The LuLac Edition #3944, November 29th, 2018

BIG CARIBBEAN NIGHTS IN HAZLETON!!!!!

WHAT IS PAULIE REALLY AFRAID OF???

One has to wonder just what Paul Manafort is up to. The fact that he has LIED to the Special Prosecutor after getting a deal is astounding. The fact that he has shared questions with Diaper Don about the investigation seems to mean one of two things.
1.He might be fishing for a pardon which this corrupt President has offered in an interview with the New York Post or
2. He might be more afraid of the Russians than Trump or Mueller. This guy was in deep with the Ukrine and Russians. Perhaps he’s trying to save his sorry life.

TRUMP SUPPORTERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

I stopped responding to the people who post stuff about how great Diaper Don is on Social Media. They are really making fools of themselves/. Anymore, I’ll just use these initials. WSOH.
Wrong side of history. 

COHEN'S TESTIMONY PROVES COLLUSION AND TRUMP BRIBE OF PUTIN FOR HOTEL BUILDING IN RUSSIA 

Equation: Nail + Cohen=Coffin. 
Look out for President Pence!

CHILDREN GET TEAR GASSED AT BORDERS BY US

Pictures and video of migrant men, women and children rushing through white clouds of tear gas fired by border agents during an incident at the southern US border have brought forth anger, debate and concern.
While the morality and necessity of the riot control agent's use is certainly a topic of debate, others have also worried about the effects the substance could have on the young migrant children who were seen in the fray.
According to experts, tear gas isn't exactly what you think it is -- and it does, in fact, have the potential to have a dangerous and long-lasting effect on children.
What exactly is tear gas? While there are a few different compounds that can be used for the purpose, the overwhelmingly common compound is called chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile, or "CS."
Tear gas is often assumed to be an irritant, like the fumes of an onion in the eyes or pepper in the nose. Recent medical research has proven otherwise, says Sven Eric Jordt, an assistant professor of anesthesiology at Duke University who specializes in sensory mechanisms
"We discovered that the chemical causes pain by activating pain receptors," Jordt says. I would consider them to be nerve agents that selectively and very potently engage pain nerves."
"The use of tear gas on children -- including infants and toddlers in diapers -- goes against evidence-based recommendations, and threatens their short and long-term health," the statement, written by AAP President Colleen A. Kraft, reads.
"Children are uniquely vulnerable to physiological effects of chemical agents. A child's smaller size, more frequent number of breaths per minute and limited cardiovascular stress response compared to adults magnifies the harm of agents such as tear gas."
The AAP also alludes to possible psychological trauma, since children who have arrived at the border "have taken harrowing journeys."
"We must make every effort not to retraumatize them," Kraft writes.
Too late…..we chose to gas children at the border instead of having a sane policy.
I remind all of you the Senate had an immigration bill passed in 2013, but REPUBLICAN legislators refused to vote on it.
All of this is on them. REPUBLICANS! (CNN Health, LuLac)

WOMEN WE LOVE NOMINATIONS OPEN

As the year winds down, we continue with preparation for our year end features. “Women We Love” has been an ongoing feature of The LuLac political Letter since 2009 or so.
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, we take into consideration if there is a “buzz” about the type of year they are having and how that impacts on themselves as well as the community.
Or they might have passed on too. That is a nomination that we'll consider too.
Nominations are currently being taken until Dec. 15th.
(Short time span this year, there have been a few, ahem, life changing events).
Contact us through The Lulac Political Letter or message me on FB with the name you might like to bring forward.

MILK AND MASCONE 40 YEARS ON

(Photos: San Francisco Chronicle)

It was a shocking Monday as San Francisco’s popular Mayo George Mascone and the first openly gay politician in the Bay Area were gunned down by Dan White, a former policeman. The story made national news and turned into best selling books, a movie and even a Broadway play.  on the bottom is a link to that day and some videos.  
It made Milk a folk hero of sorts and Mascone was honored with a center that bears his name. But that devastating day was one to remember.


And the unintended consequence of this day was the rise of on e Dianne Feinstein who succeeded George Mascone as Mayor.


https://patch.com/california/san-francisco/assassinations-harvey-milk-george-moscone-40th-anniversary

MEDIA MATTERS

GEORGE JONESCU, CANADIAN LEGEND DIES

The late George Jonescu (Photo: Zoomer Radio)

If you are an on line listener to Zoomer 740AM or pick it up at night from Toronto, the you are familiar with George Jonescu who for years did a bg band show on Sunday nights. He passed away last week and his songs and stories will be missed by an audience that reached 28 states and 5 provinces.
The website of the Adams Funeral Home in Barrie crashed yesterday, shortly after notice of the passing of George Jonescu was posted there.
Coincidence?
Probably not, say friends and fans of the popular radio personality, whose career spanned 65 years from its launch at CJIC-AM in Sault Ste. Marie.
The airwaves, Internet and social media were all buzzing yesterday with memories of Jonescu, who at age 84 was one of the longest-serving Canadian announcers still doing a regularly scheduled broadcast.
"Wow - George’s obit has crashed the Adams Funeral Home website. He was loved by so many," said Tom Aikins, who worked with Jonescu during the 1980s and 90s at Barrie's CHAY-FM (now branded as 93.1 Fresh Radio).
"I can hear his chuckling now!" added another Barrie friend, Vicki Howe.
Jonescu died suddenly at his Barrie home on Friday, just one day after he recorded his last Big Band Sunday Night broadcast for Zoomer Radio.
The 50,000-watt clear-channel station, based in Toronto and boasting North America's largest broadcast footprint reaching extensive parts of Ontario, Quebec and 28 U.S. states, announced his passing during Sunday's broadcast.
Jonescu was part of the original team that started broadcasting on the CBC's old 740 kHZ AM Toronto frequency on Jan. 8, 2001.
This past Sunday, Nov. 25, Zoomer Radio will honored Jonescu with a special commemorative edition of his weekly broadcast.
Listeners were encouraged to phone the station with their personal memories.
Meanwhile, tributes are pouring in to Zoomer Radio's Facebook page.
"I usually would retire early on Sunday nights, with my books, my 'George' music and that wonderful voice," wrote one fan.
"There must be a Big Band heaven, with George holding court there now. Sunday evenings will never be the same down here," wrote another.
"I first met him up in the Soo when I was a bat boy for the CJIC Micros, the station's softball team," recalls Lloyd Walton, now living in Muskoka. "I remember him as being very kind, to me just a kid, and very funny. CJIC radio and TV personalities were regarded as 'stars' in the community, and George was a star."
"George was one of my mentors when I first entered the world of radio and television, as a wet-behind-the-ears kid back in the early 70s, operating the board in the CJIC FM control room evenings and weekends," said John Chambers. "I learned so much from him about Big Band music and gained a true appreciation for it He always was a quick wit and could ad-lib anything on a moment's notice. A true talent and a gentleman."
Jonescu's favorite musical genres were big band, bluegrass, and gospel.

