The LuLac Edition #4,957, April 27th, 2023
BIDEN: FOUR MORE YEARS
President Biden made it official. He is going for four more years to get the job done. Bottom line, this guy saved democracy. He doesn't get the credit he deserves. But he will-be re-elected. Take that to the bank.
TRUMP AND THE BABIES
Donald Trump once more has produced more crazy talk. This time around he is saying Democrats kill babies.
Trump, the “most pro-life president in American history,” talked about abortion to an evangelical group, and things got pretty wild. Not only that the former President condemn his party, but he claimed Democrats were “executing babies after birth.” Securing the bag Trump addressed his supporters via video at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s 23rd annual meeting.
First off, this is a new one. What evidence is there that babies after being born were killed by Democrats. Dems have been accused of killing in the womb but after? Nope that's what Republican policies do when the child is born. They o[ppose any effort to help the kid once he or she is out of that birth canal.
Jesus...what a putz.
TRUMP WON’T DEBATE
Diaper Don emerged again when he said he'd refuse to debate any primary opponents in the2024 election. He said he'd be misrepresented, mean and peoplewoldn't be nice to him. Poor itty bitty baby!
LUZERNE COUNTY MANAGER SEARCH
The search for a new County Manager has been narrowed down to three people right here in The Lu.
THe former county acting manager and chief solicitor Romilda Crocamo, county 911 Executive Director Fred Rosencrans and county Engineer William McIntosh, who oversees county buildings and grounds.
The county’s Manager Search Committee delivered the names, ranked in the above order, to council during the work session, and council Chairwoman Kendra Vough followed past practice by publicly releasing them.
Under the county’s home rule structure, the search committee must seek, screen and interview manager applicants and recommend the candidates it believes are the most qualified to council for its consideration. Council members then perform their own interview and selection process, with seven of 11 council votes required to hire the manager.
The three-citizen committee had decided to interview six of the 17 applicants, and Committee Chairman Charles Sciandra publicly presented an overview of the evaluation process during Tuesday’s council work session. The document is posted with the work session agenda at luzernecounty.org.
My opinion, Crocomo should never have been deposed in the first place. Second, she has the prior experience in the job, is well liked and will do the job fairly and efficiently. (Times Leader, LuLac)
REP. CARTWRIGHT ANNOUNCES $4.9 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA HEALTH CENTERS
Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)
U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright announced that Scranton Primary Health Care Center, Inc.; Maternal and Family Health Services Inc.; and The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education/The Wright Center Medical Group will receive a total of $4.96 million in federal grants from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Scranton Primary Health Care Center will receive a Health Care Cluster grant in the amount of $1.86 million to continue providing the needed services in their community, including pediatrics, family & internal medicine, women’s health, gynecology, prenatal & postpartum care, infectious disease care, behavioral health, and general dentistry.
Maternal and Family Health Services will receive a Family Planning Services grant in the amount of $1.6 million to continue providing services to women, men, and teens, to ensure they have the critical support and care they need to make informed, educated decisions about their reproductive health.
The Wright Center Medical Group/The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education will receive a Teaching Health Center Planning and Development Program grant in the amount of $1.5 million for the planning and development of three residency programs: obstetrics, pediatrics, and pediatric dentistry.
“Community health centers play a vital role in delivering quality and affordable care to underserved populations, acting as essential pillars in our communities,” said Rep. Cartwright, who is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee, where he oversees more than $70 billion in annual federal spending. “Also, having teaching health centers in Northeastern Pennsylvania is an invaluable tool to help fill the void of primary care physicians. Thanks to these grants, my constituents will have greater access to resources in their communities and I will continue to advocate for this federal funding.”
The Health Care Cluster Grant is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a division of HHS. It is the primary federal agency for improving health care for those who are geographically isolated or economically or medically vulnerable, working to improve health outcomes and health equity across the country.
Enacted in 1970 as part of the Public Health Service Act and administered by the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Title X family planning program is a critical part of America’s public health safety net, serving as a point-of-entry into care for millions and the gold standard for providing high-quality, affordable, and confidential voluntary family planning and related preventive health services, with priority given to low-income clients.
The Teaching Health Center Planning and Development Program (THCPD) is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). It provides planning and development grants to establish new accredited or expanded community-based primary care residency programs.
