The LuLac Edition #4,119, August 1st, 2019

MAYOR JIM WALSH DIES

The late James Walsh

My very first memory of James Walsh was seeing him on the news on the old WDAU TV. Elected in 1965, Walsh upended Mayor Bill Schmidt in a very hard fought election. Walsh was Kennedy-esque. Athletic, Irish, Catholic and charismatic. His administration was filled with exciting proposals as well as famously televised donnybrooks at the City Council meetings.
I vividly remember Walsh taking the first swim in a pool he opened for his people. He lost in 1969 to Gene Peters but was remembered as a progressive Mayor for Scranton.
Walsh’s second act was as a respected Lackawanna County Common Pleas Court Judge. He died last week at the age of 88.
Below you’ll find a wonderful tribute by the firm of Vanston and James.

The Honorable James J. Walsh

Former Scranton mayor and retired Lackawanna County senior judge James J. Walsh died on July 26th 2019. He was 88 years old. Judge Walsh was one of Scranton’s youngest mayors and one of its longest serving jurists.
Born on October 12, 1930 in Scranton, he was the son of the late Edward J. Walsh and Dorothy Gurrell and a graduate of West Scranton High School. An outstanding student and athlete, he was awarded a football scholarship to Washington and Lee University after being named All American his senior year for football. His studies were interrupted for two years, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and served in Europe. On his return, he completed his college degree from the University of Scranton, and then earned a law degree at Georgetown University Law School in Washington, DC.
Judge Walsh, a former president and member of the Scranton School board, was elected mayor in 1965 at the age of 35. He brought to the office an unparalleled work ethic and an acute awareness of the city’s challenges. His four-year term was marked by many successes focused on progress for the city. He balanced the city budget, leaving the city with a budget surplus at the end of his term. As the first mayor to apply for matching state funds, he spearheaded construction of the Nay Aug pool. He revived the dormant Scranton Sewer Authority to begin work on a new sewer treatment plant, and modernized the city’s outdated fire alarm system. The Scranton Housing Authority completed the Adams Avenue High Rise Apartments and Washington West apartments to house Scranton’s elderly residents during his term.
After losing a hard-fought 1969 re-election bid, he returned to his private law practice. Two years later, he was appointed to fill a vacant judgeship by Governor Milton Shapp. He was elected in 1973 to a full ten-year term, and won retention elections in 1983 and 1993. Judge Walsh was elevated to President Judge on August 2, 1986 and became a senior judge in 2000. He retired from the judiciary in 2005 after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75.
He worked hard, and was known for his judicial temperament. His record over nearly 35 years on the bench was one of honesty, integrity, impartiality, courage and dedication. He was known for mentoring his law clerks, many of whom remained his friends for the rest of his life. Judge Walsh had many prominent criminal cases, including Joseph Aulisio’s 1981 trial for kidnapping and double murder, which drew international attention.
Above all, James Walsh was a gentleman devoted to his faith, family and friends. While mayor, he married Mary Fran McHugh in 1968. They enjoyed over 45 years together as parents and grandparents until her death in 2015. He was a beloved father to their two daughters, Maura and Jennifer and the proud grandfather of six grandchildren. He was an active member of St. Patrick’s parish until he moved to Washington, D.C. in 2014. He was a great man: a mold breaker, one of a kind. He was first and foremost an amazing father, grandfather and uncle who will be greatly missed. He left his mark on this world and truly left it a better place.
He was preceded in death by his wife Mary Fran, his brother, Edward and his parents. Surviving are his two daughters and their families: Maura Walsh Rogan and husband Christopher (Washington, DC), their three sons, James, John and Michael. His daughter Jennifer Walsh Boyle and husband Edward of Rye, NY and their three daughters, Connelly, Sophie and Quinn. He is also survived by cousins and many nieces and nephews.

