The LuLac Edition #3625, October 26th, 2017

WOMEN WE LOVE 2017 NOMINATIONS

As the year winds down, we will continue with our year end features. “Women We Love” is something we ripped off from Esquire Magazine a few years back. Each year we get nominees for outstanding women locally, statewide, nationally and internationally.
The criteria is simple, quality of work, recognition of community activities, challenging positions that give them a profile both good or bad. Also, if there is a “buzz” about the type of year they are having and how that impacts on themselves as well as the community. Nominations come in via the LuLac site E Mail box, LuLac posting message, Facebook and Twitter Messaging. A certain number is needed to make the cut. After that cut is dwindled, we choose the winners.
Deadline for nominations is Nov. 30th.

JEFF FLAKE’S DECISION

Senator Jeff Flake, non Conservative enough. (Photo: CNN)

Arizona Senator Jeff Flake has announced he will not run for re-election. A few other GOP Senators have made the choice too. So too did Representative Charlie Dent. The President will say they are afraid of losing. I think something different is going on.
These Republicans think that at some point their party will be destroyed. I believe Bob Corker, Charlie Dent and Flake are setting themselves up as reasonable alternatives when Steve Bannon and Trump crash the party. 
Remember, Flake has a 96% Conservative voting record. He will re-emerge. 
Smart move.

IT’S NOT THE SAME NEIGHBORHOOD MILLIE!!!!!!

(Citizen's Voice)

One of the things that really annoys me is when you get people who have lived in a neighborhood for a while bemoan the fact that it is changing. "It’s not like it used to be. A lot of drug dealers, welfare cheats and people who don’t work." That’s what you hear. But I always said that those people who give you that mantra are more worried about the complexion of their neighborhood, not necessarily the composition.
In my neighborhood, young people walk their kids to the bus stop. Some are crossing guards. A few pass my drive way walking on their way to work. Others are loading up their cars in orange vests to begin their work day. On Sunday you see people dressed way better for church than some of the ones I see in my parish. See this neighborhood of 2017 is just like mine in Pittston in the 1960s except of course is the shade of color which seems to bother people. I chalk it up to fear and ignorance. Luzerne County has plenty.
I thought about all of this the other day when I saw the front page f the Citizen’s Voice announcing arrests of drug dealers in the County. Most of them are white.
So next time I hear someone talk about their changing neighborhood, I will call them on what exactly they mean. Most of those charged are between the ages of 39 and 55. Maybe if THEIR parents had been worried about what their adult kids were doing, instead of worrying about their changing neighborhoods, we might not have seen that big a picture in the paper.
A few weeks ago, a former candidate for Mayor who booked out of this area bemoaned the fact he had to come back for something. (I can only speculate just what since he took off rather quickly. But none of my business.) He said he’d feel unsafe returning because of “how bad things are here”. Really?
Maybe it’s a good thing people like him have left. In the meantime, the neighborhood keeps changing.It changes in character, culture and yes complexion.
And as the kids used to say, (or maybe still do) “It’s all good!”

NORTH KOREA CALLS PRESIDENT TRUMP A 'LUNATIC,' SAYS THE U.S. IS OVER

Kim  Jong- Un (Photo: CNN)

Now I know that this is North Korea but as I recall, I don’t remember Fidel Castro saying such things about Jack Kennedy during the Cuban Missile crisis. North Korea is going after President Trump again, calling him a "lunatic" and a "warmonger."
State-run newspaper, the Pyongyang Times, also called South Korea and Japan puppet forces for the U.S.
These comments come as tensions between the White House and the North continue to rise, specifically dealing with the rogue nation’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The headline of the article read, “Subservience to US leads to abyss of destruction.” The Times noted that people in the Trump administration can’t cool him, saying he’s overheated with a "war fever."
Trump has repeatedly gone after North Korea with a strong military option.
"If we take that option, it will be devastating. I can tell you that -- devastating for North Korea. That's called the military option."
The newspaper went on to say that Trump is taking America into ruin at the “peril of their lives.”