WALN TV

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

This week's guest will be Barbara Giovagnoli, Lackawanna County Recycling Coordinator, discussing environmentally-friendly holidays. 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 hosts Rusty Fender, David DeCosmo, and Director Mark Migilore welcome Scott Babinski back to the program during the week of December 3rd to unveil some exciting developments involving Quigley's Shelter Pets. The organization was started recently primarily to care for abandoned cats.

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’S DOO WOP SOCK HOP

SUNDAY NIGHTS!

1960

Our 1960 logo

Patrice Lumumba, deposed premier of the Congo, was arrested by the Congolese Army while on his way to Stanleyville to meet his supporters.Lumumba would be moved around the country and then shot to death on January 17, 1961..........Sputnik 6, a 5-ton Soviet satellite, was launched into orbit with two dogs, Pchelka ("Little Bee") and Mushka ("Little Fly"), plus mice, insects and plants. The next day, the capsule was reported to have burned up on re-entry into the atmosphere at too steep an angle.[3] According to later reports, a self-destruct system had been built to destroy the satellite if it did not re-enter at the correct time, in order to prevent it from landing outside of the Soviet Union.........The Most Rev. Geoffrey Francis Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the Anglican Church, talked with Pope John XXIII for about an hour at the Vatican, marking the first time since 1397 that England's highest ranking religious leader had visited the Pope......U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized the use of $1M for the relief and resettlement of Cuban refugees, who had been arriving in Florida at the rate of 1,000 a week. Camelot, the most expensive theatrical production to that time, made its Broadway debut, at the Majestic Theatre, with Richard Burton as King Arthur and Julie Andrews as Lady Guinevere. It first premiered in Toronto in October.....

In Pennsylvania Governor Lawrence says the state will be in a good position to rebound economically with a Democratic President…in Scranton Mayor Hanlon declares that city services are matching the needs of the citizens, Hanlon is set to run for another term in 1061 and fifty eight years ago the number one song in LuLac land and America was “New Orleans” by Gary U.S. Bonds.

The LuLac Edition #3943, November 28th, 2018

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

Our "Write On Wednesday" logo

Drs. Terry Madonna and William Young have really come up with quite the autopsy the statewide Republican party needs. In this essay on their website, the point is made that the statewide GOP is now in a descent and it may take generations for it to recover. Here's their pearls of wisdom (spot on if you ask me) for today' Write On Wednesday.

HAVE WE SEEN HIGH TIDE FOR REPUBLICANS IN PENNSYLVANIA?

From the Civil War until the mid-20th century Republicans dominated Pennsylvania politics, gradually giving way to a shared power two-party system by mid twentieth century. But by the early 21st century Republicans had reestablished control over state politics, coming to control the state legislature by overwhelming numbers as well as the state’s congressional delegation.
As recently as four years ago, the GOP controlled the governor’s office, maintained unchallenged control of both houses of the state legislature, and dominated the state’s congressional delegation, holding three of every four seats. Few if any political parties outside the southern states have enjoyed such a hegemony lasting as long as Pennsylvania’s GOP.
But now the party may be facing long-term decline after some 160 years of party ascendancy.
Evidence for that conclusion is abundant:
Exhibit A is the recent abysmal record of state Republicans in winning the governorship. Tom Wolf’s 2018 victory now means Democrats have won four of the past five gubernatorial elections. Moreover, Republicans are simply not nominating the caliber of gubernatorial candidates they once did. Both of the last two (Corbett and Wagner) have only faintly resembled earlier GOP icons like Bill Scranton, Dick Thornburgh or Tom Ridge. Wagner in particular was an inept nominee raising questions about the party’s ability to recruit the kind of candidates that used to win gubernatorial elections regularly despite large Republican registration deficits.
But gubernatorial futility is not the Republican’s sole problem. Closely related is the party’s inability to win Pennsylvania’s “independent” statewide offices: Attorney General, Auditor General and Treasurer. The last Republican to win Attorney General was Tom Corbett in 2008. The last Republican Treasure was Barbara Hafer (2000) who actually left office as a Democrat. The last Republican Auditor General was that same Republican turned Democrat Barbara Hafer in 1997. Before her no Republican had held the office since Charles Smith in 1957. The GOP’s virtual freeze out from these offices means the Republican bench for higher state offices is inevitably leaner while the offices themselves, individually and exercise considerable influence over state government policy.
Equally troubling for state Republicans is their steady erosion of support in the voter rich Philadelphia suburbs. Loss of Republican strength in the suburbs traces back to former Governor Ed Rendell (2003-2011), a popular former Philadelphia mayor. But the carnage in the suburbs has accelerated under President Trump. This year the Philly suburbs comprising a third or so of all voters gave Democrat Tom Wolf an astounding 320,000 more votes than his opponent. In the wider election, suburban voters flipped some 12 state house seats and four state senate seats from Republican to Democrat, while adding some three congressional seats to the Democratic column. These suburban votes represent a long-term abandonment of the once solid Republican vote expected from suburban voters.
Also ominous is the Democratic party’s successful efforts to weaken the iron grip Republicans hold over the state legislature. Party strength changes at a glacial pace in the General Assembly where incumbency re-election rates can run over 95 percent. But Republicans in 2018 struggled to maintain their super majorities. Altogether Democrats flipped some 11 seats in the state House and perhaps five Senate seats, leaving Republicans still in control but battle scared. Some observers now think Democrats have a chance to win back one or both houses in 2020.
Last but certainly not least among Republican worries is President Trump’s anemic approval rating in Pennsylvania.Real Clear Polities reports his average national approval rate at a mere 43.8 percent. Approval rates matter more when the president is also on the ballot as he is expected to be in just two years (2020). Trump still has time to raise his approval both in Pennsylvania and nationally. But if his popularity doesn’t improve heading into 2020, it will be difficult for Republicans to bounce back.
So, have we seen high water for a once dominant party now showing some cracks in a façade of invulnerability? If demographics are destiny, Republicans are in trouble, anchored in a constituency of mostly white, lesser educated, older voters– while their support is hemorrhaging among women, minorities, more educated, younger and suburban voters. Women voters are an especially acute problem for Republicans with exit polls from the recent gubernatorial election showed Democrat Tom Wolf winning a stunning 65% of the female vote while ticket mate Senator Bob Casey won 63%.
But, betting against a party that has made an art form of reinventing itself for some 160 years may be a bad bet. Certainly, Pennsylvania Democrats have regularly demonstrated their talent for rescuing defeat from the jaws of victory. Hoping for Democrat ineptness however is not going to solve the deep problems confronting the GOP. Republicans must do that themselves.
https://www.fandm.edu/politics/politically-uncorrected-column