CASEY: CAREGIVING EXECUTIVE ACTIONS ARE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF STRUGGLES OF FAMILIES
Senator Bob Casey (Photo: LuLac archives)
U.S. Senator Bob Casey applauded the Biden Administration’s executive actions to expand access to care and provide support for care workers and family caregivers. In Congress, Senator Casey has led the charge on caregiving issues, as the author of the Better Care Better Jobs Act to provide high-quality, affordable home care to seniors and people with disabilities and support the workers that provide this life-affirming care. Senator Casey is also a cosponsor of the Child Care for Working Families Act, which would provide high-quality child care and early education to children across the Nation. Both of these bills would lift up families, allow people to return to work, and boost the economy.
“Everywhere I go in Pennsylvania, I meet families who are struggling to find reliable child care or home care and feel like they’re on their own,” said Senator Casey. “President Biden’s announcement today is an acknowledgement of American families’ caregiving struggles and that the federal government has a responsibility to help families find and afford quality care. This is a strong step towards fully addressing our Nation’s caregiving crisis and I won’t stop fighting until every family has access to the high-quality care they need.”
Today President Biden signed an Executive Order that includes more than 50 directives across the federal government to improve caregiving and support care workers. His executive actions include making child care more accessible for families, improving home care for veterans, boosting the wages of child care workers, improving home care jobs, supporting family caregivers, and more. Read more about the Biden Administration’s actions
GOVERNOR JOSH SHAPIRO SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER CREATING NEW COMMONWEALTH OFFICE OF DIGITAL EXPERIENCE TO PROVIDE IMPROVED, USER-FRIENDLY ONLINE SERVICES TO PENNSYLVANIANS
Governor Josh Shapiro (Photo: LuLac archives).
BY CREATING AN IN-HOUSE TEAM OF DIGITAL EXPERTS, THE SHAPIRO ADMINISTRATION WILL MAKE DIGITAL SERVICES EASIER TO USE AND ADMINISTER, AND SAVE TAXPAYERS MONEY IN THE LONG RUN
Governor Josh Shapiro signed an Executive Order announcing his customer service transformation strategy and establishing the Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience (CODE PA) to improve online services for Pennsylvanians and streamline the way they interact with the Commonwealth online. As part of this announcement, Governor Shapiro named Bryanna Pardoe to the role of Executive Director of CODE PA. CODE PA will work to provide digital services that are responsive, user-friendly, and accessible to every Pennsylvanian.
Pennsylvanians use the Commonwealth’s websites and digital services for everything from renewing their vehicle registration and paying their taxes to visiting our state parks and getting a license that helps further their careers. CODE PA, led by Pardoe, will make it easier for Pennsylvanians to connect with the vital resources provided by the Commonwealth. Governor Shapiro’s Executive Order to create CODE PA underscores his commitment to making customer service a centerpiece of his Administration and ensures that government moves at the speed of business to best serve the people of Pennsylvania.
By creating an internal team that is able to build digital products and services in house, the Shapiro Administration will be able to save taxpayers money in the long run by reducing reliance on expensive contracts with external consultants and vendors.
“Pennsylvanians rely on digital services every day – whether it’s renewing a license, accessing their health care benefits, or reserving a campsite at a state park. We need to meet people where they are and make it easier to work with the Commonwealth online,” said Governor Shapiro. “There should be no wrong door for Pennsylvanians looking to access government services — and under the leadership of CODE PA, we will create human-centered, user-friendly, reliable, and accessible digital services that create opportunity for Pennsylvanians to take advantage of all the resources and benefits the Commonwealth has to offer.”
“As a Pennsylvania resident and digital experience professional, I am excited for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform how we interact with state government,” said CODE PA Executive Director Bryanna Pardoe. “My goal for this team is pretty simple: I want to help make digital experiences easy for every Pennsylvanian and I want to make it the best in the country.”
“As key service delivery teams like CODE PA launch in states across the country, the U.S. Digital Service is proud to support their work to deliver services to all people equitably and effectively. CODE PA will ensure that when digital tools are used to deliver services, Pennsylvanians can rely on a seamless and trustworthy experience with their government,” said U.S. Digital Service Deputy Administrator Cori Zarek.
Since 2022, more than 250,000 people have made reservations through the State Parks and Forests digital reservations system. This year alone, nearly half a million people filed their sales tax returns using the PA Department of Revenue’s myPATH system – that’s 91 percent of all returns filed. And since 2021, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs has used their online service, PA VETConnect, to reach more than 10,000 veterans and their families.
The Governor’s Executive Order recognizes that many Pennsylvanians are interacting with the Commonwealth entirely online – and that number will only grow. CODE PA will work to make Pennsylvania’s online services among the best in the country, and increase opportunities for all Pennsylvanians by taking on projects like: creating a single, easy to use application where residents and businesses can easily apply for and find all of the permits they need for a particular project; building a cross-agency product that allows residents to apply for related benefits that currently live separately with the Department of Human Services (DHS), the Department Of Health (DOH), and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and make them available through one platform; and bringing offline forms online, creating a digital path to accessing services currently only available through paper forms at a Commonwealth office.
“Governor Shapiro has made customer service a centerpiece of his Administration since his first day in office, and this new initiative to improve customer service in Pennsylvania’s digital space will help us close the gap between the ‘dot com’ experience and the ‘dot gov’ experience,” said Secretary of Administration Neil Weaver. “As Secretary of Administration, I look forward to partnering with Bryanna and CODE PA to transform how Pennsylvanians interact with their state government online, deliver online experiences that build trust in government, and make it easier for Pennsylvanians to get what they need and get on with their day.”
The Shapiro Administration is committed to transforming state government to serve Pennsylvanians more effectively and efficiently. In his first month in office, Governor Shapiro signed an executive order that created the Pennsylvania Office of Transformation and Opportunity – a one-stop-shop for businesses to help cut through red tape, bring state agencies together, support Pennsylvania businesses that want to grow, and encourage other businesses to move here. Governor Shapiro also signed an executive order to improve the Commonwealth’s licensing, permitting, and certification processes, to ensure that state government moves at the speed of business. Those interested in applying for six leadership positions in the new CODE PA office can apply through May 10 at employment.pa.gov/digitalservices. Leadership positions include: Head of User Experience, Head of Front-End Development, Head of Back End Development, Head of Operations and Procurement, Head of Product Management, and Head of Quality, Analytics, and Infrastructure.
MEDIA MATTERS
WVIA FM @ 50 AND ME
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With then King's employee Susan Gosciewski and her friend Pat on the left at 6th anniversary party. Susan and her husband belong to the same church as I do now.
The late Roy Hoinowski who was station manager at the time with our daily show "Mostly Pops".
This week marked 50 years for WVIA FM Radio. While I was not there for the beginning broadcast, I arrived three weeks later courtesy of the King’s College Work Study Program. After a brief training period I signed the station on at 530 in the morning on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday while Tom McHugh then a work study senior at Scranton U turned it on the rest of the week.
The common denominator of that early morning shift was a call from engineer Joe Berish at the transmitter site. Joe was as regular as the rising sun and would call precisely at 5:40 in the morning, rain, sleet, snow or heat wave, saying each and every time, “This is Joe Berish at the transmitter. Everything is okay”.
In the evening during the summer Bob Allabaugh another King’s student and I would work with John Sabo who was Frazier Crane before there even was a Frasier Crane. We put together a newscast at midnight before sign off, taped because God forbid we’d never go live. A microphone was put next to the UPI machine so you could hear the teletype noise behind us.
Through the years I worked as George Graham’s night time news person during Watergate and before the arrival of Liz Hibbard. Today I am so happy to see a viable news operation spearheaded by Larry Voytko and executed by Julie Sadoni. There were fits and starts back in the day with street reporting in the mid 70s by McHugh and I. In ’77 through maybe ’79 the station had an all-night news program appropriately called”The Day Begins At Midnight” featuring commercial broadcast veterans Roger Heydt and David Kush with Ed Karpovich essentially being the producer. That effort came about because WBRE FM stopped doing 24/7 news and all those overnight employees were paid by the CETA program.
From ’73 to mid /75 WVIA still had automation but then when Bill Kelly arrived from WARM Radio, he organized a caravan to WSBG in Binghamton to show us how live classical radio should be broadcast. I learned a great deal from Kelly and still use some of his tips in my subsequent positions.
I also did three taped programs through the years, Saturday before the opera with “Afternoon with Ormandy” featuring the Philadelphia Philharmonic, “The Beethoven Hour” with Ludwig over my shoulder and a one hour daily program with then station manager Roy Hoinowski called “Mostly Pops” featuring Arthur Fiedler and the Boston P:ps. There was a rumor around the station that behind our backs it was called “Mostly Pits”. It was and the rumor manifested itself in truth every afternoon at 4pm.
There was noting WVIA FM didn’t try in those early days. Besides the Pipe organ program there was Kingston resident David Bravman doing the Sunday Night Opera, Lenny Bantel bringing in his 45s to play doo wop and the late Tillman Smith broadcast in high school marching band music.