MOSCOW MITCH NIXES ELECTION BILL

Even after his Intelligence Committee said there was Russian interference in the '16 election, Moscow Mitch McConnell has not yet brought the cyber reform bill to the floor saying the Democrats made it too expensive. As if the tax cuts for the rich were cheap!  He continues to be a gutless lackey doing Donald Trump's bidding. He is the epitome of a spineless unpatriotic sanctimonious collaborator with a foreign enemy. Moscow Mitch!

MEUSER MEETS TRUMP/PENCE

Congressman Meuser meets Vice President Pence (Dan Meuser Facebook page)

At the invitation of President Donald J. Trump, Congressman Dan Meuser attended the signing of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. The new lawmaker commended President Trump for signing this bill, which provides financial support for families who lost loved ones due to the 9/11 attacks. #NeverForget

PHAN Statement on 2020 Proposed Rates for Affordable Care Act Marketplace

This week , the Pennsylvania Insurance Department released the proposed rates for 2020 Affordable Care Act marketplace health insurance plans. Antoinette Kraus, Director of the Pennsylvania Health Access Network, released the following statement in response:
"The newly released rates reflect a stabilizing health insurance marketplace and are good news for Pennsylvania. We are encouraged to hear that Pennsylvanians will have more choice of plans and insurers this year and that only a handful of counties will have only one insurer to choose from.
Despite the good news today, the reality is that many Pennsylvanians are still struggling with rising healthcare costs; a recent statewide study showed that 1 out of 2 Pennsylvanians struggled to afford healthcare in the past year.
Importantly, today’s announcement does not reflect the expected 5%-10% savings that many hardworking Pennsylvanians will benefit from once Pennsylvania shifts to a state-based marketplace, with coverage expecting to start January 1, 2021. We applaud the bipartisan efforts in Harrisburg to address rising health care costs through the establishment of a state-based marketplace and we encourage lawmakers to continue to address healthcare costs by taking on issues like the rising cost of prescription drugs and surprise medical bills.
As always, we encourage people to shop around for coverage this year because they may find a plan that better suits their needs."

MEDIA MATTERS

WALN TV

Come see WALN TV's Jack Burns and his Party Channel broadcast assistants Layla and Leana. See them Monday August 5th at Monday At the Market, Public Square in Wilkes-Barre starting at 11am until 2p,m.  

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

One of our area's biggest summer festivals is right around the corner and Mayor Michael Lombardo of Pittston joins ECTV Live hosts Rusty Fender, David DeCosmo, and Director Mark Migilore during the week of August 5th to talk about the Pittston Tomato Festival! ECTV Live is seen three times daily on Comcast channel 10 (61 in some areas) and on the electric city television YouTube page. This series begins Aug 5th at Noon!

BUDDY RUMCHEK

Want to hear some great parodies on the news? Tune in to WILK Radio at 6:20 and 8:20 AM on Mondays. As Ralph Cramden used to say, “It’s a laugh riot!”

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SOCK HOP

SUNDAY NIGHTS!

1969

Our 1969 logo.

Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon declares the Nixon Doctrine, stating that the United States now expects its Asian allies to take care of their own military defense. This starts the "Vietnamization" of the war……..The New York Chapter of the Young Lords is founded to fight for empowerment of Puerto Ricco…..U.S. President Richard Nixon makes an unscheduled visit to South Vietnam, meeting with President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu and U.S. military commanders...At the apartment of French intermediary Jean Sainteny in Paris, U.S. representative Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese representative Xuan Thuy begin secret peace negotiations. They eventually fail since both sides cannot agree to any terms. Mariner 7 makes its closest fly-by of Mars (3,524 kilometers)…..The Beatles at 11:30 have photographer Iain Macmillan take their photo on a zebra crossing on Abbey Road........A fire breaks out in Bannerman's Castle in the Hudson River; most of the roof collapses and crashes down to the lower levels….in Pennsylvania Governor Shafer calls for an extension of the State Parks program…in Lackawanna County the race for row offices remain quiet in contrast to the Scranton Mayor’s race and fifty years ago the number one song in America and LuLac land was “Honky Tonk Women” by The Rolling Stones.