The LuLac Edition #3942, November 27th, 2018

CAMPBELL'S SOUP PROXY FIGHT OVER

If you thought huge mailers during the political season from Eddie Day Pashinski, Matt Cartwright and John Chrin were constant and you though never ending, you should be a stock holder in the Campbell Soup company!
When I worked representing the company from 2012 through 2017 I became a stockholder. It wasn’t a lot of shares but I bought it for a decent price and pretty much never thought about it again.
Until……..this year when Denise Morrison, the CEO retired suddenly. Then there was a fight for control of the company. What ensued was a battle between the majority stock holders and a hedge fund that wanted representation on the board.
The battle was over sagging soup sales of the iconic Campbell’s red and white soups as well as acquisitions the company made to bolster its portfolio. Campbell’s paid billions for Bolthouse drinks as well as Lance crackers.
Well during the last few months I have been receiving mail from Third Point representing the fund and Campbell’s. The white card was to vote for change, the yellow card was to stay with Campbell’s. Or vice versa.
But the point is moot because an agreement came yesterday. A compromise if you will.
So I’m spared the agony of having to vote but will keep a watchful eye on what’s in the soup to see how this new plan is doing.
To put this in perspective, Campbell’s is an established nearly 150 year old heritage company worth billions. But Kraft refused an overture to buy them because “Campbell’s was just too damn small for them!”

The vicious fight for control of Campbell Soup is over.

For months, activist investor Daniel Loeb's hedge fund Third Point has been attempting to overhaul the soup company's board and install its own directors.
On Monday, both sides agreed to end the proxy fight and expand the Campbell board from 12 to 14 members. Two of the five nominees suggested by Third Point will be added to the board. Both sides said they were satisfied with the outcome.
"We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Third Point that is in the best interests of Campbell shareholders," Keith McLoughlin, the company's interim president and CEO, said in a statement.
added that "Third Point looks forward to working collaboratively with Campbell to improve value for all shareholders."
Former Gerber CEO Kurt Schmidt and Comscore president Sarah Hofstetter will join the current leadership team after the company's annual shareholder meeting Thursday.
The hedge fund is withdrawing its bid for the other three nominees as well as its lawsuit against Campbell (CPB). As part of the agreement, Third Point will get a say in selecting the new CEO and another member of the board.
Campbell makes its case to quash a takeover plot, but still can't sell enough soup
Campbell has said a new chief executive will be announced by the end of this year. The additional director will be added by May of next year.
"This is a face-saving end result for both sides," said Kai Liekefett, a partner at the law firm Sidley Austin who leads Sidley's shareholder activism practice.
The agreement marks the end of a long battle.
Third Point recommended replacing the entire board in September, after Campbell said it wasn't planning to sell the company.
Loeb penned a scathing letter to the chairman of the company's board at the time, blaming leadership for the company's problems and accusing members of "mismanagement, waste, ill-conceived strategy, and inept execution." Campbell maintained that it knows what's best for the soup company.
Things heated up after that: Third Point sued the company and accused Campbell of making boring, expensive soup; Campbell said that Third Point's ideas were unoriginal and uninformed.
Despite it's aggressive attitude, Third Point was always fighting an uphill battle.
About 41% of Campbell is controlled by descendants of the founding family, who vowed to support the current leaders. Third Point and its supporters hold only about 10%.
Bid to shake up Campbell Soup gets a boost
Over time, Third Point softened its stance. Earlier this month, the hedge fund said it wanted to replace five instead of all 12 members. Campbell said prior to Monday's agreement that Hofstetter and Schmidt would be a good fit.
The hedge fund hopes to help put the company back on track, and as part of the agreement will get the chance to share ideas with Campbell's leadership.
Campbell conducted a full operational review last summer in the wake of poor sales and the abrupt departure of its former CEO. At its conclusion, the company decided to sell its fresh and international businesses and focus on snacks, meals and beverages.
The plan is working so far, McLoughlin said on a recent earnings call. But the company is still having a hard time selling soup: US soup sales are falling, and the company expects that trend to continue next year.
Shares of the company fell about 4% midday Monday. (LuLac, CNN Business) 
EDITOR'S NOTE: I am a shareholder in Campbell's stock. 

The LuLac Edition #3941, November 26th, 2018

BOB FELLER @ 100

 Me and Bob Feller at a 1984 card show in Scranton.

 

 As a Cleveland Indian fan, Bob Feller was a legend by the time I became aware of baseball. But his rich history was always a reference point for me. My friends at Diamond Legends hosted Feller in the early 80s and speaking to him was quite exciting. 
Feller was traveling the country with his wife and was engaging and friendly to everyone. He was cooperative and just fun to be with. 
As part of our series of looking at the lives of people born 100 years ago, we just had to include the man they called "Rapid Robert". 
Robert William Andrew Feller (November 3, 1918 – December 15, 2010), nicknamed "The Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians. Feller pitched from 1936 to 1941 and from 1945 to 1956, interrupted only by a four-year engagement in the Navy. In a career spanning 570 games, Feller pitched 3,827 innings and posted a win–loss record of 266–162, with 279 complete games, 44 shutouts, and a 3.25 earned run average (ERA).
A prodigy who bypassed the minor leagues, Feller first played for the Indians at the age of 17. His career was interrupted by four years of military service in World War II, during which time he served as Chief Petty Officer aboard the USS Alabama. Feller became the first pitcher to win 24 games in a season before the age of 21. During his career, he threw no-hitters in 1940, 1946, and 1951. 
Feller also recorded 12 one-hitters (his no-hitters and one-hitters were records at the time of his retirement). He helped the Indians win a World Series title in 1948 and an American League-record 111 wins and the pennant in 1954. Feller led the American League in wins six times and in strikeouts seven times. In 1946, he recorded 348 strikeouts, a total not exceeded for 19 years. An eight-time All-Star, Feller was ranked 36th on Sporting News's list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was named the publication's "greatest pitcher of his time". He was a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.
Baseball Hall of Fame member Ted Williams called Feller "the fastest and best pitcher I ever saw during my career." Hall of Famer Stan Musial believed he was "probably the greatest pitcher of our era. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 on his first ballot appearance; at the time only three players ever had a higher percentage of ballot votes. He was elected the inaugural President of the Major League Baseball Players' Association and participated in exhibition games which featured players from both the Major and Negro Leagues. Feller died at the age of 92 in 2010. (LuLac, Wikipedia)

The LuLac Edition #3940, November 25th, 018

MAYBE I’M AMAZED

Our Maybe I’m Amazed” logo.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED….that Spike Lee’s father Bill was a renowned acoustic studio musician who played on songs like “Puff The Magic Dragon” by Peter Paul and Mary and was on many Bob Dylan songs. But when Dylan abandoned the acoustics, Lee’s dad stopped working even though the reward would have been great with Dylan.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED….that George Washington’s fabled teeth were not made out of wood but a combination of gold, ivory and lead.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED….that the longest one syllable word is screech.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…that Naples, Florida is the 15th richest zip code in America. Beneath the veneer of wealth is some pretty squalid racism though. It is distressing that Naples did not integrate their public school until 12 years after Brown Vs, Education. In 1966. Plus, it should come as no surprise, the city went heavily for Trump in ’16.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED….that since 2000 more than 100 journalists have been killed in other parts of the world for doing their job.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that new born babies can't cry real tears for at least three weeks.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED….that the dot over the letter i is called a tittle. It first appeared in Latin manuscripts in the 11th century, to distinguish the letter i from strokes of nearby letters. Although originally a larger mark, it was reduced to a dot when Roman-style typefaces were introduced
MAYBE I’M AMAZED….that one of Donald Trump’s advisers has now written a book alleging that there are enemies of old Diaper Don “embedded” in the government. It just gets sillier and sillier and dumber and dumber. But Corey has always a hint of Goebbels in him if you ask me.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..but not really that the next few years will be filled with protests regarding non citizens who are seeking a path to be a U.S. citizen. The issue has been festering since the Republican controlled Congress has not even brought immigration to a vote. We just might be seeing more of these and are wondering if the tough guy stance of the current administration will stand the scrutiny of thinking voters.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED….that over Thanksgiving, the President was still whining for his wall. Immigration is down, undocumented individuals are scared to death while they work and live in this country and he’s  thinking the biggest threat is from Mexico and places like Honduras. Meanwhile he defends the Saudis and took the lid off of Iran by gutting the Arms Agreement.
Smart guy………….not.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that your eye expands up to 45% when looking at something that s pleasing.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED….but certainly shouldn’t be surprised that Long Island is the…..wait for it now…the longest island in the Continental United States. 
MAYBE I'M AMAZED.....but not that as The Caravan comes to the border, the administration's solution is to shut it down complexity.  So trucks, travel and other commercial goods are tied up, losing money because this group of people has no policy..no clue! 
MAYBE I'M AMAZED...........that I'm not that much amazed anymore since January 20th, 2017!

The LuLac Edition #3939, November 23rd, 2018

BILL KELLY DIES AT 71

In its history,  there have only been four GMs of WVIA TV/FM. Here are three of them. Dr. John Walsh, the founding father George Strimel and Bill Kelly.

Bill Kelly was one of my first bosses at WVIA FM/TV. He was tough, demanding and wanted you to get it right. There were many times in my young broadcast career that I got it wrong. But I never forgot those wrongs because he told me how to make them right.
We traveled on my very first air plane ride to Chicago to an NPR conference. It was so long ago they had to roll the steps to the plane. Avoca to Pittsburgh to Chicago. Then back.
Then there was the WVIA FM Navy blue/orange bus that would travel to the Bloomsburg Fair in the 70s. Only two seats because the rest of it was carved out to be a mobile museum of WVIA Radio.
When I was starting LuLac, he invited me to meet the "heavyweights" of politics he was interviewing.
We had lunch at Grotto a few years back and he became quite embarrassed when I told him that I took his criticism and lessons with me to other jobs using what I learned as a tool for success.
He started out as a young teacher but never stopped educating. All you had to do was be open to what he was trying to convey.
I was proud that he was a reader of LuLac and 590 Forever. He died today at 71, way too young.
He leaves a trail of incredible broadcasts from WARM as well as WVIA TV that will keep him in our memories and hearts.

Here’s a link to a story we did on Bill a few years back: if you scroll down, you'll see Kelly featured in a few other stories including the day Elvis died. Yep, Bill Kelly and I had a hand in that day too.

https://lulacpoliticaletter.blogspot.com/search?q=bill+kelly
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/citizensvoice/obituary.aspx?n=a-william-kelly-bill&pid=190802254 
https://david-yonki.blogspot.com/search?q=bill+kelly (links to 590 Mighty Memories of Bill Kelly. 

TRUMP LASHES OUT AT CHIEF JUSTICE OVER IMMIGRATION RULINGS

President Donald Trump lashed out at Chief Justice John Roberts Wednesday after the Supreme Court leader rebuked the president for suggesting a U.S. judge was biased.
“Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do indeed have ‘Obama judges,’ and they have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country,” Trump said over Twitter.
He added: “We need protection and security - these rulings are making our country unsafe! Very dangerous and unwise!”
Trump dismissed a ruling against his administration on Tuesday because it came from an “Obama judge.”
In his first public criticism of the president, Roberts said in a statement, “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges.”
Roberts added, one day before Thanksgiving, that an “independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for.”
An Obama Judge? WTF is thi guy talking about? Roberts was sworn in and picked by Bush. Once more DD has shown how vicious and  ignorant he is. And petty.

Learn to Skate Season at Revolution Ice Centre!

Time to melt of those holiday calories with our cool skating programs!!!

WHEN: SATURDAY NOVEMBER 24th at 1:00 PM to 2 PM

WHERE: 12 Old Boston Road, Pittston, PA 18640 - phone 570-885-1100

WHAT: Invitation to press to introduce Valerie Palencar, New Skating Director, at Revolution Ice Rink and kick off skating programs for the 2018-2019 season. FREE DEMOS & WORKSHOP at Public Skate! PLUS: ICERSIZE.COM with Coach Valerie http://www.icersize.com

LEARN TO SKATE PROGRAMS:

SNOWBALL TOTS: ages 3 to 5 - provides preschoolers ages 3 to 5 skating lessons through games and safe ways to fall and safely get up. HELMETS are required and proper waterproof clothing. Classes are run throughout the year. Registration through website at http://www.revolutionicecentre.com

BASIC SKILLS: 5 though 18 - The learn to skate adult program provides instruction to skates 18 plus in the basic skills necessary to ice skate safely. Helmets are required and gloves and mittens are suggested for all skates.

