The LuLac Edition #4,398, September 10th, 2020
UPDATE!!!!!!!
YOU CANNOT MISS THIS!!!!!!!!!!!
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A Joint Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment
Monday, September 21, 2020
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IS WILKES BARRE-THE HOTBED OF INDECISION?
You would think that Luzerne County (which gave Donald Trump 26,000 of the 44,000 votes in the state in ’16) would be devoid of any indecisive voters. Two journalists from Verdends Gang AS, Norway’s premier newspaper might find no takers in the county seat Wilkes-Barre on a humid Thursday afternoon. Thomas Nillson a photo journalist and Jostein Matre the reporter walked around the Farmer’s Market and found a few. The duo walked around Public Square and actually was soliciting people on their take on the upcoming election between Joseph Biden and Mr. Trump.
They did find a few takers. The reasons for indecision (which are mystifying to me) were varied. Not sure if Biden’s time has passed, doesn’t like Trump as a human but he tells it like it is, and why should I pick the lesser of two evils were the familiar refrains I heard.
However, for many thinking people the choice is crystal clear.
But Nillson and Matre found one who gave his opinion on why he’s still thinking about it.
Nillson had a long conversation with former state Democratic committeeman Bob Caruso who gave the Oslo news organ his thoughts on the election. Caruso has said this election will be like 1932 when Franklin Roosevelt bested Herbert Hoover. For many Dems like me that is wildly optimistic.
Whatever transpires on this Election Day, one of the by products of 2016 is that Luzerne County and Wilkes Barre is on the radar nationally and internationally. There might be a few undecided voters out there still trying to figure it out. But what is not undecided at least globally by a myriad of assignment editors and publishers is that we here in The Lu and The Lac are worth a visit, an expense account and a conversation.
Sometimes, for whatever the reason, it’s just nice to be wanted.
Editor’s note: We’ll try to get the link of the story and run it in future editions of LuLac.
OUR "PUPPY" PRESIDENT, BOB WOODWORD AND THE BOMBSHELL
McKinley and me in a time and place, far, far away from where I am now. (Photo: LuLac archives)
In my life I had two dogs. They were West Highland terriers. Someday I'll share the story about how I found my last dog, McKinley who passed away at the age of 19 on April 30th, 2016 during the pandemic. (Yeah you read that right, it's a humdinger. ) But I digress.
When McKinley and his predecessor Monty were puppies, they lived in the moment. Nothing else mattered. They were eager to please, eager to fight, eager to love but only at that moment. It has occurred to me that Donald Trump is like a puppy who has no ability to think of the consequences of his actions. Like Monty who used to chase the DPW truck with wild abandon or McKinley who had a predilection to pick a fight with the biggest meanest dogs in the Northend, Trump lives for the moment, in the moment.
My two dogs though were puppies. Dogs. That's why my "buddies" needed me to think and help out. The President is no puppy but he thinks like one. I tell you this story because that's the only explanation I have for this latest controversy about what the President knew about the virus and when he knew it. In the moment, he wanted to impress Bob Woodword. And it didn't go well.
Even as he publicly sought to downplay the threat of the coronavirus to Americans earlier this year, President Trump told author Bob Woodward that he knew the virus was serious and deadly.
“This is deadly stuff,” Trump told Woodward on Feb. 7, three weeks before the first U.S. death from COVID-19 was announced.
According to audio excerpts from interviews Woodward conducted for his forthcoming book, “Rage,” excerpts of which were published Wednesday, Trump told journalist and Washington Post columnist that he knew the virus — which has now killed more than 890,000 people worldwide and over 190,000 Americans — was “more deadly than even your strenuous flus.” “You just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed,” Trump said, adding: “This is deadly stuff.” The president’s comments to Woodward about the coronavirus were in stark contrast with what he was saying in public:
On the same day of his Feb. 7 interview with Woodward, the president suggested on Twitter that the coronavirus would disappear as “the weather starts to warm.” On March 7, when asked by reporters whether he was concerned about the pandemic affecting the U.S., Trump said: “No, I’m not concerned at all.”
On March 9, Trump tweeted: “So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!”
Trump did not declare a national emergency until March 13, more than a month after speaking to Woodward. In another interview with Woodward, on March 19, Trump admitted that he was intentionally downplaying the threat of the virus.
“I wanted to always play it down,” he said. “I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.” In the same interview, the president acknowledged that younger Americans were susceptible to contracting the deadly virus. “Now it’s turning out it’s not just old people,” Trump said. “It’s plenty of young people.”Yet just last month, the president suggested that younger Americans “don’t get very sick.”
Woodward also
reports that in late January, national security adviser Robert O’Brien told
Trump that the virus would be the “biggest national security threat” of his
presidency. That was more than enough time to act. Trump didn't and here we are. (AOL News, LuLac)
CARTWRIGHT ANNOUNCES OVER $750,000 IN ASSISTANCE TO FIRST RESPONDERS IN NEPA
U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright announced that seven first responder agencies will be awarded a total of $733,921.38 through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Program (AFG) to be used for operations and safety equipment. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Cartwright helped craft legislation that authorized $355 million for the AFG Program in fiscal year 2020.
Additionally, five first responder agencies will receive a total of $24,806.07 through FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant – COVID-19 Supplemental Program (AFG-S) to be used for personal protective equipment (PPE) and essential supplies.
“It is my duty to ensure first responders have what they need to keep themselves and our communities safe, especially now when even the most basic call threatens exposure to COVID-19,” said Rep. Cartwright, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “I think of these heroes and their families as I press my colleagues to act and provide more support for our public safety infrastructure.”
The following agencies in Northeastern Pennsylvania have received AFG awards:
Pittston - Pittston Twp. Volunteer Fire Dept. - $48,809.52
Hawley - Hemlock Farms Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company - $117,619.05
Hazleton - City of Hazleton Fire Department - $59,090.91
Harding - Harding Fire Company - $61,904.76
Preston Twp. - Northern Wayne Fire Co. Inc. - $32,252.38
Nanticoke - City of Nanticoke Fire Department - $260,000.00
Hanover Twp. - Hanover Township Community Ambulance Assoc. Inc. - $154,244.76
The following agencies in Northeastern Pennsylvania have received AFG-S awards:
Freeland - Borough of Freeland Fire Department - $8,190.48
Roaring Brook Twp. - Elmhurst Roaring Brook Volunteer Fire Co. - $9,028.48
Hawley - Forest Volunteer Fire Department - $2,833.33
Preston Twp. - Northern Wayne Fire Co. Inc. - $2,857.14
Childs - Meredith Hose Co. - $1,896.64
Since 2001, AFG has helped firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources necessary for protecting the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.
AFG-S is authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which Cartwright helped pass in March. It provided $100 million in supplemental FY2020 funding for PPE and essential supplies to the fire service community to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes reimbursement for expenditures made since January 1, 2020. PPE supplies include masks, gloves, gowns, goggles, respirators, and related items.
FEMA is providing an additional opportunity for volunteer and combination fire departments to apply for AFG-S funding. FEMA will provide more information on the application period soon. Interested parties can stay informed by checking the FEMA website at fema.gov/grants/preparedness/firefighters or by following them on Twitter @FEMAGrants.
FEMA is located within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The mission of FEMA is to help people before, during, and after disasters.
CASEY, WARREN RELEASE NEW FINDINGS FROM INVESTIGATION OF DELIVERY DELAYS FOR MAIL-ORDER PRESCRIPTION DRUGS UNDER TRUMP’S POSTAL SERVICE CHIEF LOUIS DEJOY
MILLIONS OF SENIORS AT RISK DUE TO TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S USPS SABOTAGE WHICH HAS CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DELAYS FOR MAIL-ORDER PRESCRIPTIONS
U.S. Senators Bob Casey who is the Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee and HELP Committee member, and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), member of the Senate Aging and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committees, released new findings from their investigation into USPS’s delayed delivery of mail-order medications following operational changes to the Postal Service by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. All four of the largest mail-order pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that rely heavily on USPS for deliveries revealed that they were experiencing significant delays in the delivery of mail-order prescription drugs in the summer of 2020, with an increase in average delivery times ranging from 18-32 percent. This means that prescription deliveries that typically took 2-3 days were instead taking closer to 3-4 days. Some delays were much longer, with one mail-order pharmacy reporting “a marked increase in July in the number of patients experiencing shipment delays of seven days or more.” The Senators’ investigation also found that the delays in USPS service are imposing new costs and burdens on health care providers, which could increase costs to the federal government, consumers and taxpayers.
