The LuLac Edition #2352, February 7th, 2013

TALE OF TWO 18 YEAR OLDS 

This week Talk Radio and the local news was dominated by the news that a Scranton Prep Senior issued a threatening tweet saying that if a fight broke out at a high school basketball game he would "blow up" the two area schools. . Torre Scrimalli, 18 went before a Magistrate charged with making terroristic threats. I’m conflicted on this. Kids, hell even adults make really stupid mistakes. Off hand remarks are made all the time. But in the aftermath of Sandy Hook and our violent culture, these things should be kept to one’s self. Putting it on social media is still another thing I don’t get, For years this current generation has been preached to time and time again to remember “that the internet” is forever. The Courts will decide this young man’s fate. Let’s hope it is a measured response that is both responsible and fair. Another 18 year old will have his fate judged this year too but in an entirely different way. 18 year old Devon Brown of Old Forge has thrown the proverbial hat in the ring to be a member of Old Forge Council. With the scandals in the Police department, Old Forge needs new blood. And the younger and more innovative the better It will be interesting to see if this young person can overcome in Old Forge politics. An 18 year old Tom McGroarty did it in Wilkes Barre in 1983, maybe Old Forge will give Brown a chance.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

U.S. Congressman Matt Cartwright. (Photo: LuLac archives)

CARTWRIGHT ON THE POST OFFICE 

17th  District Congressman Matt Cartwright weighed in on the announcement that the Post Office might close on Saturdays. Here’s his comment: 
The Postal Service is an American institution and must be preserved. Comprehensive postal reform legislation must address the issue of delivery frequency, and Congress should make such reform a priority. Today’s announcement by Postmaster Patrick Donahoe, regarding the loss of Saturday delivery, will have a negative effect on both the Postal Service and its millions of customers. The loss of Saturday delivery will be particularly harmful to small businesses, rural communities, the elderly, the disabled and others who depend on Saturday delivery for commerce and communication. 
The agency’s crisis is a direct result of an unsustainable congressional mandate imposed on the Postal Service by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA). The federal law forces the Postal Service to pre-fund healthcare benefits for future retirees and to do so in a 10-year period. No other entity — public or private — bears this burden. Since the PAEA took effect in 2007, the Postal Service has been required to pre-pay approximately $5.5 billion per year. Yet the same law prohibits the Postal Service from raising postage rates to cover the cost. The Postal Service has already slashed mail service by closing 13,000 post offices and drastically reducing hours of operation, shutting hundreds of mail processing facilities, and downgrading standards for mail delivery to America’s homes and businesses. The effects have already been felt locally in Scranton and today’s announcement will only place a greater burden on the 17th Congressional district. 
Congress must take a holistic approach in passing comprehensive Postal Reform legislation addressing both the recent decline in mail volume as well as the strain placed on the Postal Service by the mandated PAEA.  

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT 

 

STROM THURMOND’S DAUGHTER DIES 

The Huffington Post reported yesterday that Strom Thurmond’s daughter died the other day at the age of 87. The former Presidential candidate (1948) and long serving Senator (he was a Democrat but then turned Republican was an unapologetic segregationist. As a matter of fact, his views were so abhorrent to mainstream media in the 21st century that Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott was sent packing when he gave a laudatory comment at a gathering for Thurmond when he was in his final days in office. Here is the fascinating story of his daughter. The mixed-race daughter of the late U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond who kept her parentage secret for more than 70 years to avoid damaging his political career has died. Essie Mae Washington-Williams was 87. Vann Dozier of Leevy's Funeral Home in Columbia said Washington-Williams died Monday. A cause of death wasn't given. Washington-Williams was the daughter of the one-time segregationist and his family's black maid. There had been rumors for decades in political circles and the black community that Thurmond had fathered a daughter by a black woman. But Washington-Williams did not come forward and identify Thurmond as her father until after his death at age 100 in 2003. Washington-Williams spent decades as a school teacher in Los Angeles. Thurmond was South Carolina's governor and for a time was the nation's longest-serving U.S. senator. 

JIMEAL MOSES PASSES 

An institution in the Luzerne County area has passed away. Jimeal Moses was known for a restaurant he had in Plymouth along with his dedication to the rewstoring of that town’s legacy. Jimeal's Catering was in business for 45 years and during the 1972 flood he served over 175,000 meals to flood victims at the Armory in Plymouth. 

AL GROH 

Professor Al Groh died on Monday at St. Luke’s Villa according to the Times Leader. Groh was a fixture on Public Square during the annual Fine Arts Fiesta. Groh was a constant presence throughout the event and helped organize so many of the foundational events for that event that are now commonplace in its agenda. I remember Groh as a calming, cerebral influence where no problem of logistics couldn’t be solved without reason and tact. He was a long time Professor of English and the Arts at Wilkes College. One of my friends who went to Wilkes said Groh’s classes were both “mystical and magic” in their explanation of the great classical works of time. Groh leaves a legion of students who obviously feel their interaction with him gave them a greater appreciation for the arts. It goes without saying that one of these founder’s of this event has left his mark for not only my generation but for many to come. Groh was part of the very fabric of the Fine Arts Fiesta. He was 92.