SENIOR BASIC SKILLS: Ages 55 Plus - provides proper instruction and guidance needed for the mature skater. Helmets are required. Attire: Outdoor sports clothing that will not limit movement. Use best judgement.

HOME SCHOOL Basic Skills - age 5 - The Home Basic Skills program provides instruction to skates ages 5 to 18 in the basic skills necessary to ice skate safely and the initial skills before advancing to figure skating or ice hockey. Classes run throughout the year. Helmets are requited for all skates along with mittens, gloves, and appropriate clothing for skating as it does get cold in the rink.

Press is invited to ask questions, B roll of ice/ and demo with instructors: Karel Zubris, & Valerie Palencar. Note: Registration and fee information listed on website at: http://www.revolutionicecentre.com

Thank you for your interest in this great program AT THE REVOLUTION ICE CENTRE!!

Valerie Palencar

Skating Director

1-917-821-6645

Valpalencar@gmail.com

Karel Zubris, Alumni Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame

www.luzernecountysportshalloffame.com

Instructor, Media Liaison Learn to Skate / Assistant to Ms. Palencar

570-406-0378

karelzubris@ymail.com

MEDIA MATTERS

WALN TV

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

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 hosts Rusty Fender, David DeCosmo, and Director Mark Migilore welcome Martin Henehan to the program the week of November 26th. The founder of the "Forever Sami" anti abuse program will discuss a clothing drive not underway for homeless individuals in the Scranton area as well as aid that's available and needed for those people as winter weather arrives.
ECTV Live is seen on Comcast channel 19 (61 in some areas) and is aired thee times daily throughout the week.
Additionally the program is shared on the electric city television YouTube page and Facebook.

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!

1960

Our 1960 logo

The ABC television network first broadcast Issues and Answers, a Sunday morning interview show to compete with NBC's Meet the Press and CBS's Face the Nation….The last four daytime radio dramas—Young Dr. Malone, Right to Happiness, The Second Mrs. Burton and Ma Perkins, all broadcast on the CBS Radio Network—were brought to an end. With more Americans turning from radio listeners to television viewers, the popularity of radio network programs had steadily declined since 1946....

John F. Kennedy, Jr., at Georgetown University Hospital, 16 days after his father was elected to the presidency of the United States (died in plane crash, 1999)…………Governor Lawrence says that Pennsylvania will have a friend in The White House…..Shopping season begins in earnest as the Christmas season starts and fifty eight year ago the number one song in LuLac Land and America was “Stay” by Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs.

The LuLac Edition #3938, November 22nd, 2018

THANKSGIVING 2018

Hope all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Went to a wonderful Mass this morning at Sts. Peter & Paul in Plains. The day is about giving thanks and welcoming others to a seat at our bountiful table in America. Let us endeavor to improve on the "welcoming" part. Then we will truly be great again.

The LuLac Edition #3937, November 22nd, 2018

JFK GONE @ 55

It is 55 years ago today that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Here's a TV program we did on the 50th anniversary of his death
From WBRE TV's PA LIVE

Then of course, there was Topic A on WYLN TV.

The LuLac Edition #3936, Novembr 21st, 2018

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

Our "Write On Wednesday" logo

When you start to clean up files on a computer, it becomes a vicious cycle. You get rid of stuff you don’t need but find things you filed, forgot or thought you never saved. Such is the case with today's  Write On Wednesday. This was a piece I wrote when my 1990 LeBaron gave up the ghost. I sent it as an e mail to co workers at Travelocity at the time. This little written piece literally changed my life.
The encouragement from my friends and even bosses gave me the confidence, (well let’s say drive, I always had confidence!) to write. For better or worse, write I have. From 2003, a farewell to a car.

FAREWELL BLACK BEAUTY 

by David Yonki 

The song playing for the final time was "A Hard Days Night" by the Beatles. The final number read, 235, 514. That represents the number of miles I had on my 1990 Chrysler LeBaron convertible. By nature, I am not a "car guy", As a boy, I never got excited by the new designs nor did I spend idle hours drawing them on sketch pads in school. When I became a man the only criteria for a car was much like my reaction back then to a beautiful woman, "Does she look good?" and "Will she go for me?" Those two questions were met with a resounding "yes" when I purchased the Lebaron in the spring of 1990. It looked good and it started up for me. I stood glassy eyed as the excited salesman told me about the airbags and the engine and the pick up it had on the highway. I was going to be driving a convertible, an open car like the characters on "77 Sunset Strip" or the cool guys on "Surfside 6". Mannix never drove a convertible, Rockford drove a Trans Am and those guys always got beat up.
From the get go, this was going to be a car of destiny, history even. I drove my wife and her late friend Mary Carrano to see Jerry Brown stop at Avoca. The car was vandalized by criminals who were later prosecuted.
After the roof was repaired the car ran well. Then one day in the paper Chrysler recalled some of the 1990 LeBarons because of motor and transmission troubles. The 6 ft 4 Chrysler rep with the solid gold front tooth told me all was well after a new engine and transmission were put in. For the record, the car had 3 motors and 2 rebuilt transmissions after that. 
Through the years the front axle broke off, the motor switch on the convertible top shorted out, the motor mounts disintegrated, the front seat wore out totally, the trunk jammed shut for about 6 months, the s hooks that held the roof up came off and the steering wheel came off on route 81 as my friend Frank Martin and I were headed to a Red Barons game.
As I drove with the steering wheel in my lap, I tried to negotiate the traffic on 81 with the steering column, now just a phallic looking stub that I held on to for dear life. My friend's eyes bulged out and impervious to the danger we were in he just kept repeating, "I've never seen anything like this before Dave, I've never seen anything like this".
If Martin thought he had problems, he would be hard pressed to complain if he talked to Mary Ann Yonki. One time my wife and I were coming down route 81 and the door on my side flung open. I tried to close it but it kept on opening up. So, using my left arm, I held on to the door as we drove down the road.  This incident matched up well with an earlier one where on the Hampton Roads Bridge tunnel in Norfolk I got a cinder in my left eye. For those of you who know me, you know I only have sight in the left eye. As the only good visual eye filled with water and burned, I essentially drove blind through the tunnel all the while assuring Mary Ann that everything was fine. I'm not saying the car had a mind of its own but it was a miracle we were not killed that day.
The car had numerous repairs done to it. It had the garden variety of things that go wrong on a car but the mufflers were another story. I did get the Midas guarantee and suffice to say, those guys were never pleased to see me. It is not a coincidence that they went out of business in the Wilkes Barre area and closed up shop during the time I owned this car.
With all its mechanical problems, the car was a show piece. Women smiled when they saw the car. One sunny afternoon in downtown Wilkes Barre, my friend Frank Martin and I were stopped at a traffic light. Two lovely young women walked behind us and one commented, "Look at those two old guys in that nice convertible". Frank and I looked around to see if there was another vehicle similar to mine and when there wasn't, he gravely intoned, "Dave, those girls were talking about us, we're the old guys." As the car aged, it still held the attention of the ladies. A co-worker of mine once dubbed it "gorgeous" but she's worn glasses since the age of 4. But in August in the twilight of its being, a young teenage girl at Kentucky Fried Chicken complimented me on what a cool car I had. True, she was only 15 but I'll take that compliment on behalf of the car.
The car had its share of public appearances too. On a few nights, I participated as a driver for high school and college homecomings. My car, ahead of all the Corvettes and Mustangs, always led the way carrying the homecoming Queen. One year in mid stride around the stadium, the catalytic converter went and more white smoke billowed out of the back than on the day a new Pope is elected. But the car proceeded regally with the Queen and then sped off to lick its wounds.
When I worked at Rock 107, the car always was in the St. Patrick's Day, Halloween and Christmas parades dispensing candy to all the kids and their families. Children would whoop, "Nice car man". There was a Memorial Day parade where I was dressed up as Teddy Roosevelt (thank you Mary Ann!!!) and the car once more got accolades.
The car served as a home away from home when I worked in broadcast sales. The entire back seat was filled with briefcases and ratings books that were the tools of the trade. It is in this capacity of work that I put the bulk of miles on my car. The vehicle knows every little side street and hiding place where all media sales reps go to pass time and take naps. Through the years, the car most likely had more meals consumed in it than a Burger King. The fondest memories I have in sales were when I had a rider for the day. (A sales manager usually will ride with you to see you are selling the radio stations right but primarily to prevent you from taking cat naps on some side street in Moosic or Archbald. ) 
My good friend from WARM Sales, Greg Strom settled in well and enjoyed the ride many times while other sales managers rode only once. Apparently the low riding, pothole seeking vehicle plus the spray from the roof that was never entirely sealed made the car mist in both hot and cold weather. Joey Shaver, a good friend kept on asking when the heat would kick in when it was on its highest setting. After one ride, we took his car.
Black beauty wasn't always black. When I first bought it the car was white but after so many part changes and operations, I had it painted black. Five men kept the car afloat in its advancing years. Rich Culver from Pisano's Sunoco, Alan Harvilla from East End Sunoco, Joe Lokuta from Lokuta's auto in Dupont, Dave Tomko from Performance Engineering and Vito Morreale from Mid City auto used various miracles to keep the car humming. Perhaps the most unique device was the installation of a large black button that served as my horn when the steering wheel fell off. The name black beauty came from my friend David Dellarte who said, "It's black and it's a real beauty!!!" after hearing about still another repair.
The car lived an exciting life. It was pelted by eggs in Millersburg, Pennsylvania where I made a wrong turn during a union dispute, it was nearly repossessed because of a book keeping foul up, it was at one time chased by cops, irate relatives, criminals and crazed women in Ford Pintos. When snowfall came, it became a road pig, gobbling up the snow and getting me home safe and sound as clumps of winter stuck to every conceivable inch of its undercarriage. It also served as a personal pick up truck transferring lawnmowers, boxes, and even Christmas trees in the dead of winter. (Nothing like seeing a convertible tooling down the Cross Valley Expressway, top down freezing weather, with a Blue Spruce sticking straight up in the car!) 
But for all of the heartache and the nuts and bolts, there were glorious memories. A starlit night on New Year's Eve under the stars in a church parking lot in Beer Creek ushering in the New Year with champagne and the woman I love, viewing the fourth of July fireworks under the stars, the pact of Fawn Road, and the hundreds of every day special events that a car transports you to be it a funeral, wedding, graduation or anniversary party. There were no celebrities who rode in it unless you count Harry West, Joey Shaver and Rob Nyehard. But the passenger seat was filled with people I always loved and always cared about. There were many forgettable solitary rides for work and a most memorable one or two after work. 
On the night Frank Sinatra died, I remember sneaking out of bed at 3am, dropping the top and riding around Wilkes Barre/Scranton just listening to his music play on the radio. And of course, every Father's Day there was the solitary ride to the cemetery to blow the horn at "Jake" (my dad) and have him think somewhere in the cosmos, "My son is driving a convertible, God help us all". If he had to blame someone, he could point a finger at Ted Haddock who drove glorious convertibles on Dewitt Street through the years when I was a kid.  He'd turn around in the driveway and tell me I was going to a refotm school, (Kisalyn) but all I saw was the car. Top down. 
All I know about those cars was "I wanted one!
I had hoped to reach my goal of 300,000 miles. But after a repair that was supposed to last me through the winter, the car started spewing green fluid. It was only a busted hose but it was time. I preserved black beauty's dignity by getting something for a trade in and picked up my new car on Wednesday afternoon. After I unpacked the old and got in my new car, I gave the 1990 a nod and drove away. But fate intervened and I couldn't get the radio to work. I went back to the dealership and the kid who was cleaning out my old car showed me how to work the radio in the new car. I had to explain to him why AM radio was important but he helped me anyway. As I steeled myself to drive away, I saw the kid start up black beauty and drive it very gingerly away. The song playing on my new car's AM radio was Sinatra’s "Softly As I Leave You".