The Senators sent their findings to the Postal Service Board of Governors, requesting that they act swiftly to reverse these lapses in services. “The findings of our investigation reveal that your failure to fix the service delays caused by Postmaster General DeJoy represent an ongoing public health threat and a dereliction of your responsibility to the American public,” the Senators wrote in their letter.
“The steps that this Administration and Postmaster General DeJoy have taken to undermine the Postal Service have jeopardized the health and well-being of millions of Americans who rely on timely delivery of their prescriptions via the Postal Service,” said Senator Casey. “This report shows what we have feared all along – that Postmaster DeJoy’s efforts are having real, potentially life threatening, consequences for people that depend on the Postal Service. The Postal Service Board of Governors must hold the Postmaster General accountable for this sabotage and Congress must provide emergency USPS funding.”
“We know Louis DeJoy is sabotaging the Postal Service – and our investigation reveals his scheming has slowed the delivery of mail-order prescription drugs, threatening health risks for millions of Americans during a pandemic,” said Senator Warren. “Our report is more evidence that Louis DeJoy’s tenure has been a failure. He needs to resign and if he won’t, the Board of Governors must remove him.”
The Senators’ new and previously unreleased findings show that, although Postmaster General DeJoy testified that his changes to mail service “should not have impacted anybody,” there have been significant delays in USPS deliveries of mail-order prescription drugs in recent months, potentially posing serious health risks to millions of Americans and increasing costs for consumers and taxpayers.
Specific findings include:
• Millions of patients rely on timely USPS delivery for their medications, and demand is increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, over 170 million prescriptions were filled by mail in the United States, and “through July 2020… [there has been] a 20 percent increase in prescription drugs filled through mail-service pharmacies during the pandemic.”
• There have been significant and increasing delays in the delivery of mail-order prescription drugs in the summer of 2020. All of the mail-order pharmacies heavily reliant on USPS for delivery of mail-order drugs reported an increase in average delivery times, ranging from 18-32 percent - meaning that deliveries that took about 2-3 days in 2019 were taking about 3-4 days in 2020. Some delays appear to be even longer. One company reported that “we saw a marked increase in July in the number of patients experiencing shipment delays of seven days or more,” and another reported that, “the number of orders taking over five days to deliver has risen dramatically since the onset of the pandemic.” A representative of a pharmacy industry organization informed Senators Casey and Warren that one of its members had observed delays in delivery times of 49 percent for USPS prescription delivery. Only one of the respondents reported that they were “not experiencing any unusual delays in deliveries” - but this company reported that they were more reliant on private-sector carriers than on USPS.
• Delays pose potentially serious health risks for those requiring prescription medication. One company reported that “for the nearly half of adults in the United States with a chronic condition, timely delivery of prescription medication can have a direct impact on their health outcomes.” Another indicated that seniors were at particular risk, noting that, “(i)f the USPS experiences delays in delivering these prescriptions, our members, who are primarily Medicare beneficiaries, may have an insufficient supply of medication which could result in adverse clinical outcomes if not addressed quickly.”
• Delays in USPS service are imposing new costs and burdens on health care providers, which could increase costs to the federal government, consumers and taxpayers. Delays in mail service are increasing costs and imposing new burdens on mail-order pharmacy companies. One reported a “35 percent increase in the number of reshipments resulting from USPS service delays” and that “(i)n July alone, we experienced an 80 percent increase resulting in approximately $700,000 in additional costs.” These costs, if they continue, may lead to increases in costs for consumers and increases in federal spending on prescription drugs.
THE CRAZIES AMONG US
You have to check out this story by James Halprin regarding an incident during the primary. It wasn't bad enough that the dumb ass spit on a poll workers because she was called out for not wearing a mask but then she said the virus affecting churches, schools, government and everybody else was a hoax. I’m sure she was following her Lord and Savior Diaper Don but honest to God, there are over 195,000 deaths in this country. Her reaction is an insult to all Americans who have lost a loved one to this disease. An insult to the first responders who risk their lives. Glenys R. Karpavich, is an addled, ignorant representation of what this country has become. She’s loud, proud and stupid. There is no way I would have given her a break because poll workers are the life blood of democracy which this ignorant lady knows very little about.
A Jenkins Twp. woman who alleged the coronavirus pandemic is a “hoax” before spitting in the face of a Luzerne County election worker pleaded guilty to a summary count of disorderly conduct Tuesday.
