The LuLac Edition #3763, April 20th, 2018

ACTION RALLY ON SUNDAY

Action Together NEPA is pleased to announce its “Rally for Our Planet Earth Day Celebration” on Earth Day, on Sunday, April 22nd, at 1 pm on Public Square.
Presenters include:
Dr. Cosima Wiese, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biology, Misericordia University
Dr. Brian Mangan, Department Chair, Professor of Environmental Science and Biology, King’s College
Dr. Ken Klemow Professor of Biology and GeoEnvironmental Science, Wilkes-University
Dr. Colby Tanner, Assistant Professor of Biology, Misericordia University
Robert E. Hughes Executive Director for the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation
Music by Don Shappelle & Friends
Action Together NEPA is a grassroots activist organization dedicated to community action, political advocacy and real progress.

OPIOID FORUM A SUCCESS

From left to right, front row, panel member Carol Coolbaugh, Sir Knight Blaise Dente, moderator Carmen Ambrosino. Second row, Luzerne County Coroner William Lisman, Sir Knight Leonard Pribula Junior, your blog editor and 4th Degree member, Judge Michael Vough, former Grand Knight and Choir member Richard Korpusik and current Grand Knight of Council #372 Dennis Palladino. (Photo: Mrs. LuLac)

The Opioid Forum presented by the President John F. Kennedy heritage Council #372 was a huge success. Before a packed crowd, the panelists led by moderator Carmen Ambrosino gave compelling presentations. Panelists were Carol Coolbaugh, area addiction activist, Judge Michael Vough and Coroner William Lisman. Here’s a wrap up from the Pittston Dispatch on line:
Residents packed the John P. Cosgrove Center in the Pittston Memorial Library Thursday evening eager to learn about the dangers of opioid addiction.
Not only did they learn about that, they also learned of the impact those drugs and other drugs have on families and loved ones through the stories told by those who’ve seen the horrors first hand.
An Opioid Fact Forum was sponsored by the Heritage Knights of Columbus President John F. Kennedy #372 Council #948 Assembly and the Jacquelines Auxiliary. It was the idea of Knights of Columbus member David Yonki.
“(The Knights) put me in charge of the family committee and that was the reason I decided to make it a little more relevant and bring these issues that we have in the 21st century to light,” Yonki said.
The forum consisted of a panel that included Luzerne County Coroner Bill Lisman, Luzerne County Court of Common Please Judge Michael Vough, and Advocate Carol Coolbaugh who shared their stories.
The panel was moderated by Carmen Ambrosino, a 45-year addiction specialist and former CEO of Wyoming Valley Drug and Alcohol Services.
“Dave Yonki asked if I would moderate it because of my years in the field,” Ambrosino said. “I brought in Bill Lisman and Carol, and I reached out to Mike Vough. And then I helped with a lot of the publicity and all, but Dave Yonki did the Herculean share of that.”
Lisman shared stories about his experience as a coroner and all the drug-related deaths he’s dealt with while Vough spoke about the people who have come in front of him in court for drug-related crimes.
Carol Coolbaugh, however, shared a more personal story as she spoke about how drug addiction took her son’s life in 2009.
She shared the story to keep his memory alive and to show the human nature of drug overdoses.
“I think your biggest fear is that the memory will be lost,” Coolbaugh said. “People won’t talk about them and they’ll forget about them. We did a lot of statistics tonight, and Eric (my son) was one of those statistics, but he was much more than that. He was my son. He was a father. He was a brother. He was a person.”
Coolbaugh has been sharing her son’s story since his passing and is also an advocate for GRASP (Grief Recovery After Substance Passing.)
Her mission is to help people turn their tragedies into positives, much like she is doing with her own tragedies.
“I spent so much energy trying to help my son that I didn’t know what to do with myself,” she said. “I was invited to speak at the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program right off the bat and it just made me feel good to share his story. Hopefully, his story will help someone.”
Because of the positive turnout, Yonki said the Knights of Columbus will look into continuing events similar to the Opioid Fact Forum.
“I think the turnout was outstanding,” he said. “I’m heartened by the turnout and I am thrilled by the turnout, mainly because of the fact that people in this community care, and people in this community are thirsting for more knowledge on, for better or for worse, what is an epidemic.”
Jimmy Fisher ... Bill Tarutis

