The LuLac Edition #3217, May 27th, 2016

ELIZABETH WARREN ROCKS IT

Senator Elizabeth Warren (Photo: Wikipedia.com)

How about Elizabeth Warren going after Donald Trump the other day? Warren went after the façade that is Donald Trump the businessman and the man. The Clinton campaign should give Warren whatever the hell she wants. I think she’d make a great Veep.

IF BERNIE DEBATES TRUMP

Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders (Photo: The Hill)

There has been talk that there might be a proposed debate between GOP nominee Donald Trump and Democratic wanna bee Bernie Sanders. Sanders inexplicably threw down the gauntlet and Trump readily accepted but with terms. 
However today Donald Trump thought better of it and declined. But what if it had happened. A review of what was thankfully, not to be. 
Trump wants to make it an event and donate the money to charity, presumably the same charity that benefited all those veterans a few months ago when Trump skipped one of the GOP debates.
A few things here. Bernie Sanders has lost me. He has become a grandstanding pathetic figure asking for attention. He should be invited to leave the party.
By Sanders debating Trump, he will not be a leader but a sycophant to Trump. Both he and the Donald will commiserate about how the system is rigged. What will be bad is that they will reinforce the negatives about “the system” they both agreed to before running. Their supporters won’t care or be influenced. But who will be influenced are the people who are casual observers. They will vote with the reinforcement that indeed the system is rigged because both parties said so. Voters who should vote in their own self interest will buy into the negative because it is reinforced by St. Bernie of Sanders. This is akin to ganging up on a front runner. Surely Hillary Clinton will be hurt.
But Bernie Sanders will be hurt even more. Trump will clean his clock, knife him with compliments and then discard him after he uses him.
If people thought Bernie Sanders couldn’t deal with a debate with Hillary, how will he stack up against Trump?
When this campaign started, Bernie Sanders was going to get his 15 minutes of fame.
He has extended that to more time than he deserves and is entitled to. Bernie Sanders has extended his stay and nothing good will come from a Trump debate.

WILKES BARRE CITY COUNCIL ON THE SCHOOL BOARD

The Citizen’s Voice reports that WB City council has joined the opposition to the Wilkes-Barre Area School District’s plan to cut programs and positions.
Council passed a resolution that states it “disagrees wholeheartedly with the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board’s decision to eliminate library services and courses in technology, family/consumer science and art.”
The resolution, which was sponsored by Councilwoman Beth Gilbert, states that council is “very concerned about a potential negative impact to the economic and social health of ... Wilkes-Barre.”
Okay, nice. But care to give an solutions to the School Board? It’s okay to say “we’re sorry” but unless you have solutions to revive the body, this was nothing but window dressing.

REP. CARTWRIGHT INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO ADDRESS NATION’S ORGAN TRANSPLANT SHORTAGE

Congressman  Matt  Cartwright (Photo : Washington  Post. Com)

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright introduced the Organ Donor Clarification Act, legislation that’s aim is to address our nation’s organ transplant shortage.
The legislation was featured on Sunday’s broadcast of ABC World News Tonight.
“Twenty-two people die every day because they could not survive the wait for a viable organ,” Rep. Cartwright said. “Kidney waiting lists in major cities can last from five to ten years, which is often longer than a patient can survive on dialysis.”
In 2014, out of the 100,000 patients with renal failure on the waiting list, fewer than one-in-five received a kidney transplant. The legislation start to address the shortage by removing barriers donors face under current law and allowing for pilot program to test the effectiveness of non-cash incentives to increase the supply of organs for transplantation.
Currently, organ transplantation is governed by the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) of 1984. This law prohibits buying or selling organs for “valuable consideration.”
“Confusion about what constitutes valuable consideration has hampered donation by scaring people away from reimbursing living organ donors for things like medical expenses and lost wages,” said Rep. Cartwright. “Both are legal under NOTA, but the law’s lack of clarity and its criminal penalties have created uncertainty and prevented reimbursements in many cases.”
The expansive kidney waiting list is also a burden on our nation’s finances, as the costs are becoming hugely expensive for Medicare and drains several other social service programs. Increased transplants would save Medicare and the government billions of dollars. Experts project that eliminating the waiting list would save taxpayers well in excess of $5.5 billion per year in medical costs and billions of dollars more in savings to other social programs.
The Organ Donor Clarification Act would:
• Clarify that certain reimbursements are not valuable consideration but are reimbursements for expenses a donor incurs
• Allow government-run pilot programs to test the effect of providing non cash incentives to promote organ donation. These pilot programs would have to pass ethical board scrutiny, be approved by HHS, distribute organs through the current merit based system, and last no longer than five years.
The legislation has been endorsed by the following organizations: Americans for Tax Reform, American Foundation for Donation and Transplantation, American Medical Association, Fair Allocations in Research Foundation, Transplant Recipients International Organization, WaitList Zero.

