The LuLac Edition #1861, December 15th, 2011

Outgoing Luzerne County Judge Joseph Van Jura.


Radio Talk Show host and author Doctor Michael Savage.


The late CBS reporter Michele Clark. (Circa 1972).


Our 1972 logo.

VAN JURA’S DECISION

In the waning days of his appointed Judicial term, all eyes were on Joseph Van Jura’s decision regarding the defamation suit by West Pittston businessman Thomas Joseph vs. the Citizen's Voice. Joseph was originally awarded over 3 million dollars in a decision handed down by disgraced Judge Mark Ciavarella. The Times appealed the verdict citing the Ciavarella arrest and conviction. A new trial was held in June pitting Joseph against the considerable powers of Shamrock Communications. People who file a defamation claim must show that the information reported was false and that the publication of the information impaired their reputation and/or resulted in financial harm.
Van Jura concluded in the June trial that Joseph could find no witnesses that said categorically the articles ruined his life or business. The articles written by a Citizen’s Voice reporter claimed Joseph was under federal investigation and had ties with local mobster Bill D’Elia. According to anonymous sources, Joseph was accused of using his business to launder money. In court testimony Joseph said he disassociated himself from D’Elia during the 90s and had no close ties. Joseph claimed te articles cast his business and family in a negative light.
While Van Jura said there was no monetary damage, he did say in his opinion that the newspaper was guilty of shoddy reporting and could have done a better job in gathering their facts before releasing the story. The case was watched closely given the fact that the verdict was overturned in 2009 by the state Superior Court based on evidence the case had been improperly steered to Ciavarella by former Judge Michael Conahan, who was Ciavarella’s co-defendant in a corruption case filed in 2009. People were keeping an eye on the Van Jura decision to see if he found the evidence as credible as Ciavarella. While Van Jura sided with the paper, he did rebuke them professionally. From my standpoint, I thought that might have at least gotten Joseph some sort of a monetary award given the fact that the claims were never proved. Butt defamation does not allow for incompetence. Times Shamrock officials have said they have since rectified the mistakes that led to the Joseph lawsuit.

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT WORKING

The National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data illustrating that the Affordable Care Act continues to significantly increase the number of young adults who have health insurance.
Because of the health care law, young adults can stay on their parents' insurance plans through age 26. This policy took effect in September 2010. Data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) shows that since September 2010, the percentage of adults aged 19-25 covered by a private health insurance plan increased significantly, with approximately 2.5 million more young adults with insurance coverage compared to the number of young adults who would have been insured without the law.
In the Northeast States (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania), this equates to about 300,000 more young adults with insurance because of the law.
“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 2.5 million more young adults don’t have to live with the fear and uncertainty of going without health insurance,” said Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “Moms and dads around the country can breathe a little easier knowing their children are covered.”
Data from the first three months of 2011 showed that one million more young adults had insurance coverage compared to a year ago. The numbers announced today show a continuation of the coverage gains due to the health care law as students graduate from high school and college in May and June and otherwise would have lost coverage.
The data released today are consistent with estimates from surveys released earlier in the year. Those surveys have shown an increase in the number and percentage of young adults 19 to 25 with health insurance coverage. Specifically, the Census Bureau and the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index Survey, as well as the NHIS release of data through March 2011, reported similar trends through early 2011.
Today’s results, highlighted in an HHS issue brief, show that the initial gains from the health care law have continued to grow.
“The data announced today show that, because of the health care law, there is a continued and consistent pattern of improved health coverage among young adults,” said Sherry Glied, Ph.D., HHS assistant secretary for planning and evaluation. “The Affordable Care Act has helped literally millions of young adults get the health insurance they need so they can begin their careers with the peace of mind that they’re covered.”

KIDMAN, SALES AND POKIE MAN

When Herman Cain started to quote the Pokie Man movie when he withdrew last week, I nearly laughed my ass off. Eleven years ago I worked for a Cable Advertising Company. We were hitting our sales goals and everyone seemed happy. But a cadre of malcontents began a campaign to get rid of our local manager who was, and is still a broadcasting legend. He was replaced by a tall woman from Florida who immediately had her ass kissed by the sales folk. It was so blatant that even at one point they were saying she was Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Nicole Kidman. As is their wont, the new team thought they could re-invent the sales wheel. One of the favorite new selling tools was a theme based idea called “The Power Of One”. One person could make a difference, one person could save the month, one person could rule the world, yada yada, yada. Thanks to Herman Cain I now know this incredible bit of wisdom came from deep within Pokie Man. And to this day I don’t know what was worse, having a transient out of town executive who stayed for a hot 10 minutes and ruined good sales people’s lives by harassing and firing them or having a Presidential candidate quote it as he leaves the race. I’m, moving to Canada if some future Presidential aspirant says, “And in the immortal words of Dagwood Bumstead..........”

SAVAGE’S OFFER

Radio Talk Show host Michael Savage is offering former House Speaker 1 million dollars to get out of the 2012 Presidential race. Savage who is backing Mitt Romney wants Gingrich out because he fears a Gingrich national candidacy will ensure the re-election of President Obama who Savage constantly refers to as “Barry”. No word on whether the offer was considered.

