The LuLac Edition #5, 229, December 31st, 2024

 

 

On to 2025

The LuLac Edition #5, 228, December 30th, 2024

 

TOP TEN LOCAL  STORIES

1.      ELECTION 2024 THE PRESIDENCY: Donald Trump for the third time carries Luzerne County, this time with a larger percentage than before.

2.       CANDIDATE AND SURROGATE VISITS: Both Trump and Vice President Harris visit LuLac land holding enthusiastic and crowded rallies. Additionally both candidates had surrogates like the candidate’s spouses on the Democratic side coming to town.

3.      TWO MAJOR LOSSES: The defeat of Senator Casey and 8^th District Congressman Matt Cartwright reflect the red wave in the area. The loss of government revenue by these two veteran legislators will be felt in this region for decades.

4.      GAZA PROTESTORS: Every time a Democratic candidate spoke in public they were shouted down by Gaza protestors. Never mind the fact that this war started when more than 1,000 Israeli concert goers were attacked minding their own business. One has to ponder why these “activists” didn’t go after Rob Bresnehan or David McCormick. The joke on these people is they’ll have a “God knows what” policy to deal with in the next 4 years.

5.      COMMONWEALTH HEALTH SALE FALLS THROUGH: A consequential story this year   was the termination of Woodbridge’s acquisition of Commonwealth Health hospitals in both Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. This will leave the health care system weakened in the region.

 

6.      TAXES: No new taxes in the city of Wilkes-Barre or Luzerne County but up in The Lac, the new County Commissioners have raised taxes by 33% to cover the sin of past administrations.

 

7.      BUILD BACK…. Several construction projects began around Luzerne County this year, from highway expansions and bridge repairs to levee rehabilitation projects.

 

8.      WB TOWNSHIP TURNS 250: Wilkes-Barre Township, the home of the Wyoming Valley Mall, Wilkes-Barre Commons, “Three-O-Nina” the brown cow, and the Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza, held a semiquincentennial event at the arena in August. Turning 250 years old was a great accomplishment for the municipality,

 

9.      HOME RULE STUDY COMMISSION ORDERED:Primary voters selected seven citizens to serve on the county’s Government Study Commission: Cindy Malkemes (treasurer), Vito Malacari (vice chair), Mark Shaffer, Stephen J. Urban, Ted Ritsick (secretary), Timothy McGinley (chair) and Matt Mitchell.

10.      NEW BUSINESS: Both Luzerne and Lackwanna County welcomed new businesses like WaWa to their respective areas.

The LuLac Edition #5, 227, December 29th, 2024

 

TOP 5 SPORTS STORIES

 

1. THE IMPACT OF CAITLIN CLARKE.

 

There is no doubt that the most significant contributor to the revitalization of college women’s basketball and the WNBA itself has been Caitlin Clarke. Her play in college and in the WNBA this year solidified this choice as the most consequential sports story of 2024.

 

2. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

 

This particular story from this year starts at the beginning of the year and essentially ends at the end. The Kansas City Chiefs have proven to be one of the most productive and cohesive NFL teams, their win and the Super Bowl in February along with the incredible lucky if you will victories in the fall season have positioned themselves to possibly win three in a row.

 

3. THE L.A.  DODGERS

 

Since competing in the 2020 World Series and winning, the Dodgers have had tough luck in actually reaching the World Series until this year they take down in five games of the New York Yankees proved that they spent money judiciously, but also with intent in becoming world champions again. They also did it without a lot of starting pitching That were sidelined with injuries.

 

4. BOSTON CELTICS

 

The emergence of the Celtics as NBA champions in 2024 was not unexpected  and gives new luster   to the legend of the storied NBA franchise.

 

5. COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

 

This year 12 teams have competed for the top honors in the NCAA championship tournament. It is a new system and there are a couple of things they need to get out of it. One of the other things is right now the college athletes who at one time Could not accept any money from any entity now or getting large contracts and in some cases are getting more than some basic NFL players.

 

5a DEATHS OF BASEBALL GIANTS.

 

2024 saw some of the deaths of significant baseball players of a  era. Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Fernando Valenzuela, Luis Tiant, Rudy May and Pete. Rose were the marquee names who left us this particular year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The LuLac Edition #5, 226, December 29th, 2024

 

TOP 5 STATE STORIES

1.   ATTACK ON TRUMP: Donald Trump was nearly assassinated at a rally in Butler on a hot summer day. He survived and later returned to the area.

2.   SHAPIRO VEEP TALK: Governor Josh Shapiro was the focal point of possibly being the Vice-Presidential candidate for Vice President Harris. Given the outcome, he dodged a bullet when Harris picked Tim Wahls.

3.   CASEY LOSES: senator Bob Casey loses his uphill bid for another term in the Senate.  Casey is the only Senator who served three terms in a row. Plus, this was the first time since the 1940s that the Democrats held the two Senate seats at the same time. Casey in his own quiet way was a consequential Senator for the state. He will be missed.

4.   GOP SWEEPS ROW OFFICES: Pennsylvania Republicans swept all three statewide offices with York County District Attorney Dave Sunday winning the Attorney General’s race and Auditor General Tim DeFoor and Treasurer Stacy Garrity holding onto their seats. Trump led the top of the ticket.

5.   HEALTH CARE KILLER CAUGHT IN STATE: The Western Pennsylvania town of Altoona was thrust into the spotlight Dec. 9 when it was reported that a man believed to be the suspect in the Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was spotted in a local McDonald’s. That afternoon, Luigi Nicholas Mangione, a 26-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, had been arrested in Thompson’s Dec. 4 killing. Manhattan prosecutors charged him with five counts, including murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of a forged instrument.

The LuLac Edition #5, 225, December 28th, 2024

 

TOP   10 NATIONAL STORIES

1.    DONALD TRUMP RETURNS TO WHITE HOUSE: Despite multiple indictments and one conviction, Donald Trump returns to the Presidency and becomes the first President since Grover Cleveland to do so.

2.    JOE BIDEN STEPS ASIDE: After a bad debate performance, Democratic power brokers prevail upon (or more kindly force Joe Biden out of the Presidential race.  Biden, the most consequential President since Lyndon Johnson in terms of legislation was told he would weigh the ticket down and lose both the Senate and the House.

3.    POWER BROKERS WERE RIGHT: The Democrats lose the House and Senate.

4.    HARRIS NOMINATED: Kamala Harris does everything right. She has a flawless convention. Obliterates Trump in the debate. Raises more money than Trump, unfortunately she had a Hilary Clinton problem. She was a woman and the only way we’ll ever get a woman President if she succeeds a male President who quits, becomes incapacitated or dies in office.

5.    TRUMP ASSASINATION ATTEMPT: In July Donald Trump was nearly assassinated at a rally in Butler, Pa. He sustained minor injuries.

6.    THOSE GOD DAMN EGGS: American obsession with the price of eggs and inflation drove voters to the polls because of their perceived struggles. The country was recovering from a pandemic, and our inflation rate was lower than other countries. But that didn’t matter to spoiled Americans who don’t know the meaning of the words “for the greater good”.

7.    MARYLAND BRIGE DOWN: The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in March after being struck by a containership.

8.    ECLIPSE: Millions of Americans from Texas to Maine gazed collectively toward space as the moon passed in front of the sun in early April. This year’s aurora borealis left viewers across North America awestruck – and laden with photos and videos.

9.    WEATHER:  Two dozen weather-related catastrophes caused $1 billion or more in damage each this year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information. The natural disasters were nationwide:

10.  PUNK KILLS IN COLD BLOOD: Brian Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of the American health insurance company UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on December 4, 2024. The shooting occurred early in the morning outside an entrance to the New York Hilton Midtown. Luigi Mangione was charged with murder.