WVIA FM did a spring series with the Wilkes-Barre Fine Arts Fiesta called “Arts Alive”. One photo there shows me with Julia Robinson of Scranton who helped with the event. Then there was the WVIA FM big blue broadcast bus that took us to the Bloomsburg Fair complete with Big Bird on board
For two years I did the “Music All Night” program from Monday through Friday succeeding Al Tilley with John Kelly (who later became Traffic Manager) doing weekends. Next to working at Wilkes Barre City Hall, that late night shift was the best job I ever had.
A word about John Kelly and 1976. The 200th birthday of America fell on a weekend coinciding with John’s shift. I happened to be in the studio with TV engineer Frank George and a girl friend of mine at the time when John opened his show precisely at midnight on the fourth. Eschewing the classical format, John played Arlo Guthrie’s “City of New Orleans”. When the song ended he opened up his mic and said, “Good morning America, “I am your native son!” As silly as it sounds, I still get chills when I think of that moment.
I was the first Development Director and the very first fundraiser we had in our radio drive was “Beethoven and the Beatles” which brought some money in. On the 5th anniversary of the station, GM George Strimmel put me in charge of the 5th year milestone. A great volunteer from the Back Mountain Rose Mohen did an incredible job in helping to organize that event.
WVIA FM has never left my blood. Friendships remain with my original coworkers and the station is on my office radio every day without fail. When I’m not the first one in, my office partner Matt Engel turns I on.
To the current staff that are fortunate to be in the spotlight on this momentous 50th, I say congrats. If Roy Hoinwoski was still alive and we had to reprise one Boston Pops tune to explain my time at WVIA FM, it would be from the movie “Dirty Dancing”
Summing up my 5 years there, you can say with gratitude, “I’ve Had the Time of My Life”.
TUCKER AND DON
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Monday the news came that two high profile anchors, Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon were let go from Fox and CNN respectively. Carlson's ouster came shortly after Fox made a settlement on a defamation case. Lemon's job loss came through a series of controversies regarding his move to the morning team once new management took over. One was on the right, the other on the left. One was nonchalant about the Insurrection on January 6th, 2021, the other righteously indignant. Both were charismatic on air presences but off the air both were known to be ego driven and difficult.
Those differences stated, here's the common denominator. In the world of cable news, both, much to their surprise were expendable. In their own way and ideology, they blazed to the sky, had their moments in the sun and then receded back down to earth with the mere mortals who watch them.
Cable News has become (or maybe always was) Bill Belechick's New England Patriot contenders. Talent is transportable and replaceable. The two constants are the organization itself and money. Tucker and Don were merely bit players in the ongoing soap opera of American journalism and punditry in this century.
WALN TV
BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM
This week's guest is Cecelia Monroe, Scranton Recycling Supervisor, discussing the upcoming electronics recycling event.
You'll hear the program Sunday at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on 1400 am The Mothership and 7:30 am on 105 The River.
BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SUNDAY NIGHT SOCK HOP
1954
Our 1954 logo.
France's Foreign Minister Georges Bidault tells US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles that onlyU.S. air strikes can save Điện Biên Phủ; France drops its objections to a multinational effort. British PM Winston Churchill refuses to give any undertakings about United Kingdom military action in Indochina……Army–McCarthy hearings: Senator Joseph McCarthy begins hearings investigating the United States Army for being "soft" on Communism. The hearings are broadcast live on US television……..The 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees comes into force, defining the status of refugees and setting out the basis for granting right of asylum…..An Aerolineas Argentinas Douglas C-47A-5-DK Skytrain, diverted to La Rioja, Argentina from El Plumerillo Airport in Mendoza because of severe turbulence in the Córdoba area, crashes in mountainous terrain near Sierra del Vilgo, killing all 25 people on board….Michael Moore, US documentary filmmaker, in Flint, Michigan was born….Bell Labs announces the invention of the first practical silicon solar cell. These cells have about 6% efficiency…..U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles accuses Communist China of sending combat troops to Indo-China to train Viet Minh guerrillas……U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles accuses Communist China of sending combat troops to Indo-China to train Viet Minh guerrillas….Jerry Seinfeld and Jake Burton Carpenter co-inventor of the snow board are born…The last passenger services run on the Clinchfield Railroad between Elkhorn and Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States and the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Skokiaan” by Four Lads.
posted by David Yonki @ 5:41 PM
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