack Dean, who provides legal assistance for the school. According to the Times Leader, Dean said the information was supplied, and he stressed that the request was not in the form of a subpoena. The FBI also was believed to request board meeting minutes from 2004 to the present plus the district’s teacher hiring policy....And a current Judge, recently elected said he's okay with talking about ways to improve the juvenile court system. Judge David Lupas, a former two term DA wants to prevent the kinds of due process violations committed by his predecessor. Lupas said the proposals made by Sen. Lisa Baker, to open proceedings to the news media and have attorneys for each defendant is something he could agree with in principle.

MARTINO'S MISSIVE

Bishop Joseph F. Martino has joined more than 12 bishops who are protesting the University of Notre Dame’s decision to honor President Barack Obama at commencement next month. In a letter to the university’s president, Martino called Mr. Obama being the school’s commencement speaker and recipient of an honorary doctorate “truly shameful” and “a scandal to the Church.” First off, Obama is not a Catholic so what's the scandal? Second, what does this have to do with the Scranton Diocese? My advice to the Bishop is to quit posturing and maybe start attending to the thousands of members of your flock who currently are jobless, hanging on economically by a thread and need more than your condemnation of the univesity.

A DEAL

The Rendell administration and state union leaders brokered a deal to avoid any immediate furloughs of state employees, but hundreds of workers still could be laid off this year. The next obstacle for union workers lies in the 2009-10 state budget. Rendell this year proposed the elimination of more than 2,600 jobs because of the state's worsening finances. Many jobs will be eliminated through attrition, but Rendell has said layoffs might be needed. The deal to avoid furloughs, which was announced Thursday, is good news for tens of thousands of state workers.
The leadership of three unions representing the bulk of the state work force agreed to cost-cutting measures sought by Rendell. There will be no cuts in wages or benefits. Union workers need to sign off on the deal. Let's hope they do.

ER ENDS

The popular TV show "ER" ended last night after a decade and a half. Watched it once in a while over the years and thought it was a great show. Was pleased to see that one of my favorite actors, Ernest Borgnine had a pretty decent role in the finale.

1964

The Beatles hold the top 5 positions in the Billboard Top 40 singles in America, an unprecedented achievement. The top songs in America as listed on April 4, in order, are: Can't Buy Me Love, Twist and Shout, She Loves You, I Want to Hold Your Hand, and Please Please Me...... Three high school friends in Hoboken, N.J., open the first BLIMPIE….Jigme Dorfi, Premier of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, is shot dead by an unidentified assassin in Puncholing, near the Indian border……in Pennsylvania, U.S. Senate candidate Genevieve Blatt says the state is dragging its feet on support of the arts. Blasting the Scranton administration, Blatt said the Governor has been advertising how great Pennsylvania is but let opportunities like the establishment of a cultural center go to New York state which appropriated $600,000 for a center. Blatt is the anti organization candidate for the U.S. Senate on the Democratic ticket and served as the Secretary of Internal Affairs….The 1964 Phillies set their starting rotation as Jim Bunning, Chris Short, Ray Culp, Art Mahaffey and Dennis Bennett.....the Greater Pittston and Wilkes Barre Chambers of Commerce are seeking candidates for their Miss. Northeast Pageant. Entrants must be between the ages of 18 and 28, not married and be a high school graduate………….At the Forty Fort Theatre, the political thriller “7 Days In May” starring Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster is showing….at Scranton Dry you could buy a saddle shoulder ban-lon shirt for $5.95……and the number 1 song in America and LuLac land was again by the Beatles, this time “Twist and Shout”.