“Pepper” Paire-Davis and Geena Davis. (Photo SportingnewsMLB). 

A BASEBALL ICON 

The Sporting News MLB reports that Lavonne "Pepper" Paire-Davis, a star of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1940s and an inspiration for the central character in the movie "A League of Their Own," has died, her son said Sunday. Paire-Davis died of natural causes in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles on Saturday, her son, William Davis, told The Associated Press. She was 88. Paire-Davis was a model for the character played by Geena Davis in the 1992 hit "A League of Their Own," which also starred Rosie O'Donnell, Madonna and Tom Hanks as the crusty manager who shouted the famous line, "there's no crying in baseball!" In 1944, Paire-Davis joined the league, created out of fear that World War II would interrupt Major League Baseball, and played for 10 seasons. 

MEDIA MATTERS 

THE PARTY ZONE 

Catch the new extended 70s, 80s, 90s oldies show "The PartyZone" with Shadoe Steele beginning this Saturday from 6 - midnight on 50,000 watt powerhouse WAVT-FM - T-102. ... and on line at www.t102radio.com 

ECTV

ECTV Dave Williams, Operator of the Pennsylvania Farm Country Radio Network will rejoin 
ECTV Live hosts Tom Munley and David DeCosmo during the week of February 11th to outline plans for another FREE public event. It's the annual "Dairy Days" show to beheld in Honesdale. ECTV Live can be seen on Comcast Ch19 throughout the week atMidnighgt, 6PM, and Noon. The program presents information of events throughout the area that are open to the public free of charge. 

SUNDAY MAGAZINE  

This Week on Sunday Magazine Brian Hughes speaks with Noreen Neary about her “Baskets of Hope” fundraiser in honor of her mother Jane, who died from breast cancer 15 years ago. The event will be held Sunday March 3rd at the Dunmore Community Center. Brian speaks with travel guru Chris McGuiness about the best travel deals during the spring months...Magic 93’s Frankie in the Morning speaks with Erin Pikul about the upcoming 5K “Renal Race 2” on Saturday March 16th on Public Square in Wilkes Barre to raise money in the fight against kidney cancer...............And an encore of Brian’s interview with Dr. Sharon Finster from the Northeast Veterinary Referral Hospital in Plains about their care for pets in Northeast Pa. Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 5am on Great Country 93.7, 5:30 on 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X, 6:25am on Magic 93, and 7am on true Oldies 590, WARM.

Our 1976 logo. 

1976 

The Winter Olympic continued. 37 nations participated in the 1976 Winter Olympic Games. The '76 Winter Olympics marked the final time the Republic of China (Taiwan) participated under the Republic of China flag and name. After most of the international community recognized the People's Republic of China as the legitimate government of all China, the ROC was forced to compete under the name Chinese Taipei, under an altered flag and to use its National Banner Song instead of its national anthem. Andorra and San Marino participated in their first Winter Olympic Games………………….. In Guatemala and Honduras an earthquake kills more than 22,000............Nearly 2,000 students become involved in a racially charged riot at Escambia High School in Pensacola, Florida; 30 students are injured in the 4-hour fray……….The ratings are in and the Sonny and Cher program dominates CBS TV ratings. The twist is the show returns with the recently divorced Sonny and Cher. The bloom would soon be off the rose and the show would not last long….and pianist Vince Guaraldi was found dead in a hotel room at the age of 47. Guaraldi went on to compose scores for seventeen Peanuts television specials……in Pennsylvania, Ltn. Governor Ernest Kline ends speculation that he might run for the U.S. Senate seat of Hugh Scott. Kline’s announcement comes days after outgoing Auditor General Robert P. Casey says he will serve out his term and not compete for the seat…….in both Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties, the entire community is stunned by the sudden death of Advertising and TV pioneer Hal Berg. Berg suffered a fatal attack traveling to a client. Berg was one of the pillars of early day broadcasting in TV. Berg was also associated with WILK Radio and TV. He was a fixture in the Billboard Magazine column VoxJox where his program on WILK was promoted nationally every week. As Program Manager of the fledgling WNEP, Berg shaped the early days of survival of that entity. At the time of his death, he was the President of Hal Berg Advertising. When this happened, I was interning at a number of Media outlets in Northeastern Pennsylvania. His death triggered a common denominator that I had rarely seen among business people. I never saw so many people feel so bad at the same time to the same degree when they heard Hal Berg had died………and thirty seven years ago this week the number one song in LuLac land and America was “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon.