The LuLac Edition #4,141, September 27th, 2019

NAACP WILKES-BARRE BRANCH #2306 SETS DINNER 

CARTWRIGHT, WEBSTER UNVEIL LEGISLATION TO INCREASE AMERICA’S PREPAREDNESS FOR EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS

BIPARTISAN BILL EMPHASIZES PRE-DISASTER MITIGATION, GOVERNMENT-WIDE RISK MANAGEMENT & COST-SAVING INITIATIVES

WASHINGTON

Congressman Matt Cartwright (LuLac archives)

Reps. Matt Cartwright (PA-08) and Daniel Webster (FL-11) unveiled legislation on Tuesday to make sure Americans are prepared for extreme weather events, establishing best practices across the government in order to protect communities while saving taxpayer money.
The PREPARE Act will create an interagency council to provide government-wide recommendations on resilience and readiness, which can help diverse communities across America undertake smart, cost-saving initiatives. It will also improve coordination between the federal government, states, and localities, which will enhance information-sharing and ensure the right steps are taken before these extreme weather events occur. The bill also strengthens the risk-management priorities of all federal agencies to ensure the entire government is preparing for the increased prevalence of extreme weather events.
“This bill will save taxpayer money, protect communities across the United States, and boost our resilience against natural disasters,” said Congressman Cartwright. “For every dollar we spend on mitigation, we can save six dollars on the averted potential recovery costs after a natural disaster. Most importantly, being better prepared will give our communities greater peace of mind, as we work to stand ready in the face of extreme weather events.”
“After the devastating 2004-2005 hurricanes, Florida made specific policy and behavior changes to improve our disaster preparedness,” said Congressman Webster. “The cornerstone of Florida’s preparedness planning is resilient construction techniques and improved communication and coordination between state and local agencies. The PREPARE Act builds on the initiatives Florida pioneered. It is a thoughtful approach to improve disaster preparedness across federal agencies to better identify and proactively mitigate risk.”
Specifically, the PREPARE Act would:
Create an interagency oversight council to implement government-wide resilience, preparedness, and risk management priorities, and to ensure proper funding and implementation for these initiatives;
Ensure local and state planners can identify regional issues and adopt best practices to increase their preparedness for extreme weather events;
Minimize costs by requiring that agencies incorporate extreme weather preparedness in planning activities;
Improve regional coordination to ensure greater information sharing and maximum cost effectiveness.
This bill is supported by a number of national organizations, including: R Street, American Sustainable Business Council, National Taxpayers Union, Niskanen Center, Coalition to Reduce Spending, Taxpayers Protection Alliance, Reinsurance Association of America, National Wildlife Federation, CERES, National Housing Conference, Taxpayers for Common Sense, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Parks Conservation Association, The Nature Conservancy, Evangelical Environmental Network, League of Conservation Voters, American Meteorological Society, Sierra Club, PennFuture, Defenders of Wildlife, Union of Concerned Scientists, U.S. Green Building Council, Environmental and Energy Study Institute, American Rivers, Environmental Defense Fund, Small Business Majority, Marstel-Day, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety,

MEDIA MATTERS

WALN TV

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

This week's guest will be Attorney Frank Bolock from the Recovery Bank in Scranton.
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

Gary Drapek, President and CEO of the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne counties, joins host David DeCosmo on ECTV Live during the week of September 30th. In addition to discussing the work of the United Way Mr. Drapek addresses the increasing number of robocall solicitations from organizations claiming to be representing charities.

ECTV Live is seen 3 times daily on Comcast channel 19 and is shared on the electric city television YouTube page or viewing on your laptop or table

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.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a film starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, opens to limited release in the U.S....

The Chicago Eight trial begins in Chicago, Illinois.

The Brady Bunch premieres The Brady Bunch, a situation comedy about a "blended family" created by the union of two persons with children from previous marriages, was introduced as one of the new television shows on the ABC Network in the United States. Syndicated TV columnist Dick Kleiner described it as having "all the elements of trite-and-true television— a bunch of children (cute) and two parents (appealing) and a dog (lovable) and a maid (witty)" and added that "It all sounds as new and different as this year's model of soap."  The San Francisco Examiner commented "the six kids and a dog and a cat, and a maid, and absurd slapstick... made the first show a shambles. Verdict: Too blamed precious." The 26 members of the White House Police, the division of the United States Secret Service assigned to stand guard at the residence of the President of the United States, began wearing new uniforms consistent with the colorful garb seen in palace guards in other nations  U.S. President Nixon had decided on the change earlier in the year after his first state visit to Europe as President [56] The widely-criticized uniforms would be retired shortly after President Nixon's resignation in 1974 in 1980, the federal surplus uniforms would be purchased by the Meriden-Cleghorn High School marching band in Cleghorn, Iowa.
The Beatles released the last album item that they had recorded together, Abbey Road, with sales hyped by a false rumor that Paul McCartney had died. Beatles fans debate whether Abbey Road (the last recorded before the group broke up) or Let It Be, largely finished but not released until April 1970, should be considered the final work of the group [
The television medical drama Marcus Welby, M.D. premiered on the ABC television network, with Robert Young in the title role, and co-starring James Brolin. In its second year, Marcus Welby, M.D. would finish the season as the most-watched show in the United States.

And fifty years ago the number one song in LuLac land and America was Three Dog Night and “Easy To Be Hard”.

The LuLac Edition #4,140, September 25th, 2019

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

Our “Write On Wednesday” logo.

This week we look to the Editorial Board of Times Shamrock for their take on the Trump policy on the environmental standards..

PREVENT TRUMP’S TOXIC POLICY EMISSIONS

Having increased the cost of domestically manufactured vehicles through ill-considered tariffs on foreign metals, President Donald Trump has moved to ensure that drivers of those vehicles spend as much as possible on fuel while producing more pollution than necessary.
In the process, he has thumbed his nose at the constitutional principle of federalism.
Trump announced Wednesday that the administration would eliminate the 50-year-old waiver under which California has set vehicle mileage standards tougher than federal standards. Many other states also use those standards, with which the auto industry complies due to the size of the massive California market.
The EPA administrator got it exactly backwards in claiming that California violates federalism with higher-than-federal standards. Since the beginning of environmental regulation, the federal government has set minimum standards that all states must enforce, while allowing states to exceed those standards. That is federalism in practice.
The auto industry itself supports the higher California standards because it is a global industry. Vehicles that meet California standards also meet tough standards in countries that mandate low emissions.
Incredibly, the Trump administration has threatened to investigate auto manufacturers for conspiracy if they continue to work with California to meet higher standards.
The California waiver has had broad support from presidents and members of Congress from both parties. Congress should intervene now to prevent Trump’s toxic policy emissions.

The LuLac Edition #4,139, September 24th, 2019

PELOSI CALLS OUT TRUMP'S ILLEGAL, ADMITTED BEHAVIOR

THIS IS NOT MUELLER

HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI ANNOUNCES FORMAL IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY OF TRUMP, SAYS HIS ACTIONS WERE A ‘BETRAYAL OF NATIONAL SECURITY

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump, a dramatic turnaround by the Democratic leader that sets up a constitutional and political clash pitting the Congress against the nation’s chief executive.
Pelosi made her announcement after a closed-door meeting with her caucus, according to Democratic officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely describe private deliberations.
Impeachment is a rare and extraordinary step that would overturn the decision of U.S. voters in 2016 to elect Trump. Pelosi’s decision foreshadows an intensely partisan fall, triggering pushback from Trump allies with repercussions for the 2020 campaign.
Here are a few takeaways. This is way different than Robert Mueller because these actions were recent and admitted by the President HIMSELF. Now I know you can’t take back video tape and Trump zealots will defend him, but he has admitted to a crime.
The time to stand up to this horrendous, criminal person who won the White House by a mere 70,000 votes in three states is NOW. On record, the REPUBLICAN party of toadies will now have to say they want to either support a brazen abuse of power or fight against it.
All citizens who believe in the rule of law should stand up for the Speaker.

The LuLac Edition #4,138, September 19th, 2019

WHY IRAN IS ACTING OUT

Here’s the real reason why Iran has now become the hot spot in the Mideast. It is because President Trump pulled out of the finely crafted Iran deal that controlled that nation. Right wingers decried the fact that we lifted sanctions and gave them their money back from 40 years ago BUT that kept the monster at bay.
However the Trump tantrum of defacing all things Obama has put us all in a precarious position.
Hey, enjoy the high gas prices Trump-ites! Enjoy the screwing your man is giving you.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU AND BROWN FACE

I cannot believe that Justin Trudeau, the current Canadian Prime Minister and the son of a firmer Prime Minister  did brown face as recently as the early 2000s when he was a TEACHER! My God what was wrong with people like him. It’s nor like he had uneducated and non tolerant parents. Wow!

COKIE ROBERTS

Cokie Roberts passed away the other day at 75. She was a well known name and was a mainstay in national media for over 40 years on ABC, NPR and in the literary world writing 6 books. In 2003, she and her husband Steve spoke at Misercordia University’s Graduation.
Here is a clip of her from You Tube with one of her talks  she was famous for. 

CARTWRIGHT ANNOUNCES OVER $675,000 IN WATER QUALITY GRANTS FOR NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives) 

Congressman Matt Cartwright is pleased to announce new federal grants for non-profit organizations in Northeastern Pennsylvania, specifically to three groups focused on water quality restoration and habitat conservation efforts.
The following three non-profits are receiving grants to continue their work in benefit of Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District:
Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR) will receive $249,994 to develop a collaborative and strategic management plan with demonstration sites in public, regionally significant areas of the Upper Delaware River Watershed to limit further spread of invasive knotweed to restore native riparian habitat;
Pocono Heritage Land Trust will receive $250,000 to improve habitat for fish and wildlife at six locations in the Brodhead Creek Watershed, leveraging public and private partnerships that will combine the efforts of private fishing clubs, a regional water authority, and a local university;
The Nature Conservancy will receive $175,100 to advance a targeted in-depth assessment to improve aquatic connectivity for American shad and river herring in the Delaware River Basin. The project will evaluate barriers and habitats throughout the watershed to identify key sites for shad and river herring restoration.
The funds will be distributed through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) Delaware River Watershed Conservation Fund.
“This is fantastic news for our community, for our children, and for our environment,” said Rep. Cartwright, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Northeastern Pennsylvania is blessed with natural resources and central to that is the water quality of the Delaware River, which millions of people in the region depend on the for their drinking water. Programs like this are vital to ongoing efforts to safeguard our high quality of life for future generations.”
In Congress, Rep. Cartwright co-sponsored the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act (DRBCA), which was passed in December 2016 as part of the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act for the Nation. This law created the Delaware River Watershed Conservation Program, which funds efforts to clean up the basin.
“Japanese knotweed is an invasive species in the Upper Delaware River and one of the top ecological threats to one of Pennsylvania's most prized watersheds,” said Jeff Skelding, Executive Director of Friends of the Upper Delaware River. “Knotweed crowds out native species and causes massive soil loss leading to accelerated sediment pollution in the river. FUDR's DWCF grant award will bring together a diverse collaboration of non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and government agencies to gain a better scientific understanding of the extent of the knotweed problem and to develop community-based strategies to curb its proliferation.”
“Pocono Heritage Land Trust is honored to be the recipient of this grant,” said Louise Troutman, Executive Director of Pocono Heritage Land Trust. “It's an opportunity for us to help improve four of our local waterways. We look forward to working with our public and private partners as a part of the larger effort the National Fish and Wildlife Federation is undertaking in the Delaware watershed.”
“The Nature Conservancy greatly appreciates the generous support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation,” said Su Fanok, Director of Freshwater Conservation for The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. “This award will lead to improved habitat for the iconic American Shad and other migratory species in the Delaware River Basin. We look forward to working with our key partners, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and Wildlands Conservancy, as part of the larger effort to restore the Delaware River watershed for current and future generations.”
Chartered by Congress in 1984, the NFWF protects and restores the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants, and habitats. Working with federal, corporate, and individual partners, NFWF has funded more than 4,500 organizations and generated a conservation impact of more than $5.3 billion. In 2018, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and NFWF launched the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund, a program to administer competitive grants and technical assistance. The NFWF works closely with the FWS to administer the annual competitive grant solicitation and selection process.

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

Julie Esty of the Dearly Departed Players joins ECTV Live host David DeCosmo during the week of September 3rd to review plans for this year's tour of the Dunmore Cemetery. The players trace the interesting true life stories of some of the historic cemetery's "residents."
ECTV Live is seen 3 times daily on Comcast channel 19 and is shared on the electric city television YouTube page or viewing on your laptop or tablet.

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.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted, 339 to 70, to approve a proposed 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution that, if approved by two-thirds of the U.S. Senate and then ratified by 38 of the 50 state legislatures of the United States, would abolish the United States Electoral College and would allow the President of the United States to be elected directly by the voters. Under the proposal, the candidate with the highest number of votes would win the presidency provided that he or she had received at least 40% of the votes cast. If no candidate received 40% of the votes, then a runoff election would be held between the two candidates who had the highest and second highest number. On September 30, U.S. President Nixon announced his support for the bill and urged the United States Senate to approve it as well…....All but one of the 75 persons on an Air Vietnam airliner flight were killed after a mid-air collision with a U.S. Air Force F-4. Both the DC-4 and the USAF jet were approaching Da Nang when the faster Phantom clipped the wing of the civilian flight from Pleiku. The DC-4 crashed into a field, killing two farm workers on the ground .....

 U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin gave a speech to the Washington Environmental Council in Seattle and made the first proposal for what would become, on April 22, 1970 and on April 22 thereafter, "Earth Day". Nelson said that he planned to set aside a day during the upcoming spring "for college scientists, public leaders, students and faculty to discuss threats to the ecology of the world." ….At a meeting between The Beatles (minus George Harrison) and business manager Allen Klein, John Lennon announced his intention to quit the group, effectively bringing an end to the "Fab Four". McCartney would recount later that he suggested possible future plans for the band, and Lennon, referring to his first wife, shouted "I want a divorce! Like the one I got from Cynthia," and, after a brief argument, Lennon, his wife Yoko Ono, and Klein walked out.....

Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants became the first major league baseball player since Babe Ruth to hit 600 career home runs. Mays came in as a pinch hitter in the 7th inning and his two-run homer produced the margin of victory in the Giants' 4-2 win over the San Diego Padres, and put the Giants in first place in their division with eight games left in the season. In the same game, Mays's teammate Bobby Bonds struck out for the 178th time during the season, breaking the Major League Baseball record set by Dave Nicholson of the Chicago White Sox in 1963……..An Islamic conference in Rabat, Morocco, held after the al-Aqsa Mosque fire on August 21, condemned the Israeli claim of ownership of East Jerusalem and fifty years ago this week the number one song in LuLac land and America was  "I Can't Get Next to You" by The Temptations.

•

The LuLac Edition #4,137, September 18th, 2019

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

Our "Write On Wednesday: logo.

Our good friends at Franklin & Marshall provide some insight into election reform and how legislation can or cannot, like sausage, cure it. Take a look.

Politically Uncorrected

By G. Terry Madonna & Michael L. Young

Election Reform Sausage

Lawmaking has often been compared to sausage making. One may relish eating it but not want to know how it is produced. Never has this been truer than watching the Pennsylvania General Assembly tackle modern Election Reform.
As September lurches toward October, the legislature has a precious few weeks left in 2019 to decide a number of crucial election reform measures. Few if any of them will get serious consideration next year since 2020 is an election year- indeed a presidential election year. The productivity of the Pennsylvania legislature, already falling sharply amidst our chronically polarized politics, almost always plummets in an election year. 2020 notably will not be an exception
It’s 2019 or nothing!
Already this session has brought some focus upon electoral reform. Prior to the summer recess, the legislature passed a measure that would have banned straight ticket voting, a practice that allows a voter to cast a single vote for all the candidates of the same party. Nine states currently allow the practice including Pennsylvania.
Alas, partisan politics from both parties erased this one. The measure was passed by Republicans in a legislature they control with strong opposition from minority Democrats. They opposed it primarily because it benefits Republicans electorally; Republicans favored it primarily because it benefits them electorally. Unsurprisingly, Democratic Governor Tom Wolf took out the veto pen and sent the bill into legislative oblivion, citing among other problems that …“eliminating straight-ticket voting would harm voters.”
So, one down but many remain possible: all important to ordinary Pennsylvanians concerned with ballot integrity.
Among the list of possible election reforms, the notion of moving presidential primary day earlier in the election calendar has been a perpetual issue going back decades. Despite repeated previous efforts to give Pennsylvania a relevant presidential primary, voting day stubbornly remains in late April, almost always too late to matter. Legislation pending would move the date earlier into March for 2020. A parallel proposal would also move the voting date into March, but would not go into effect until the 2024 election.
The situation with the late presidential primary is an outrage. Pennsylvania is one of perhaps three key battleground states that will determine the 2020 Electoral College winner. Yet, it plays no role in the nomination of either party’s presidential candidates. In fact, the state has not been really relevant in any nomination since 1984.
One might well wonder why the 5th largest (tied with Illinois) Electoral College prize would do this to itself. But in Harrisburg, it’s not a mystery. In the legislature both parties like the late date just where it is - so their own primary campaigns won’t need to vie with a meaningful and bitter presidential primary – nor deal with annoying filing dates that would be accelerated. Translation: a pox on meaningful presidential primaries.
There remains a number of other election reforms before the legislature. Included are the following four proposals:
Allowing unaffiliated voters, meaning voters who are not registered in a political party, to cast votes in any party primary;
Permitting automatic registration. For example, if one signs up for a driver’s license, that person would automatically be registered to vote unless expressly opting out;
Enabling same day voter registration which would allow a potential voter to register to vote on the same day as the election. It would remove the current requirement that voter registration must take place 30 days before the actual election date;
Allowing voters to cast an absentee ballot for any reason, known as “no-excuse” absentee voting. Voters now choosing to vote by absentee must meet several legal qualifications.
Generally, Democrats like these reforms because many are likely to aid Democratic turnout, especially in urban areas. Conversely, Republicans generally oppose them because they would help Democratic turnout more than their own. Perhaps the one exception to this generalization would be no-excuse absentee voting where the salient issue here is the widespread confusion over absentee ballot filing deadlines.
Election reform in Pennsylvania is now a standoff between Republicans and Democrats. Entrenched Republican control of the state legislature means they are not likely to go very far with many of the election changes, while Democratic Governor Tom Wolf will veto any changes he does not support.
But there was recently some good news auguring new positive movement toward election reforms. Recently Governor Wolf announced that Pennsylvanian’s will now be able to apply online for absentee ballots for the November election beginning mid-September – potentially making it less burdensome to vote for thousands of Pennsylvanians. Both parties applauded the news with the Republican Majority Leader Jake Corman calling it “a good step toward increasing access to absentee ballots,” while additional reforms are still needed.
We may not yet see the light at the end of the tunnel but at least we now see the tunnel

The LuLac Edition #4,136, September 17th, 2019

THE PA HOME PAGE PODCAST

THIRD PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

and

PODCASTING LAST WEEK'S DEMOCRATIC DEBATE: 

Here's the link:  https://eyewitnessnewspodcast.simplecast.fm/thirty-four?fbclid=IwAR0znTui9AECTRUOroG7qRikpdLQ-ymvRFjde9d5ju0MetZTFzdXEY2g-1whttps://eyewitnessnewspodcast.simplecast.fm/thirty-four?fbclid=IwAR0znTui9AECTRUOroG7qRikpdLQ-ymvRFjde9d5ju0MetZTFzdXEY2g-1w

here is the team. Dr. David Sosar from King's College, me from LuLac, producer Ron Williams and host Chris Langlois.

PASHINSKI HOLDS MEETING 

State Representative Eddie Day Pashinski held an annual meet and greet at Genetti's on Sunday. He laid out his Legislative agenda and what he was working on. Here's a photo from the event. 

In the photo, Wilkes-Barre Councilwoman Beth Gilbert-McBride, former Councilman and unopposed cadidate for Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown, Judge Tina Gartley, Jane Waitkus Bob Snee, Wilkes-Barre Councilman Bill Barrett,and  Luzerne County Councilman Tim McGinley.

The LuLac Edition #4, 135, September 12th, 2019

ANOTHER DISGRACE FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The Trump administration is saying no, or maybe ‘nyet” to refugees from The Bahamas. A long time neighbor and friend, this is a total repudiation of our good neighbor policy that has existed through the years. We hope the relatives in Florida remember what Trump and his thugs did by turning away stranded, destitute people.

TRUMP FIRES BOLTON

AOL reported that President Trump said Wednesday that he fired John Bolton because his national security adviser “made some very big mistakes” in the negotiations with North Korea that “set us back.”
“John is somebody that I actually get along with very well. He made some very big mistakes when he talked about the Libyan model for Kim Jong Un,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, after announcing the administration would seek to prohibit the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. “That was not a good statement to make. You just take a look at what happened with Gadhafi. That was not a good statement to make. And it set us back.”
Trump was referring to a remark by Bolton nearly a year and a half ago, describing Libya as a model for the denuclearization of North Korea. Moammar Gadhafi, the longtime Libyan dictator, agreed to give up his nuclear-weapons program in 2003 in exchange for the lifting of U.S. economic sanctions. Eight years later, Gadhafi was overthrown and killed by rebels, who were supported by NATO airstrikes. Trump trashed Bolton in a meeting with reporters, called Bolton names and was Trump. But the real reason we har is that he was pissed at Bolton for leaking stories about the President’s erratic statements and behavior. One example was Trump wondering if we can nuke hurricanes .(AOL, LuLac)

TRUMP GOES AFTER SANFORD

Former Governor Mark Sanford

 (Photo: CNN)

It was hysterical to me that the President attacked the audacity of former south Carolina Governor Mark Sanford who has entered the Republican Presidential primaries against him. Trump brought up Sanford’s affair with a Brazilian woman but meanwhile old Diaper don paid a porn star to keep their little, (and according to Stormy Daniels) it was their little secret about sex. Hypocrite thug.

REP. CARTWRIGHT ANNOUNCES $120,000 GRANT TO WESTFALL TOWNSHIP VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT

Representative Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

Thursday, Congressman Matt Cartwrigh announced a federal grant being awarded to the Westfall Township Volunteer Fire Department to meet its firefighting and emergency response needs.
The Westfall Township Volunteer Fire Department will receive a $120,000 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The funds will be distributed via the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and will be used to purchase 18 sets of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) equipment, including harness/backpacks, face masks and two cylinders.
“Our brave firefighters face danger on a regular basis to keep our communities safe from harm, and we must invest in equipment that aids the incredible work they do,” said Rep. Cartwright, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program continues to be a critical resource to firefighters and communities in Northeastern Pennsylvania.”
The purpose of FEMA’s AFG program is to award competitive grants directly to fire departments to enhance their ability to protect the health and safety of the public, as well as that of first-responder personnel. Since 2001, the AFG program has provided over $7 billion in grants to first-responder organizations to obtain much-needed emergency response equipment, personal protective equipment, firefighting and emergency vehicles, and training.

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

PennDot spokesmen James May and Mike Taluto join David DeCosmo on ECTV Live during the week of September 16th to outline the state's traffic construction and safety plans for the Fall season.

The program is produced and hosted by David DeCosmo and Directed by Mark Migilore. It is seen daily on Comcast channel 19 and on the electric city television YouTube page.

\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.

Children's TV series H.R. Pufnstuf begins its run on NBC. It was also a segment in The Banana Splits Adventure Hour season.....Allegheny Airlines Flight 853 DC-9 collides in flight with a Piper PA-28, and crashes near Fairland, Indiana USA........The last Warner Bros. cartoon of the original theatrical Looney Tunes series is released: Injun Trouble.....Princeton University, an all-male Ivy League college for its first 233 years of operation, welcomed its first female undergraduate students as 171 young women jointed the 4,600 men already enrolled. New York's Daily News, reflecting the attitudes of the day, reported that many of "the girls" were wearing "chic miniskirts" as they walked to class from Pyne Hall, the campus' first dormitory for women……With 22 games remaining in the 1969 National League baseball season, the New York Mets, who had never finished higher than ninth place in their history, overtook the Chicago Cubs to take the lead in the East Division's pennant race. The Mets, who had been 9½ games behind the Cubs four weeks earlier, were now one game ahead (83 wins, 57 losses) of the 84-59 Cubs, after beating the Montreal Expos twice in a double header, while the Cubs continued to lose…baseball pitcher Steve Carlton of the St. Louis Cardinals set a Major League Baseball record by striking out 19 players in a nine-inning game, taking different members of the New York Mets to strike three; but the first-place Mets won anyway, 4 to 3, because one of their players, Ron Swoboda, hit two home runs with men on base and fifty years ago this week the number one song in LuLac land and America was the very vapid but somewhat enjoyable “Sugar Sugar” by the Archies.

The LuLac Edition #4, 134, September 11th, 2019

9/11 @ EIGHTEEN

The LuLac Edition #4,133, September 8th, 2019

WILKES-BARRE FOUNDER'S DAY @ 250

So very fortunate to be at tonight's Founder's Day Rooftop Celebration of Wilkes-Barre's 250th birthday. I've said many times that my memories are in Pittston but my heart and soul are in Wilkes Barre. 

The great Times Leader photographer Tony Callio took this great photo of the Wilkes-Barre City administration, from left to right, Administrator Rick Gazenski, Controller Darren Snyder, State Representative Eddie Day Pashinski along with Eryn Harvey from Senator Yudichak's office presenting my boss, Mayor Tony George with proclamations from the state, Councilmen Tony Brooks who gave a great introductory overview of our city's history, Council Chairman Mike Belusko and Special events coordinator Patricia Hughes. 

 I was greeted tonight by a founding father come to life by Mr. Mark Khan, a long time media buddy and historical re-enactor.

The event was superb as well as the company. Thanks again to Times Leader photographer Tony Callio for taking this photo. You've heard of "The Gilmore Girls?" Well these are the Goscieski Girls, daughters of WWII Veteran John Goscieski from Brookside. From left to right, Karel Zubris, me and Susan Nerbecki. 

Then this outstanding photo, (notice the river in the background) was taken by the aforementioned Karel of our City Controller Darren Snyder, me and his wife Attorney Kelly Bray Snyder.

The LuLac Edition #4,132, September 5th, 2019

MEL WYNN DIES

This week brought sad news to Lulac land when we heard that Mel Wynn had died. Wynn was the leader of one of the most popular bands in Northeastern Pennsylvania. There was Mel Wynn and the Rhythm Aces and them the Mel Wynn Trend.



If you were a teenager growing up here, chances are Mel played at your high school dance or prom. His songs were popular, charted modestly but had staying power as songs you danced to and enjoyed as we made our way through the teen years.
Today many look fondly on Mel and his music. We offer our sympathy and prayers to his family. 

GOV. WOLF TO VISIT PA NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS, MEMORIALIZE TREE OF LIFE VICTIMS IN LITHUANIA, POLAND TRIP

Governor Tom Wolf with the troops. (Photo: Governor's office)

Governor Tom Wolf announced today that next week he will travel to Lithuania and Poland to visit with Pennsylvania National Guard (PNG) members deployed to both countries, meet with Lithuanian government and business leaders, and visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial to memorialize the victims of the October 2018 antisemitic attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.
Governor Wolf was invited to join PNG leaders on a scheduled trip as part of Pennsylvania’s 26-year military partnership with Lithuania. Since the partnership began, thousands of Pennsylvania National Guard troops have trained with Lithuanian armed forces and many Lithuanian troops have trained at Pennsylvania’s Ft. Indiantown Gap. Currently there are nearly 600 PNG troops stationed in Lithuania and Poland.
“Our Pennsylvania National Guard troops make tremendous sacrifice in service of their commonwealth, our country and the broader mission of peace and stability across the world,” Gov. Wolf said. “I look forward to learning more about their work and strengthening relationships with our NATO partners. I’m also honored to join National Guard leadership on this trip and to personally thank these soldiers for their service, their time away from family and home, and their dedication to state and country. I wish them all a successful tour and safe return home in 2020.”
Later in the week, Gov. Wolf will visit with Pennsylvania National Guard troops deployed to Orzysz, Poland, as part of Enhanced Forward Presence, in support of the NATO Battle Group-Poland, learning more about the capabilities of the unit and its missions. He will have lunch with the troops and a meet-and-greet with the soldiers of the 3/278th Armored Cavalry Regiment (ARC).
While in Poland, Gov. Wolf will visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and use the visit to honor the memory of the 11 victims of the October 2018 antisemitic attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.
Keeping his commitment to cover his own travel costs, Governor Wolf will personally pay for his air travel and lodging for this trip.

NO CONGRESSIONAL RUN FOR FORMER TRUMP SURROGATE; LOU BARLETTA WILL FOCUS ON CONSULTING FIRM

Former Congressman Lou Barletta. (Photo: LuLac archives)

Penn Live reports that Former Republican Congressman Lou Barletta on Tuesday put to rest speculation that he would mount a bid for the 8th Congressional District in 2020.
The former four-term congressman said that after much thought and conversation with family, he has decided not to run for Congress.
“My eight years in Congress are an experience I will always be grateful for, there was no greater honor than serving the residents of Pennsylvania in Congress and the residents of Hazleton as their mayor but I have made the decision to not seek an elected office next year,” Barletta said. "I will never close the door on any future opportunity but for right now my focus is on starting my new chapter.”
Barletta said he plans to focus his attention on the political consulting firm - Pioneer Strategies - that he launched a few months ago. The firm will focus on political campaigns and government affairs.
An ardent supporter of President Trump, Barletta in 2018 mounted a failed bid for a U.S. Senate, taking on Pennsylvania’s senior senator Bob Casey, a Democrat. Barletta gave up his 11th Congressional District seat to take on Casey.

MEDIA MATTERS

WALN TV

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

This week's show features excerpts from a recent round table discussion on veteran suicide, hosted by the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.
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

It's a tough subject but one that deserves to be talked about openly. ECTV welcomes Kathy Wallace to the program during the week of September 9th to discuss the tragedy of suicide and ways it might be prevented. The program is produced and hosted by David DeCosmo and Directed by Mark Migilore. It is seen daily on Comcast channel 19 and on the electric city television YouTube page.

\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.

A 1969 Libyan coup d'état: A bloodless coup in Libya ousts King Idris and brings Colonel Muammar Gaddafi to power……The first automatic teller machine in the United States is installed in Rockville Centre, New York.

Ho Chi Minh, the president of North Vietnam, dies at the age of 79……Lieutenant William Calley is charged with s counts of premeditated murder for the 1968 My Lai Massacre deaths of 109 Vietnamese civilians in My Lai, Vietnam……There was actually a song in support of Calley.....

Allegheny Airlines Flight 853, a DC-9 airliner, collides in flight with a small Piper PA-28 airplane, and crashes near Fairland, Indiana, killing all 83 persons in both aircraft and fifty years ago this week the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Jean” by Oliver.

The LuLac Edition #4,131, September 4th, 2019

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY 

Our "Write On Wednesday" logo. 

This week's "Write on Wednesday" is an article from a local resident who posted information on past diplomatic successes to a thing called Biopage. 
Here's that link and what Peter Gagliardi had to say. https://www.biopage.com/post/writing-contest-i-love-great-books

The LuLac Edition #4,130, September 1st, 2019

SEPTEMBER