The LuLac Edition #4,293, May 14th, 2020

BILL BRACE, KING BEE OF WILKES-BARRE: AN APPRECIATION

In work clothes as a public servant and provider. 

With daughter Chantall in Irish green. 

 In uniform serving his country. 

(Photos: Bill Brace Facebook page)

Government and Politics in its most basic form has been dry and musty. The regulations, the laws, the resolutions and numbers taught by my professors at King’s would bore some to tears. What brings all that data to life are the people who work in those vineyards of government where decisions on how we all live are made. I thought about that the other day when I heard the news that Bill Brace was struggling with a very serious health issue.
He passed away last night. Our condolences and prayers to his family. 
I first met Brace in a Government class at King’s College. He was an adult student in a night session and we began chatting about baseball. My next encounter came at Wilkes-Barre City Council meetings when as a very young reporter at WVIA-FM I was sent to cover the City. Brace was the City Clerk. He ran the meetings in an organized and professional manner. Like there is today, there was the Council Meeting cast of characters from the general public. Some were entertaining, a few confrontational and many like broken records.
They had a right to be heard and Brace was respectful and stoic when he faced them. Now this I really respected because Bill had one of the most expressive faces I’ve ever seen. You got an instant read on what he was thinking by looking at his face. If he was annoyed, you’d see it with the eye lids just lowering and the jaw tightening. If he found humor in something, the eyes would light up and the smile would encompass the lower portion of his head. If you were getting busted (and this was a true tell that he liked you) you’d see the twinkle in his eye and the look of “Hey man, I’m just kidding here, you’re in my orbit!”
As a city and later County official, Brace was dedicated, accessible and downright knowledgeable. But you never got the impression that he was trying to lord that information over you.
Up until joining the Killer Bees I had only seen one side of the coin that was Bill Brace’s life. He spotted me on the street one day with then Mayor Tom McLaughlin and we again started talking about baseball and then by extension softball. I told him I had recently moved to Wilkes-Barre and he asked me if I’d be interested in joining his team The Killer Bees. He then proceeded to explain to me his vision of what the Bees could be, a type of combination social club, softball playing enterprise that would use money raised for good works in the city. I was sold but then told me that I was limited to maybe two positions I could play. Heavier back then, I told him I couldn’t run very fast either. He looked me up and down, then whispered in McLaughlin’s ear, the Mayor nodded and he asked, “Can you carry a beer keg?” I responded, “Sure but I don’t drink”. He said, “Yonki (he pronounced it Yonk-ee) you’re in”.
Every person should have the experience of being a Wilkes Barre Killer Bee. The organizational meetings were held at Boris’ Bar. While the late Al Boris held court in his Carey Ave. establishment in semi-formal wear, the Bees were buzzing in a side room in casual clothes plotting out participation in the nascent St. Patrick’s Day parade and then attendance which at the beginning for the Bees was mandatory attendance at the Wilkes-Barre St. Pat's Dinner held at The Crossgates. When Brace introduced me to the group that night which included the late Barry DeRemer, Bubba Fine, Rickie Sorokas, Mark Murphy, Bill Kunec Senior, Ted Wampole, Tom Morrissey, Dick Muesing, Joe Dougalas and a few others I am most likely missing, he said, “Boys, this is Yonki (Yonk-ee), we finally have a designated driver for the dinner this year. I’m not going to hold this against him, as a matter of fact this is great news, he doesn’t drink!”
In subsequent St. Patrick’s Day dinners, I indeed served as a designated driver taking besotted Bees home. But there were always detours. We’d end up at the Gengi Room, one time in Scranton at a place called Pete Bordi's, Denny’s or a few years at the Wyoming Valley Cinema for Three Stooges Marathons. (They used to show them all night on certain Fridays).
On the field Brace managed strategically to win. You always had a role and were told at the onset what it was. I usually got in after the 6th inning during a blow out as a catcher (behind Bubba Fine or Deremer) or at first  base. The initial team was so loaded with talent that I was shocked, given my abilities Brace let me play. But he did.
As the popularity of The Bees grew, the original Bees were bulging at the beehive. Brace’s solution was to form a Killer Bees League of which he would serve as Commissioner. Branches from the Original Bees tree formed the league. My team was called The Lady Killers. The team name was chosen because none of us were drop dead handsome, and had to work like hell for any woman we wanted to notice us. Thus you see the irony of the moniker. We had an assortment of decent players and oddballs. One insisted on having the number 512 and our colors were King’s Gold and Red. In an eight year span, our records consisted of 7 wins and give or take 90 losses. We even had celebrities. David DeCosmo from WYOU was our pitcher and Edd Rainari (later to become Beatledd) was one of our sluggers. Well, maybe our only one.

BUT IT WAS FUN!

Plus, this might not be the reason Brace kept us in the league, but

WE ALWAYS PAID OUR DUES.

Through the years I’d run into Bill and his family in good times and challenging. In good and bad times, he had that sunny determination that things would always be better. If you were fortunate to be friends with Bill Brace, you knew it was a two way street. At wakes, dinners, Killer Bee reunions, he’d always inquire about “his guys”. Recently, when he’d run into someone from City Hall, he’d always ask, “How’s Yonki (Yonk-kee) doing there?”
Bill Brace was a combination of what makes Wilkes-Barre a good place. His dedication to family, his city, his community, its future and its very existence were always top of mind with him.
From the softball fields of Morgan B., to the diamonds of Coal Street and Kirby Park, Brace transformed a guy’s night out into scholarship funds. It made the city and all of us better men.
Current City Clerk Jim Ryan and I had discussions about those Killer Bees days. It turns out Ryan was a Bee too. One day Jim said to me, “You know I never realized so many people I talk to remember either playing for the Bees or watching them”.
Jim and I agreed that The Bees organization (with the name derived from the City logo) was a classic.
Just like Bill Brace.

STATEMENT ON ENFORCEMENT OF GOVERNOR WOLF’S EMERGENCY ORDERS

DA Stefanie Salavantis (Photo:LuLac archives)

Governor Wolf made news in the state (not nationally though) when he essentially warned business owners they might be fined for opening up if they were in violation of his orders to remain closed. The words didn’t fly out of his mouth fast enough for a debate to start raging on Facebook and Twitter.
The DA later in the afternoon issued this statement regarding the edict and how her office would handle it.
The Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office is mindful of the hardships faced by local businesses, owners and employees as a result of COVID-19. Along with many of you, I have great concerns about any government agent or agency taking a private citizen’s business through regulatory action without due process.
As everyone is likely aware, both our state and federal appellate courts have declined to strike down the Governor’s closure orders. In light of the current state of affairs, I have been asked to comment on this office’s position on enforcement of the Governor’s order to remain closed after approximately two months of lockdown. As a result, I felt it important to outline the process so the public is aware of the procedures and their rights.
Initially, the statutes cited by the Governor for violating his emergency orders are summary offenses. The decision whether to issue summary citations is up to each police department which gets its direction from the government of their municipality. Summary citations are prosecuted at the Magisterial District Judges’ offices by the issuing officer, not the District Attorney’s Office. We encourage local law enforcement to seek the guidance of their municipalities’ solicitor on proceeding with citations. Additionally, our office has an Assistant District Attorney on duty at all times to assist with answering legal questions pertaining to the criminal aspect of any offense.
In the event someone is convicted of a summary offense, he or she would have the right to appeal to the Court of Common Pleas. Appeal forms are available on the Unified Judicial System website at: http://www.pacourts.us/forms/for-the-public. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the form entitled, “Notice of Appeal from Summary Criminal Conviction.” The form must be filed with the Luzerne County Clerk of Courts with a filing fee of $52.00. Refer to the Luzerne County Clerk of Courts webpage for updated fees. At that point, my office would review each citation on a case-by-case basis and decide whether to proceed or to exercise prosecutorial discretion and decline to prosecute.
As our office does not have a case before us, we cannot issue a blanket statement refusing to prosecute any and all alleged violations of the Governor’s orders. This office will dissect every case that reaches us, especially in situations where superstores and other national chain stores can be open, but small businesses in the same vein suffer from a closure order. In such a case, we recognize that the use of threatened imprisonment or fines on struggling businesses who practice social distancing, use personal protective equipment and sanitization measures is tantamount to throwing a drowning victim an anchor.
In cases that involve egregious violations that endanger others, prosecution may be necessary; however, it is difficult to imagine our community acting with such reckless disregard for public health. We, as Luzerne County residents, have shown our commitment to protecting ourselves, our friends, and our families using the recommended social distancing, personal protective equipment and enhanced hygiene recommended by experts.
All business owners should be aware that the Governor has tools other than criminal citations to enforce his emergency order over which the District Attorney’s Office does not have jurisdiction or discretion. Even if this office declines to prosecute an offense, agencies under the Governor’s command could still utilize civil enforcement actions, including administrative suspension or revocation of professional licensees or lawsuits seeking injunctions.
Please remember, simply because a store or facility may be open does not automatically deem it safe. We trust the public will use good judgement and precaution in visiting any open establishment, and business owners will act in every possible manner to protect their customers.
On behalf of our entire office, we want everyone to remain safe and healthy. We pray for a rapid end to any remnants of this pandemic and are mindful that arbitrary closures that cause more devastation than protection will do more than just violate our Constitutional rights. They risk permanent destruction of our local economy and create untold hardships on our residents from which they may never recover. 

Very truly yours,

Stefanie J. Salavantis,
Luzerne County District Attorney

STATEMENT ON GOVERNOR WOLF'S SPEECH ON EFFORTS TO END OR PUBLIC HEALTH REGULATIONS PREMATURELY FROM “WE THE PEOPLE”

The We The People campaign issued the following statement in response to Governor Wolf's speech today about efforts to prematurely end or avoid the public health regulations that are protecting us from the COVID-19 epidemic:
The We The People campaign issued the following statement in response to Governor Wolf's speech today about efforts to prematurely end or avoid the public health regulations that are protecting us from the COVID-19 epidemic:
Pennsylvanians know that it is up to all of us to work together to protect ourselves from COVID-19. Thus, the We The People campaign supports Governor Wolf’s insistence that all of Pennsylvania follow the best medical and scientific data in determining how fast businesses re-open and the stay-at-home order ends. There is no conflict between health and the economy: we need to protect our health in order to restore our economy in the long term. We deplore the efforts of politicians who have been encouraging businesses to reopen prematurely in violation of the governor’s orders and at great risk to the public at large without proper safety precautions for their employees and consumers, and without sufficient testing and contact tracing in place to protect everyone. Working people and their children—especially the Black and brown people who are over represented among front line workers—should not be put at greater risk and denied unemployment benefits if they resist unsafe working conditions in a rush to reopen businesses before it is safe to do so. We encourage the governor to use all of the tools at his disposal to protect working people and the public from businesses that endanger their health and lives.

IF WORLD WAR TWO WAS HAPPENING NOW….WE’D LOSE!

There is a reason why our parents were called The Greatest Generation. They never thought of themselves as great because in their minds they just responded to a call to action when their country was in trouble. Volunteers by the thousands lined up to serve in the military. If they couldn’t get in the Armed Forces, they worked in support industries. When they were told they couldn’t get butter, nylons or services, they did without. No stipend, no government check was given to any of them to get through the conflict known as World War II.
I write this because of the reaction I see on Social Media regarding Governor’s orders in the states. A group of people are whining that their freedoms are being taken away because of the edicts coming down from duly elected leaders. Some have taken up arms to demonstrate with guns as if they are going to shoot their way out of a virus. People are calling Governors like Tom Wolf and Andrew Cuomo dictators. Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin, those were dictators. I guess I’m offended at how loosely people throw out words like “freedom”, “liberty” and “dictators” with such cavalier ignorance. The funny thing is all they keyboard analysts would pee their pants if they ever ran into a real dictator.
Right now even the President says we’re in a war. This virus has killed more than 80,000 Americans. In the state the death number is hovering at around 4,000 deaths. In LuLac Land the combined total is 251 deaths. How are we approaching this war?
By saying it really isn’t a war. This is not surprising since we’ve been involved in military actions for the last thirty years with only 2% of the population fighting for us. Not many Americans except those with families on the front lines had any skin in the game.
With this virus, everyone can die. Sure the fact that most of the deaths are coming from people who are elderly but does that make this any less important? We have people screaming bloody murder about a fetus (and I get that) but some of the same are pretty much saying that Grandma and Grandpa had their run. So let me get my hair done, eat my wings and slobber over a chick at my favorite neighborhood bar. IT’S MY FREEDOM!
Uh no it’s not. As a great friend of mine says, “You’re rights end when they infringe on the safety of others!”
Right now, all we’re being asked to do is follow a simple color code backed up by statistics from medical professionals. Are the way businesses have been calculated fair? No they’re not. But Japanese Americans in WWII were put in populations separate from the communities they grew up in. Talk to them about the word “unfair”.
World War II in this country lasted roughly 4 years. This pandemic will last longer than the Fourth of July. I’m thinking this will change our lives forever but it shouldn’t divide us.
If we were the generation back then, in the 1940s, we’d have never even fought World War II. Forget sacrifice, hell we’d bitch about the inconvenience of it all. How oppressed we were.
We’d be like Donald Trump says, “losers”.
It’s time to stop whining, take personal responsibility and just re-think what this is all about.
People are dying and if we insist that we can compartmentalize that as a justification for our own convenience, then maybe we don’t deserve what previous generations gave their lives for.
"The Greatest Generation" listened to the literary experts, didn't question their strategy or knowledge. We, the "Not So Greatest" elected leaders who goad us into not believing the scientists an medical professionals.
It’s hard of course. But as JFK once said, “If it were easy, everyone would do it”. Let’s make the hard choices, quit being babies and follow the rules.
If you don’t, and you die, I’m sure there will be a candlelight vigil given to you by your friends and fellow philosophers.
Just don’t expect me to be there.