THE BON-TON CLOSES

Well for me, the announcement of the closing of The Bo-Ton was sad news. That store, in Wilkes Barre as well as Wyoming was a major part of my life. As a child I saw Santa at Pomeroy’s. In Wyoming, I met the late Jim Ward who let me pass out singles to the customers coming to the store. This was during the grand opening in 1966 when the trio of Standing Ward, the late Johnny Margas and Dave Garrett presided. For me, that day was the end of the  the radio bug that had been flying around me. That day, at Pomeroy's, at Bon-Ton, it finally stung.
While my parents shopped at the Super Market at the other end of the center, I perused the store to kill time. I purchased all of my Beatles ties there as well as a beautiful golden, blue polka dot by Michael Stuart on one of the few days I got fired. I still have the tie which I wore on Pa Live a few months back.
My friends worked there. When I bought gifts for women I was dating and later on for my wife, one of the ladies who wrapped my presents, was Helen Hizny who was painstaking in the art of making beautiful packages. She was friendly, precise and when she needed to be, discreet. Joanne Rydzewski, a member of my parish and my friend Judy Cudo's mom worked at the Midway store since the day Pomerory's opened. She was in the In the Jewelry/Handbag Department. My other friends from school, Joey and David Dellarte worked there as well as their sisters Ellen and Suzanne. Numerous guys I went to King's with held down the fort at Christmas.
Many will look at the closing of the Bon-ton as just another sign of the times. To an extent, it is. But that store, has held many sweet memories for me and others of my age.
Mrs. LuLac has been resigned to the fact that I have thrown very little of my clothing away. We both agreed that saving my Bon-ton ties was a good decision. They, unlike the store will live on. As one of the ties I bought there blared out on the design, "Obladi, Oblada, Life Goes On". Life will go on without Bon-Ton, aka Pomeroy's, but it will be a  lot less sweeter than it was before this announcement.

TRUMP BASHES CALIFORNIA

The President came out with a tweet about California. Of course Trump went on about the danger of immigration and sanctuary cities but he really has missed the mark. Trump tweeted about California, which has passed a state law limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
"There is a Revolution going on in California. Soooo many Sanctuary areas want OUT of this ridiculous, crime infested & breeding concept. Jerry Brown is trying to back out of the National Guard at the Border, but the people of the State are not happy. Want Security & Safety NOW!"
That revolution, like Trump’s normalization of bullshit and hate has become the norm in California. California has changed its demographic and that will be the future of this county. That is why old white guys like Trump are hanging on for dear life to the notion that “their” America is/was great.
Deny all you want, but the demographic makeup of California will be us, or the United States in twenty five years. I’m just sorry I won’t be around to see it and enjoy the diversity this will bring.

WAGNER, MANGO CANCEL ANOTHER PUBLIC DEBATE

ELLSWORTH MAKING SOME NOISE

Laura Ellsworth (Photo: WHYY.com)

Republican gubernatorial candidate Laura Ellsworth today took her two primary opponents to task for once again forcing the cancellation of a debate, this one on educational needs in Pennsylvania.
Excellent Schools PA, the debate’s sponsor, cancelled the April 24 event after Republican Scott Wagner refused to attend and Paul Mango declined based on Wagner’s rejection, according to Stephen DeMaura, executive director of Excellent Schools.
“Mango and Wagner remain more focused on each other than they do on the issues facing Pennsylvania’s citizens,” Ellsworth said. “Excellent Schools PA is one of the leading organizations in the field of education reform, and the challenges facing our schools are immense. People seeking public office have a moral obligation to discuss education. Instead, Wagner and Mango are avoiding these issues of substance.”
To date, Mango and Wagner have engaged in a campaign mud fest, filled with personal attacks and cartoonish negative ads that have shed no light on where either man stands on the challenges facing Pennsylvania’s 500 public school districts and their 1.7 million students.
“Pennsylvania’s voters deserve to hear what their candidates will actually do if elected, especially when it comes to educating our young people,” Ellsworth said.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has said 51 percent of schools in Pennsylvania fail to meet a benchmark score of 70 on the school performance measure, and only 46 percent of students tested were able to meet grade-level math skills.
“These are issues the candidates should discuss and debate – in public, where voters can decide which prospective governor has a better grasp of the issues and the most plausible solution,” Ellsworth said. “Mango and Wagner have once again shown that they aren’t interested in issues and are willing to keep the discussion from even taking place.”
A Pittsburgh attorney and civic leader, Ellsworth has traveled the state in the past month with her campaign message of jobs and education. (Ellsworth campaign)