The LuLac Edition #3935, November 20th, 2018

BOBBY KENNEDY @ 93

(Photo: Newsweek)

Today Bobby Kennedy would have been 93 years old. Chris Matthews wrote a fascinating book about what America would be like had he lived. Jeff Greenfield wrote a fiction about how America changed had RFK won in 1968. The books  had a touch of wanderlust in them. Kennedy was reaching that coalition that took the current occupant to the White House. When he died, a dream was lost. But today we celebrate the birth of a short but consequential journey of 42 years on this earth. Kennedy was just 42 years old and in the midst of one of the most controversial presidential campaigns of the 20th century. President Lyndon Johnson had dropped from the race in March 1968, and Kennedy and Vice President Hubert Humphrey were heading to the Chicago convention with the nomination unsettled.
Kennedy’s assassination stunned America, coming just months after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis.From the National Constitution Center, 10 facts about Robert Kennedy.
1. Robert Kennedy was the seventh child of Joseph and Rose Kennedy. The Kennedys had nine children. Robert was more than eight years younger than John F. Kennedy, and more than six years older than Edward Kennedy.
2. Kennedy traveled to England when he was just 12. As the son of a U.S. ambassador, young Robert was in Great Britain just before World War II started in Europe. He also enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve just before his 18th birthday.
3. Kennedy played football at Harvard. The Kennedys were famous for playing touch football, but as a student, Robert played on the varsity squad at college during the 1947 season and wore number 86 until he broke his leg. Kennedy won a varsity letter when he returned briefly after his injury.
4. Kennedy connected with his brother Jack during a 1951 trip. The brothers had been separated by war, school, and other life events. But in 1951, the two brothers and their sister Patricia went on a 25,000-mile, seven-week trip to Asia, the Pacific, and the Middle East that cemented their bond.
5. Kennedy worked for the McCarthy Committee for six months. Father Joe Kennedy’s political and social connections helped Robert Kennedy land a spot on the high-profile Senate Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by the controversial Senator Joseph McCarthy. Robert Kennedy, 27, left after he had problems with the committee, which focused on Communist threats; he also had with conflicts with counsel Roy Cohn.
6. Kennedy voted for Eisenhower in 1956. Kennedy landed a position in the presidential campaign of Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson against President Dwight Eisenhower, where he was mostly ignored. At the end of the 1956 campaign, Kennedy voted for the Republican instead and was highly critical of the Stevenson campaign.
7. Kennedy vs. Hoffa was a prime-time feud. As the chief lawyer for a Senate committee investigating crime and labor, Kennedy famously clashed with Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa on live television in the 1950s. Robert Kennedy continued the fight with Hoffa when he became attorney general in 1961.
8. Kennedy served as a New York senator. Nine months after his brother’s death, Robert Kennedy ran for the U.S. Senate in the state of New York—not Massachusetts. Although he was legally qualified and the family had lived in the state for some time, his opponents called him a “carpetbagger.” Kennedy won the election as part of the Johnson landslide in 1964.
9. Kennedy had a strong connection to the civil rights movement. It was Kennedy, as attorney general, who ordered U.S. marshals to protect James Meredith, the first African-American student admitted to the University of Mississippi. He also gave a passionate speech after the murder of Dr. King to a mostly black crowd in Indianapolis, in which he said he knew of the pain of losing a family member to an assassin.
10. Kennedy’s convicted assassin is still alive. Sirhan Sirhan’s death sentence was commuted in 1972 after the California’s courts outlawed the death penalty. He is currently incarcerated in Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California.

The LuLac Edition #3934, November 19th, 2018

BIG PARTY IN HAZLETON COME DECEMBER 

419 TRILLION SPENT ON WAR AGAINST TERROR

Just in case anyone cares, since the 9-11 attacks, America has spent 419 trillion dollars on the war against terror. Two wars that a Republican and Democratic President said would be quick, weren’t.
One has to wonder what this nation could have done with even the interest on that money if the attacks were prevented.
Safety comes at a very high price both in capital and humanity. When we gather this Thanksgiving around the tables of friends and relatives, as we are safe, we should know just that it is costing us in this century.

CARTWRIGHT ANNOUNCES FUNDING FOR WRIGHT CENTER

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development division awarded The Wright Center a $463,223 Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant to enable doctors to communicate with patients via electronic technology. This is part of USDA’s Rural Development’s broad portfolio of programs to improve the lives of rural Americans.
This vital USDA investment will allow The Wright Center, based in Scranton, to more effectively connect with its rural primary care partners as they integrate medication assisted treatment (MAT) for patients with OUD as part of the Pennsylvania Coordinated Medication Assisted Treatment (PAC-MAT) initiative. Funding will enable more than 300 individuals with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) to access primary care and appropriate social supports through technology.
“The opioid epidemic has had devastating effects throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. As a member of Congress, I will always speak up for ways to improve and expand access to treatment. I applaud The Wright Center for seizing the opportunity to remove barriers to services and training for patients and practitioners in our rural communities,” said Rep. Cartwright, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Medical providers are scarce in rural areas and transportation challenges are prevalent throughout the region. Telemedicine removes barriers that can hinder an individual’s path to recovery and is becoming more prevalent in the health care industry as providers and patients seek ways to deliver and receive more accessible, affordable and effective care.
“The Wright Center is honored to be a recipient of this significant USDA federal award that will advance our mission to continuously improve education and patient care in a collaborative spirit to enhance outcomes, access and affordability. The awarded resources will energize our continued efforts to serve and promote the recovery of patients and families struggling with addiction. This opportunity to intentionally integrate a thoughtful Telemedicine and Information Technology infrastructure into the distributed practices of our PAC-MAT hub across our regional and rural communities in Northeastern Pennsylvania will multiply our recovery promotion efforts and outcomes reporting,” said Linda Thomas-Hemak, MD, President and CEO of The Wright Center.
The Wright Center is a non-profit, community-based graduate medical education consortium and safety net provider of primary care services, serving Northeastern Pennsylvania for more than 40 years. Its team is focused on innovations to make primary care more efficient, effective and satisfying to patients and providers.