CARTWRIGHT ANNOUNCES OVER $600,000 IN CARES ACT FUNDING FOR THE WRIGHT CENTER TO EXPAND TELEHEALTH

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives).

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright announced the release of $629,051 to The Wright Center for Community Health as part of the newly created Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program through the Federal Communications Commission.
“This pandemic has accelerated the need to expand remote access to medical care. We need to social distance, but people still need to consult with medical professionals for existing and new health issues,” said Rep. Cartwright, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “I applaud The Wright Center for continuing to make advances in removing barriers to care for patients of all types throughout our region, especially in our rural communities.”
The COVID-19 Te
+.lehealth Program will help The Wright Center for Community Health offer connected primary health services to patients at their home or mobile locations. With these funds, The Wright Center will also deploy in-home patient health monitoring kits and expand its telehealth services to provide remote but connected care to high-risk, isolated and vulnerable populations, including children, older adults, homeless individuals and those living in medically underserved, rural areas.
“We are grateful for the continued partnership with Congressman Cartwright to help protect the medical delivery system for those patients who need it most, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay,” said Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of The Wright Center for Community Health and President of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. “This new funding will help expand our telehealth infrastructure that is already being used during the pandemic to provide essential primary health services access for medical, dental, behavioral health and addiction recovery services, to patients served by all nine of our community health locations in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne counties.

IMPORTANT VOTING DEADLINES ARE APPROACHING FOR PENNSYLVANIA’S PRIMARY ELECTION!

MAY 18TH: deadline to register to vote in the June 2 primary.
MAY 26TH: deadline to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot. Do not wait – apply today to make sure you vote in time! Apply online at votesPA.com or call 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772).
Voting by mail is safe, secure and convenient. You can do it from the comfort and privacy of your home and on your cell phone or tablet!
When you receive your ballot, fill it out and return it to your county election office as soon as possible by dropping it off in person or by mail.
The deadline to return your voted ballot is 8 p.m. June 2.
If you’ve already applied for a ballot you can check your status at votespa.com/MailBallotStatus and you do not need to apply again!

CASEY LEADS BIPARTISAN PUSH TO EXPAND DELIVERY FOR SNAP RECIPIENTS DURING PANDEMIC

SENATORS PRESS USDA FOR ANSWERS, IMMEDIATE SOLUTIONS

Senator Bob Casey (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Senator Bob Casey led a bipartisan group of his colleagues in calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to immediately work to ensure SNAP participants can receive home food delivery and curbside pickup during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, Casey urged the USDA to address this problem after his office received a phone call from a constituent who cannot safely leave home to travel to the grocery store, yet was denied home delivery as a SNAP recipient.
In the letter to USDA, the Senators wrote, “The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented rise in unemployment and a subsequent increase in demand for food assistance. At the same time, social distancing guidelines and stay at home orders have made it challenging—and unsafe—for many individuals to travel to purchase food. This is especially true for seniors and immunocompromised individuals who are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19, as well as individuals with disabilities and families who lack reliable transportation. We believe that no individual or family should be disadvantaged simply because they rely on SNAP benefits to access the food they need.”
USDA’s SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot makes it possible for SNAP participants to purchase grocery deliveries, but its availability remains limited to the states and retailers who have opted in to the program. In addition to expanding the Online Purchasing Pilot, the Senators urged USDA to answer key questions and to maximize and the alternative mechanisms that exist to facilitate delivery for SNAP participants.
Senator Casey was joined by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Angus King (I-ME), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Pat Leahy (D-VT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patty Murray (D-WA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jack Reed (D-RI), Ed Markey (D-MA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

MEDIA MATTERS

WALN TV

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

On hiatus due to Coronavirus.

ECTV PREVIEW

PREVIEW host David DeCosmo welcomes Laurie Fleming, Director of the Older Active Adults Centers operated by United Neighborhood Centers to the program during the week of May 18th.
The centers are all closed because of the virus. But center officials are still offering various to area senior citizens. You can find out what's available by watching the program which runs three times daily on Comcast channel 19 or on the electric city television YouTube page.

BUDDY RUMCHEK

Want to hear some great parodies on the news? Tune in to WILK Radio at 6:40 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!

1980

Our 1980 logo

The Sumpul River massacre occurs in Chalatenango, El Salvador…….

Rookie Magic Johnson scores 42 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 123–107 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers to clinch the National Basketball Association championship for the Lakers, who prevail despite the absence of future Basketball Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar……A Tampa, Florida court acquits four white police officers of killing Arthur McDuffie, a black insurance executive, provoking three days of race riots in Miami……..Internal conflict in Peru: On the eve of presidential elections, Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path attacks a polling location in the town of Chuschi, Ayacucho and forty years ago the number one song in LuLacland and America was “You May Be Right” by Billy Joel.