THEN THERE’S THIS…………….POLL SUGGESTS ELLSWORTH MOST PLAUSIBLE REPUBLICAN AGAINST WOLF IN NOVEMBER

Recent polling strongly suggests that Pittsburgh Republican Laura Ellsworth is now moving into second place among the most viable challengers to incumbent Democratic Governor Tom Wolf.
A Muhlenberg University Poll last week showed Ellsworth statistically even with Pittsburgh millionaire Paul Mango in a series of hypothetical matchups with incumbent Democrat Tom Wolf.
The Muhlenberg poll did not do a straight candidate preference question in the Republican Primary but, rather, probed which of the three Republican hopefuls would pose the most significant challenge to Wolf.
Ellsworth’s results were the only ones that actually bit into Wolf’s margin by a full percentage point and increased the number of undecideds, hinting at her ability to break through with voters open to reconsidering their support for Wolf.
The Mulhlenberg Poll asked respondents how they would vote in the following general election matchups between Wolf and each Republican. (Ellsworth campaign).

TWO CUPS OF JOE

JOE PETERS

Joe Peters and your blog editor. (Photo: Mrs. LuLac)

Joe Peters is running for the Republican nomination in the 8th Congressional District to face off against incumbent Matt Cartwright. In the primary though, Peters must get by John Chrin and an insurgent named Robert Kuniegel
Peters is hoping his resume will resonate with people. He is touting this information about himself.Here are the bullet points: 
 Send a Cop to Congress
•Pro-Life
•NRA A Rated
•Cop
•Federal Mafia Prosecutor
•PA's Top Drug Prosecutor
•Served 2 Presidents Fighting Drug Trafficking & Terrorism
Joe turned out for the Opioid Abuse Seminar held Thursday presented by the President John F. Kennedy Heritage Council #372. We had a few minutes to chat.

DR. JOE LEONARDI WRITES ON BULLYING

Our good friend Dr. Joe Leonardi, writing under his pen name Scono Sciuto takes on this huge issue. We can't escape the headlines: Mass murders occurring in our schools.
These horrific crimes and events lead us to ask –
Is evil born?
or
Is evil created?
What makes a school shooter?
Is it availability of guns?
Is it mental illness?
Could it be something else?
In this novelette by Scono Sciuto we delve into the world of a young student who wanted nothing more than acceptance, yet who was greeted with torture and torment.
Explore a different point of view into one of society's greatest plagues.
From Scono....
"I'm a storyteller, one who uses the written word to tell tales. I am not a professional essayist nor English professor. My grammar is not always perfect and my sentence structure not always correct. To me, what is most important, is having the reader get lost in the story."
Here’s the link to buy it:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C9XDC4V

MEDIA MATTERS

WALN TV

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

This week's guest is Barbara Giovagnoli, Lackawanna County Recycling Coordinator. 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.

ECTV LIVE

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.

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 IS BACK THIS SUNDAY!!!!!!

Bobby V's great Sunday night Doo Wop Show. 6P to 9P on The River 105 and 103.5 Go back to the beginning of Rock and Roll.

1960

Our 1960 logo

More than 100,000 students in South Korea marched in Seoul in protest over election fraud committed by President Syngman Rhee in the voting of March 15, beginning the "April Revolution". Police fired into the crowds, killing 140 protesters…Elvis Presley returned to Hollywood for the first time since his return from military service in Germany, to begin filming G.I. Blues…

After a week in which 6,000 East Germans fled to West Berlin, several DDR police crossed the border and began searching luggage at railroad stations. West Berlin police arrested two of the DDR police, while others fled. The exodus of thousands came after the East German government "collectivized" private farms and businesses and directed landowners and shopkeepers to become employees of state-owned cooperatives.. France's President Charles De Gaulle was given an enthusiastic welcome by 200,000 people upon his arrival in Washington, D.C., on the fifth day of his tour of the Western Hemisphere. President De Gaulle spoke to a joint session of Congress on April 25, urging nuclear disarmament, and was cheered by more than a million people the next day at a ticker-tape parade in New York….

in Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Steelers scour the college ranks to get themselves to a winning season…in Scranton Mayor James Hanlon is mum on his plans for 1961 in the Mayor’s race and fifty years ago this week the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Wild One” by Bobby Rydell.