The LuLac Edition #3683, December 29th, 2017

TOP STORIES OF 2017

STATEWIDE

1. STARTING EARLY……The 2017 election wasn’t even over but the 2018 off year elections started in earnest this year. Republican challenger State Senator Scott Wagner went on the air and started to beat the bushes. Wagner picked up key endorsements throughout the state and is now seen as the presumptive nominee.
On the Democratic side, Tom Wolf’s campaign began to formulate as he embarks on his run for  a second term.
The Senate seat of Bob Casey is up and Republican Lou Barletta announced his intentions. At this point, it seems Casey should win because of the dissatisfaction with President Trump in the stater. But there has always been a two term curse for some Senators and Casey does not want to follow in the footsteps of Democrat Joe Clark or Republican Rick Santorum. Trump barely carried the state, largely because of the 26,000 votes from The Lu. Is the rest of the Commonwealth like Luzerne County?  THat's the big question.

2. OPIOD CRISIS…Governor Wolf signed legislation to battle Pennsylvania’s heroin and opioid epidemic. This legislation will strengthen the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, restrict the number of pills that can be prescribed to minors or in emergency rooms, establish education curriculum on safe prescribing, and create more locations for the drop-off of prescription drugs.

3. THE IMPOTENCY OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE….if it were up to me this would be the top story. The state Legislature did NOTHING on Property Tax Reform, did NOTHING on Pension Reform and FAILED AGAIN in passing a budget on time. It passed abortion restrictions, tried passing anti-union legislation sought by top Republicans which failed and left legislation to tax Marcellus Shale natural gas production in an undecided state. One has to ask at the end of the day, why do we pay these people and why do we keep returning them to Harrisburg?

4. THE COSBY TRIAL…..When you thought about sexual harassment earlier in the year, the name Bill Cosby came to mind. However, with the plethora of allegations and public humiliation with major players in entertainment coming to the fore, the Cosby trial seems like a distant memory. But like a renewal of a TV show for another season, Cosby and his trial will be back in 2018. Jurors heard lurid testimony about the TV star once known as "America's Dad" for his role as kindly Dr. Cliff Huxtable on "The Cosby Show." But the jury's epic deliberation — which lasted more than 52 hours over six days — failed to produce a verdict, and the judge declared a mistrial

5. DRUNKEN BEHAVIOR AND HAZING DEATH AT PENN STATE..... On Feb. 4 there was a hazing death of a 19-year-old fraternity pledge at Penn State yielding criminal charges against 26 people. Two of the accused were locals from the Scranton Area who most likely got their drinking training wheels at various St. Patrick’s Day celebrations through the years. The victim, Tim Piazza drank heavily at a pledge party, then fell head-first down basement stairs — the first of several tumbles that left him mortally injured. Security camera footage seized by police revealed that fraternity members did little to help.
Months later, a grand jury accused Penn State officials of displaying "shocking apathy" about excessive drinking at Pennsylvania's flagship university. Penn State, in turn, blamed national fraternities and their members, alumni and even parents for being unwilling to accept major reform.
That last part is the most telling statement to me. Penn State, an institution that CHOOSES who they will educate have to kiss the asses of the parents and alumni who don’t want their precious little bundles of joy to get their itty bitty feelings hurt when they are told to follow the rules.
Bottom line here is someone died because drunken slob pigs let him. I’d say “LOCK THEM UP."