BARLETTA NAMED AFTER-SCHOOL HERO FOR WORK ON SHINE

AFTERSCHOOL ALLIANCE HONORS MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO SUPPORT LEARNING PROGRAMS

REP. BARLETTA IS PRESENTED WITH AN AFTER-SCHOOL HERO CAPE BY MIA ZAMUDIO, A SHINE STUDENT FROM JIM THORPE, PA.(Photo: Barletta Office) 

Congressman Lou Barletta has been named an “After-school Hero” by the After-school Alliance for his strong support and work on learning programs, most notably SHINE in Schuylkill, Carbon, and Luzerne Counties. The After-school Alliance, an organization which works to promote access to affordable, quality after-school programs for all children, made the presentation during its Capitol Hill showcase of innovative learning programs. Barletta has been a long-time supporter of SHINE (Schools and Homes in Education) and successfully prevented its federal funding from being eliminated.
“When you awaken the minds of young children with hope and possibility of what their future can be, there’s no stopping them,” Barletta said. “That’s what SHINE does. These after-school programs change the lives and direction of children. It was an honor to meet Mia Zamudio and her friends and see the satisfaction they are getting from learning.”
“The showcase offered a shining example of the kinds of innovative, hands-on learning activities that quality after-school programs offer students,” said After-school Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “These programs help young people discover their passions and have fun while they learn. At after-school programs around the country, children and youth are growing, harvesting and selling fruits and vegetables. They are learning computer coding and creating their own virtual worlds. They are engaging with college students and business leaders to expand their horizons. Young girls are running their first races to build self-esteem. We need to increase public and private funding so all students can take advantage of the opportunities after-school and summer learning programs provide. Rep. Barletta and the other heroes we honored not only support these programs, but also the students, parents and communities that benefit from them.”
SHINE has already been a success in Schuylkill and Carbon Counties and expanded to Luzerne County last fall in the Wilkes-Barre Area, Greater Nanticoke Area and Wyoming Valley West school districts. It expanded to Hazleton earlier this year. The program, geared to grades K-8, focuses on a project-based STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) curriculum. SHINE links schools to homes to help children build a stronger academic and social foundation.
Barletta and Pennsylvania State Senator John Yudichak (D-Luzerne/Carbon) have championed SHINE together, working closely with Luzerne County host institution Wilkes University and its president, Patrick Leahy. Barletta was also instrumental in saving an important SHINE funding source, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program.
Beginning in February 2015, Barletta began painstakingly working to restore the 21st CCLC funding, which had been slated for elimination. Barletta, however, negotiated 14 changes to the base text of the bill in support of after-school programs, and specifically the SHINE model, in the House Education and the Workforce Committee. He also engaged in a colloquy with committee Chairman John Kline (MN-2) to establish a record of support for such programs. On the floor of the House, Barletta spoke in support of his own successful amendment that requires school districts to report to state agencies on the use of Title I money for after-school activities to further demonstrate the importance of such programs. Finally, when the legislation reached the conference committee, Barletta sent a letter to lead House and Senate negotiators imploring them to preserve the 21st CCLC program. As a result, the conference report passed authorized $1 billion in funding for the 21st CCLC program.
Currently, SHINE of Luzerne County serves nearly 300 students from five area school districts: Wilkes-Barre Area, Wyoming Valley West, Nanticoke Area, Hanover Area, and Hazleton Area. The existing programs in Schuylkill and Carbon Counties bring the total number of students to more than 1,000.