Glenys R. Karpavich, 68, of 15 Market St., was originally charged with misdemeanor counts of simple assault and disorderly conduct for spitting on the poll worker during the primary election in June.
In court Tuesday, Karpavich agreed to plead guilty to a summary count of disorderly conduct in exchange for the criminal charges being dismissed.
Magisterial District Judge Alexandra Kokura Kravitz accepted the plea and fined Karpavich $187.25, according to court records.
According to prosecutors, the victim, Jessica Vu, was working at Pittston Area Senior High School at 5 Stout St. the evening of the June 2 primary election when Karpavich walked in without wearing a mask.
After being instructed that she had to wear a mask, Karpavich began screaming about how the pandemic is a hoax and that “COVID-19 is fake,” according to prosecutors.
Karpavich grew irate and stuck out her tongue to blow a “raspberry,” spraying saliva on Vu, prosecutors said.
Vu reported she was afraid of
contracting COVID-19 as a result of the incident, according to prosecutors. (LuLac, Citizens; Voice)
MEDIA MATTERS
WALN TV
BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM
Jim Riley's guest this week is Jim Bognet, the GOP nominee in the 8th Congressional district. Tune in Sunday morning at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on The Mothership 1340/1400 am, 100.7 and 106.7 fm; and at 7:30 on The River 105 and 103.5.
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!
1980
Our 1980 logo.
Edward Gierek, the de facto leader of Poland for almost a decade since becoming the First Secretary of the ruling Polish United Workers' Party (PZPA), was removed from office by the Party's Central Committee after the concessions made by the government to the Solidarnosc trade union. The day before, the government reported that Gierek had been admitted to a hospital for a heart ailment, and followed at 1:30 in the morning with the announcement. In a fashion similar to the 1970 dismissal of Gierek's predecessor in 1970 (and common in Communist nations at the time), the official statement said that Gierek had asked to be relieved of his responsibilities for health reasons. Gierek would live until 2001. The Party named Stanisław Kania, a member of the PZPA Politburo, as Gierek's successor…. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was founded by Candy Lightner of Fair Oaks, California, (originally as "Mothers Against Drunk Drivers"), four months after her daughter had been killed by a drunk driver on May 3. An author would note 35 years later that "By the late 1990s MADD had achieved its goal of lowering the BAC (minimum legal blood alcohol content level) inmost states to .08 ... Remarkably, in less than 20 years the modest efforts of a grieving mother and a few American citizens had evolved into a sophisticated organization that defined an emerging social issue... powerful enough to shape national legislation and see it through into law.".. In the largest troop maneuvers on German soil since the end of World War II, both the United States and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies commenced war games in West Germany while the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies did the same in East Germany. . NATO's "Autumn Forge" exercise involved more than 250,000 troops from 11 nations in land, air and sea operations and was coordinated from RAF Gütersloh. Approximately 200 miles (320 km) away in Potsdam, at least 40,000 troops from 7 nations conducted similar operations as part of the Warsaw Pact's "Brothers in Arms 80" maneuvers. The United States and China reached an agreement to begin regular commercial airline flights between the two nations for the first time since 1949, when the People's Republic of China was proclaimed. On December 7, Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) would become the first U.S. airline to land in China under the new agreement, with the arrival of Pan Am Flight 10, a Boeing 747, in Beijing. The Sun, at the time Britain's highest circulating newspaper, became the first to reveal the romance of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, with the headline … John Howard Griffin, 60, white American journalist who had ingested medicines to temporarily darken his skin in order to get a first-hand view of the disparate treatment of African-Americans in 1959, then published his findings in the 1960 bestselling book Black Like Me; from complications of diabetes.. Everett Clarke, 68, former radio actor who had played the title role in The Whistler and served as narrator for NBC University Theater of the Air, was stabbed to death in his office at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, where he served as a drama teacher. A free concert by Elton John at New York's Central Park attracted 400,000 fans. The event on the Great Lawn, a three-hour set which began at 4:00 p.m. (after an opener by Judie Tzuke), was a fundraiser for New York City's Department of Parks and Recreation, which said that the crowd was the largest ever in Central Park, exceeding more than 300,000 who appeared for a concert by James Taylor in 1979.....
and forty years ago the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Upside Down” by Diana Ross.
posted by David Yonki @ 10:06 PM
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