The LuLac Edition #786, Apr. 17th, 2009

PHOTO INDEX: FORMER CONGRESSMAN PATRICK TOOMEY, A HOMELESS MOTHER AND CHILD AND OUR 1964 LOGO.

BOLUS ON BALLOT

It is official. Scranton businessman Bob Bolus will remain on the May 19 primary election ballot for Scranton mayor. That comes from a state Commonwealth Court ruling. Lackawanna County D.A. Andy Jarbola wanted to remove Bolus from the ballot. Judge Terrence R. Nealon ruled Mr. Bolus could remain on the ballot because Mr. Jarbola challenged his candidacy a day late. Mr. Bolus was convicted of three felonies in the early 90s. That was main reason for Jarbola’s efforting to prevent him from running for mayor. If elected, Bolus cannot serve. Given that fact, one has to speculate that either the Doherty or DeBillio camp might be running an underground effort to have one of the Dems beat Bolus in the GOP primary.

TOOMEY IN

The bloodbath has begun between former Congressman Pat Toomey and 5 term Senator Arlen Specter. Toomey announced his candidacy this week and plans to go after Spoecter for his vote on the Stimulus package presented by President Obama. In making Specter's stimulus vote an issue, Toomey is betting that the economic recovery will be the central issue of the campaign. He's also avoiding the mishap other conservatives made this year, when people such as former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and talk-show host Rush Limbaugh said they hoped Obama's policies fail. Toomey's problem with the stimulus plan is that it amounts to "massive borrowing" from U.S. workers. Sure, better off to run up deficits for a failed war and to feed the rich on Wall Street as they tried to destroy this country. Toomey and Specter have been trading attacks for weeks, directly and via surrogates, on Facebook, in newspapers and radio and television. This is only going to get nastier and the election cycle for 2010 has not even begun.

HOPE IN NORTHEND

Good news for people who need a break. The city zoning board voted to grant permission to Ruth's Place, to occupy a building at the corner of Penn Ave and Butler Street in the Northend of Wilkes Barre. It would be kind of hard to say no to this after granting a massageparlor a license in East End, don't you think? Operators of Ruth’s Place have been looking for a new location since September, when the First United Methodist Church building on North Franklin Street was sold. The shelter’s new location will be in a 5,400-square-foot, one-story property and will include a kitchen, bathrooms and showers. The shelter serves about 25 women at a time, with capacity for 30. Ruth's Place has been doing good work for a number of years. Here's a link to their website: http://ruthsplace.com/default.aspx. Good luck and welcome to the neighborhood.

1964

Malcolm X delivers a speech entitled "The Ballot or the Bullet" in Detroit.... Also in the Motor City, the Ford Mustang is officially unveiled to the public...... Shea Stadium opens in Flushing, New York...........In Pennsylvania the candidate for the U.S. Senate Genievieve Blatt blasted the Statewide Democratic organization in a speech in Williamsport before the Democratic Women’s Club. Blatt blamed statewide Dem leaders for three statewide losses in a row. She characterized the endorsement of her opponent Judge Michael Musmanno as smoke filled, old boy politics……The Philadelphia Phillies open up their 1964 season at Connie Mack Stadium with a win against the New York Mets. The Phils beat the Mets 5-3 with lefty Dennis Bennett getting the win and Johnny Klipstein coming on in relief. The Phils then won two more before the Mets went to their opener at Shea......in Luzerne County, a split between two factions of the Democratic party rears its head in the delegate race for the 1964 Democratic convention in Atlantic City. A slate backed by Wilkes Barre Mayor Frank Slattery took 3 of the top 4 ballot positions in the primary. Slattery, Edward Zoinerowicz of Newport Twp., and Francis Loughin of Kingson got the top spots. A group backed by County Democratic Chair Dr. John Dorris got lower positions. Bernard Podcasy, County Minority Commissioner Ed Wideman, Attorney Daniel Daley of Kingston and Simon Russin of Plains Twp., were on the Dorris team. Alternate delegates backed by Slattery were Patrick Cooney of Ashley and Joseph Troynacki of Dupont. Dorris alternates were Edward Maziarz of Duryea and Michael Lyons of Wilkes Barre Twp…..A memorial concert in tribute to John F. Kennedy was held by the Oratorio Society. Clifford Balshaw was the musical director in a production that featured Gabriel Faure’s Requiem Mass in D. The event was held at St. Stephen’s Church on South Franklin Street…..and 45 years ago this week, the strange hold on number 1 songs by the Beatles continued with "P.S. I Love You" as the number 1 song in America and LuLac land.