MEDIA MATTERS

ECTV

ECTV Live Host David DeCosmo and Director Mark Migilore welcome John Gleason of the Keystone Rescue Mission Alliance to the program during the week of May 30th. 

The Alliance, which operates centers to help the homeless in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, has seasonal needs which Gleason will review along with expansion plans for the facility in Scranton. ECTV Live is seen on Comcast channel 19 (61 in some areas) and is broadcast at approximately Noon, 6pm, and Midnight throughout the week.

SUNDAY MAGAZINE

This Week on Sunday Magazine
Brian Hughes speaks with attorney Timothy Duggan about property owners rights with regards to the proposed PennEast Pipeline, which would run from Luzerne County to New Jersey.
An encore of Brian's interview with Matt & Bridget Purcell, who discuss the 4th Annual Pat Purcell Run/Walk, coming up next Saturday at Nay Aug Park in Scranton.
And an encore of Brian's interview with Luciana Musto from the Nativity Miguel School in Scranton, about their Food Truck Festival coming up next Saturday at PNC Field in Moosic.
Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 5am on NASH-FM, 93.7, 5:30am on 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X and Sports Radio 590, WARM, and 6:25am on Magic 93.

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

This week's guests are Pamela Zotynia from the Arc of Luzerne County and Dr. Murugu Manickam from Geisinger. Tune in Sunday morning at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on NEPA's Sports Radio-The Game 1400/1440 am and 106.7 fm; and at 7:30 on 105 The River.

SUE HENRY’S SPECIAL EDITION

Tune in to Sue Henry's "Special Edition" this week as Sue recaps the week's news. Special Edition is heard Saturdays and Sunday on these Entercom stations, WILK FM Saturday at 2pm Sunday at 6 am on Froggy 101 Sunday at 7 am on The Sports Hub 102.3 Sunday at 7 am on K R Z 98.5 Sunday at noon on WILK FM 103.1

BUDDY RUMCHEK

Want to hear some great parodies on the news? Tune in to WILK Radio at 6:40 and 8:40 AM on Mondays. As Ralph Cramden used to say, “It’s a laugh riot!”

KAREL ON THE STREET

Tune in Wednesdays on WILK Radio for Karel on the Street. Hear some of the funniest and heartwarming comments on the issues of the day on Webster and Nancy with Karel Zubris.

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SOCK HOP!!!!!

The Doo-Wop Sock Hop can be heard every Sunday night from 6P to 9P on “105 The River (104.9 FM) Host is the incomparable Bobby V. www.105theriver.net www.doowopsockhop.net

1971

Our 1971 logo.

Austria and the People's Republic of China establish diplomatic relations. …….Qantas agrees to pay $500,000 to bomb hoaxer-extortionist Mr. Brown (Peter Macari), who is later arrested…Laurence Wild, 81, American former basketball player, soldier, and Governor of American Samoa passes away…..The 1971 Indianapolis 500 is won by Al Unser the second year in a row. The race is marred by a spectacular crash in which a pace car skids into a temporary grandstand packed with photographers. 22 people are injured, some seriously…….in Pennsylvania former Governor Ray Shafer says he will not run for any future office….in Lackawanna County incumbents Pat Mellody and Edward Zipay win reelection for Commissioners while on the GOP side Robert Pettinato and Charles Luger win to face off in November. In Luzerne County Democrats Ed Wideman and Frank Crossin prevail while on the GOP side Ethel Price and Bob Warren become the nominees and 45 years ago this week the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Want Ads” by The Honey Cone.