UPDATE 10-22-17 - HB 1285 REFERENDUM CHOICE

There is a lot of talk about whether this House Bill vote on the November 7th ballot. More than a few people have message me and asked me what I think. I think YES. Here's why: 
On November 7, Pennsylvanians will be requested to vote on a ballot question that will open the possibility of reducing or eliminating residential school property taxes through the state’s existing homestead exclusion program. The current program, enacted in 1998, allows the exclusion from taxation of up to 50% of the median assessed value of owner-occupied homes in each taxing body.
The proposed constitutional amendment on which you will be voting would allow, if passed, local taxing bodies to exclude from taxation an increased amount of UP TO 100% of the assessed value of owner occupied homes. If approved, the amendment does NOTHING by itself and will have NO immediate effect but will simply allow the General Assembly at some future date to enact enabling legislation, the content of which is currently unknown, and supply a funding source for such legislation.
The exact language of the ballot question requires a “yes” or “no” response and will read as follows:
"Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended to permit the General Assembly to enact legislation authorizing local taxing authorities to exclude from taxation up to 100 percent of the assessed value of each homestead property within a local taxing jurisdiction, rather than limit the exclusion to one-half of the median assessed value of all homestead property, which is the existing law?"
Since this has no immediate effect there is no hazard in voting "YES" for the measure.
The Harrisburg lawmakers who are working with us to enact true school property tax elimination through HB/SB 76 have warned us that the self-serving opponents of our legislation are eagerly anticipating the defeat of this amendment so they can claim that 100% elimination was offered and was rejected by the voters, and therefore no further consideration of HB/SB 76 is necessary. Voting down this amendment will likely destroy our chances of school property tax elimination for the foreseeable future.
Because of this, the PTCC STRONGLY recommends that you vote "YES" on this amendment on November 7.

CARTWRIGHT ANNOUNCES $841,476 IN HUD FUNDS TO LUZERNE COUNTY AND WILKES-BARRE

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright announced that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $595,578 to Luzerne County and $245,898 to the city of Wilkes-Barre through its Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME).
HOME provides formula grants to states and localities that communities use - often in partnership with local nonprofit groups - to fund a wide range of activities including building, buying, and/or rehabilitating affordable housing for rent or homeownership or providing direct rental assistance to low-income people.
“Ensuring Northeastern Pennsylvanians have access to safe, affordable housing is a priority of mine,” said Rep. Cartwright, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “These grants are an investment in our community. They fund programs that meet the needs and priorities of our neighborhoods, remove blight, and attract businesses.”
HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes; utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; and build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination.

MEDIA MATTERS

WALN TV CABLE 137

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

This week's guest will be Maggie O'Brien, Regional Director of Make-A-Wish. Tune in Sunday morning at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on 1400-The Game, NEPA's Fox .Sports Radio and 106.7 fm; and at 7:30 on 105 The River.

THE FRANK ANDREWS ERA BEGINS

WILK's newest afternoon Talk Show host is Frank Andrews, former anchor of WNEP TV, WYOU TV, State Representative and Mayor.  He replaces the late L.A. Tarone  in this full time position. His debut is October 30th.

ECTV LIVE

ECTV Live hosts Rusty Fender, David DeCosmo, and Director Mark Migilore welcome John Gleason from the Keystone Mission to the program during the week of October 30th. Keystone Mission provides services to homeless individuals and families in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties and the need for those services increases as the Fall season begins.

ECTV Live can be seen on Comcast channel 19 (61 in some areas) and is aired during the Noon, 6pm and Midnight hours each day of the week. Following Monday's Live program the show will become available on Electric City Television's YouTube channel which can be viewed on your computer.

SUE HENRY’S SPECIAL EDITION

Tune in to Sue Henry's "Special Edition" this week as Sue recaps the week's news. The show will run Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. on WILK, and on KRZ, Froggy and Max 102 early Sunday morning.

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!”

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SOCK HOP

SUNDAY NIGHTS!!!!

1977

Our 1977 logo

The European Patent Institute is founded…..The president of Catalonia, Josep Tarradellas, returns to Barcelona from exile and the autonomous government of Catalonia, the Generalitat, is restored…..The last natural smallpox case is discovered in Merca district, Somalia. The WHO and the CDC consider this date the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, the most spectacular success of vaccination and, by extension, of modern science…..Space Shuttle program: Last test taxi flight of Space Shuttle Enterprise, over California…..in Pennsylvania former U.S. Senate candidate Bill Green says he is leaving his options open for another run at a seat in Washington. He later ran for Mayor of Philadelphia instead….in Lackawanna County the heat is termed up in Scranton as three candidates, Vernon Searfoss, James McNulty and Gene Hickey duke it out to succeed Gene Peters as Mayor, also in this area former Auditor General Robert P. Casey Senior was non committal on a run for Governor at this point in time (late '77) but was very interesting and kind to a young 23 year old TV host....

 and forty years ago the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Brick House" by The Commodores.