A FRIENDLY GESTURE

Chuck Todd was caught giving someone the middle finger on Wednesday's "Morning Joe." The embarrassing moment came as cameras cut to Todd standing around with "Meet the Press" host David Gregory. Todd, apparently not aware that the camera was looking at him, was seen laughing and then flipping the bird at an offscreen person. David Gregory looked comically stunned and nervous, but nobody made any comment about the incident. Todd later apologized on Twitter. Off microphone antics and off camera joking is commonplace and always has been. But the words of my good friend Father Thom Carten come into play every time on a set, "Act like the microphone is live all the time....because it just might be".

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT


MEDIA MATTERS

STORM POLITICS

This week Tiffany Cloud welcomes our friend Gort 42 on her weekly political show. Air times on WYLN TV 35 are THURS @ 9:30 PM • SAT @ 5 PM • SUN @ 11 AM, MON @ 9:00 PM • TUES @ 4:30 PM.

ECTV

ECTV Live Hosts Tom Munley and David DeCosmo will welcome Joann Arduino as their guest for the week of December 19th. Ms. Arduino is Director of the Ballet Theatre of Scranton which will be presenting its annual free public offering of "The Nutcracker" at Marywood University on December 26th., 27th., and 28th. ECTV Live is carried of Comcast Ch19 and is presented each day at Noon and again at Midnight throughout the week. Electric City Television is expecting to add a 6pm rebroadcast of ECTV Live in the near future.

SUNDAY MAGAZINE

This Week On Sunday Magazine
An encore of Brian Hughes’ interview with Rebecca Ryback and Kathy Fox, who discuss Operation Safe Holiday, a regional effort to promote safe driving during the holiday season. Magic 93’s Frankie in the Morning speaks with Dr. Henry Smith about the John Heinz 2012 Calendar. Brian speaks with James Bell, the Head of Consumer Affairs for General Motors about holiday gifts for your car. And an encore of Brian’s interview with Dr. Tina Wismer, who discusses keeping your pets safe during the holidays.
Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 5:30am on JR 93.7 & 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X, 6:30am on Magic 93, and 9:30am on WARM 590 AM.

DOCTOR JOE ON SUE HENRY

Doctor Joe Leonardi will be on the WILK’s Sue Henry Show tomorrow morning in the 10AM hour (Friday Dec. 16th) and introducing his new 5 plus plan to combat childhood obesity. Leonardi has a website Fat Then-Thin Now and has been developing various health and fitness programs for people of all ages.

1972

United Airlines Boeing 737 from Washington National to Chicago Midway crashes short of the runway, killing 43 of 61 passengers and 2 people on the ground. Congressman George W. Collins and Dorothy Hunt, the wife of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt. Also killed were Michele Clark, a correspondent for CBS News The website FlickR called her ,"A talented and ambitious young woman, Michele Clark quickly established herself as one of the best and brightest reporters on CBS television in the early 1970s. Within two years of completing her journalism training, she had become a reporter for the Democratic and Republican conventions, and then rose to a position as a national reporter on the network. She was the first black female news correspondent on CBS. Working at a time when television networks were trying to bring minorities and women into visible positions, Clark's rise was swift, her career brief, and her life "a promise unfilled." In 1972, Clark was reassigned to Washington DC where she was CBS News Washington correspondent and had a quasi-anchor slot for that summer and fall. She often commuted to Chicago where her family still lived. When she headed home for Christmas in 1972 to spend a month's vacation with her family, she was one of 44 people killed when a United Air Lines plane crashed in December 1972 near Chicago's Midway Airport. As someone who was keeping an eye on all the back bench reporters of all the networks at the time, her death struck a chord with me and my broadcast buddies…….Also on that plane, a strange discovery that would be highlighted a few months later during the Watergate hearings…… Over $10,000 cash is found in the purse of Watergate conspirator Howard Hunt's wife. International Human Rights Day is proclaimed by the United Nations...Apollo 17 lands on the Moon.....Apollo program: Eugene Cernan is the last person to walk on the moon, after he and Harrison Schmitt complete the third and final Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) of Apollo 17. This is the last manned mission to the moon of the 20th Century...The Commonwealth of Australia ordains equal pay for women...............In Pennsylvania, a year end report revealed The Pennsylvania Lottery premieres with a 50-cent ticket featuring weekly drawings and a grand prize of $1 million. The new Lottery created four winners of $1 million in just six months. Even more impressive was the $57.7 million in net revenue generated by the end of the first fiscal year – nearly double the original projection of $30 million…….in Wyoming Valley more food and gift collections are gathered for victims of the Agnes Flood disaster and 39 years ago today the number 1 song in America and LuLac land was “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” by the Temptations.

Another hit that soared to number 1 nationally on the pop and country charts but made it to the top 5 here was Donna Fargo’s “Happiest Girl In the U.S.A. “. from Dot Records.