The LuLac Edition #3933, November 18th, 2018

SAM WALTON @ 100

As part of our series on birthday of famous people born in 1918, we continue today with Sam Walton. Now I have been in Wal-Mart maybe twice in 20 years. The first time was in the middle of the night when my late dog McKinley had a run in with a skunk in the back yard. Douche and tomato juice were the order of the day. Or night. Or early morning. It was 3AM!!!!
Most recently, in my then job as a Video E mail producer at Nestle USA, I had to get a pair of glasses with no lenses. The clerk looked at me skeptically eyeing up my Lauren specs from Engle Eyewear. I explained the glare from the recording tablet did not look good in the finished product. She sold me those glasses for a grand total of 9 bucks and I was about to get on my way.
Then I meandered down some aisles and saw one of my favorite drinks Bolthouse Berry at a way cheaper price than anywhere else. I now saw the appeal of Wal-Mart.
We have been steady users of Sam’s Club and a dear friend of mine worked there when it first started. Wal-Mart is an American Institution that has been a mixed bag for some Americans of different opinions. But it has been a consequential chunk of our Commerce and it is only right that we give you a summary of the life of the man who founded it, Sam Walton. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. grew to be the world's largest corporation by revenue as well as the biggest private employer in the world. At one point in his life, he was the richest man in America.
Samuel Moore Walton was born to Thomas Gibson Walton and Nancy Lee, in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. He lived there with his parents on their farm until 1923. However, farming did not provide enough money to raise a family, and Thomas Walton went into farm mortgaging. He worked for his brother's Walton Mortgage Company, which was an agent for Metropolitan Life Insurance, where he foreclosed on farms during the Great Depression.
Eventually the family moved to Columbia, Missouri. Growing up during the Great Depression, he did chores to help make financial ends meet for his family as was common at the time. He milked the family cow, bottled the surplus, and drove it to customers. Afterwards, he would deliver Columbia Daily Tribune newspapers on a paper route. In addition, he sold magazine subscriptions. Upon graduating from David H. Hickman High School in Columbia, he was voted "Most Versatile Boy".
After high school, Walton decided to attend college, hoping to find a better way to help support his family. He attended the University of Missouri as an ROTC cadet. During this time, he worked various odd jobs, including waiting tables in exchange for meals. Also during his time in college, Walton joined the Zeta Phi chapter of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He was also tapped by QEBH, the well-known secret society on campus honoring the top senior men, and the national military honor society Scabbard and Blade. Additionally, Walton served as president of Burall Bible Class, a large class of students from the University of Missouri and Stephens College. Upon graduating in 1940 with a bachelor's degree in economics, he was voted "permanent president" of the class.
Walton joined J. C. Penney as a management trainee in Des Moines, Iowa, three days after graduating from college. This position paid him $75 a month. Walton spent approximately 18 months with J. C. Penney.
Walton joined the military in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps, supervising security at aircraft plants and prisoner of war camps. In this position he served at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City, Utah. He eventually reached the rank of captain.
In 1945, after leaving the military, Walton took over management of his first variety store at the age of 26. With the help of a $20,000 loan from his father-in-law, plus $5,000 he had saved from his time in the Army, Walton purchased a Ben Franklin variety store in Newport, Arkansas. The store was a franchise of the Butler Brothers chain.
Walton pioneered many concepts that became crucial to his success. Walton made sure the shelves were consistently stocked with a wide range of goods. His second store, the tiny "Eagle" department store, was down the street from his first Ben Franklin and next door to its main competitor in Newport.
With the sales volume growing from $80,000 to $225,000 in three years, Walton drew the attention of the landlord, P. K. Holmes, whose family had a history in retail. Admiring Sam's great success, and desiring to reclaim the store (and franchise rights) for his son, he refused to renew the lease. The lack of a renewal option, together with the prohibitively high rent of 5% of sales, were early business lessons to Walton. Despite forcing Walton out, Holmes bought the store's inventory and fixtures for $50,000, which Walton called "a fair price".
With a year left on the lease, but the store effectively sold, he, his wife Helen and his father-in-law managed to negotiate the purchase of a new location on the downtown square of Bentonville, Arkansas. Walton negotiated the purchase of a small discount store, and the title to the building, on the condition that he get a 99-year lease to expand into the shop next door. The owner of the shop next door refused six times, and Walton gave up on Bentonville when his father-in-law, without Sam's knowledge, paid the shop owner a final visit and $20,000 to secure the lease. He had just enough left from the sale of the first store to close the deal, and reimburse Helen's father. They opened for business with a one-day remodeling sale on May 9, 1950.
Before he bought the Bentonville store, it was doing $72,000 in sales and it increased to $105,000 in the first year and then $140,000 and $175,000.
With the new Bentonville "Five and Dime" opening for business, and 220 miles away, a year left on the lease in Newport, the money-strapped young Walton had to learn to delegate responsibility.
After succeeding with two stores at such a distance (and with the postwar baby boom in full effect), Sam became enthusiastic about scouting more locations and opening more Ben Franklin franchises. (Also, having spent countless hours behind the wheel, and with his close brother James "Bud" Walton having been a pilot in the war, he decided to buy a small second-hand airplane. Both he and his son John would later become accomplished pilots and log thousands of hours scouting locations and expanding the family business.)
In 1954, he opened a store with his brother Bud in a shopping center in Ruskin Heights, a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. With the help of his brother and father-in-law, Sam went on to open many new variety stores. He encouraged his managers to invest and take an equity stake in the business, often as much as $1000 in their store, or the next outlet to open. (This motivated the managers to sharpen their managerial skills and take ownership over their role in the enterprise.) By 1962, along with his brother Bud, he owned 16 stores in Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas (fifteen Ben Franklin's and one independent, in Fayetteville).
The first true Walmart opened on July 2, 1962, in Rogers, Arkansas. Called the Wal-Mart Discount City store, it was located at 719 West Walnut Street. He launched a determined effort to market American-made products. Included in the effort was a willingness to find American manufacturers who could supply merchandise for the entire Walmart chain at a price low enough to meet the foreign competition.
As the Meijer store chain grew, it caught the attention of Walton. He acknowledges that his one-stop-shopping center format was based on Meijer’s innovative concept. Contrary to the prevailing practice of American discount store chains, Walton located stores in smaller towns, not larger cities. To make his model work, he emphasized logistics, particularly locating stores within a day's drive proximity to Walmart's regional warehouses, and distributed through its own trucking service. Buying in volume and efficient delivery permitted sale of discounted name brand merchandise. Thus, sustained growth— from 1977's 190 stores to 1985's 800— was achieved.
In 1998, Walton was included in Time's list of 100 most influential people of the 20th Century. Walton was honored for his work in retail in March 1992, when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George H. W. Bush.
Forbes ranked Sam Walton as the richest person in the United States from 1982 to 1988, ceding the top spot to John Kluge in 1989 when the editors began to credit Walton's fortune jointly to him and his four children. (Bill Gates first headed the list in 1992, the year Walton died). Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. also runs Sam's Club warehouse stores. Walmart operates in the U.S. and in more than 15 international markets, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, India, South Africa, Botswana, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Swaziland, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua and the United Kingdom.
At the University of Arkansas, the Business College (Sam M. Walton College of Business) is named in his honor. Walton was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1992. 
Sam may be gone for over a quarter of a century but his legacy of setting a good price for a decent product has lived on. (Forbes, wikipedia, LuLac)