The LuLac Edition #5, 778, September 26th, 2026

 

MAYBE I’M AMAZED

Our “Maybe I’m Amazed” logo

FOOTBALL EDITION

OHIO STATE

MAYBE I’M AMAZED…….that The 102,780 person capacity Ohio Stadium, located on campus in Columbus, has been the Buckeyes' home field since 1922.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED…….The Buckeyes claim nine national championships[3] including seven from the major wire-service selectors: AP Poll or Coaches' Poll. The program has also captured 41 conference championships (2 OAC and 39 Big Ten), 10 division championships, and has compiled 10 undefeated seasons, including six perfect seasons (no losses or ties).

MAYBE I’M AMAZED……..Seven players have received the Heisman Trophy (second all-time), with the program holding the distinction of having the only two-time winner (Archie Griffin) of the award.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED……As of 2025, the Ohio State football program was valued at $2–2.5 billion,[4][5][6] the highest valuation of any such program in the country. Notable team symbols include the Brutus Buckeye mascot and two fight songs: "Across the Field" and "Buckeye Battle Cry". Ohio State's most important rivalry is with the Michigan Wolverines.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED……In 1942, Ohio State lost 22 veteran players to military service as the United States joined World War II, and with a team of mostly sophomores, went on to lose only once in winning its first national championship. Brown accepted a commission in the United States Navy in 1944, ending his coaching run prior to the season..

MAYBE I’M AMAZED…….When Paul Brown went into the Navy, he directed his assistant Carroll Widdoes to head the team in his absence. The 1944 team fielded 31 freshmen but went undefeated and untied, including a victory over Paul Brown's Great Lakes Navy team. Ohio State finished second in the national rankings behind Army and Les Horvath became the first Buckeye to be awarded the Heisman Trophy. Also prominent on the 1942–44 teams was the first Buckeye African American star, Bill Willis.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED……Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes beat out Paul Brown,[17] among others, to be named head coach on February 18, 1951. He instituted a demanding practice regimen and was both aggressive and vocal in enforcing it, alienating many players accustomed to Fesler's laid-back style.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..the Buckeyes have 11 players in the Football Hall o.f Fame. They are Paul Brown     Coach     1967

Jim Parker      OT   1973

Lou Groza       K      1974

Dante Lavelli  End 1975

Bill Willis DT   1977

Sid Gillman     Coach     1983

Paul Warfield  WR  1983

Dick LeBeau   CB   2010

Cris Carter      WR  2013

Orlando Pace OT   2016

Randy Gradishar    LB   2024

MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that in In 2011, a study conducted by Nate Silver of the New York Times, which he described as "not quite scientific," determined that Ohio State had the most fans of any college football team.

 

 

The LuLac Editioon #5, 777, September 24th, 2026

 

JESSICA McCLAY EVENT

OCTOBER 3^rd 4 to 6PM

 

McCLAY FAST FACT

Did you notice that two former GOP candidates running for the same office are supporting McClay?

Both Eryn Harvey in 2022 and Jim O’Meara in 2010 tried to  defeat Eddie Day Pashinski but now are for Jessica.  That says something about the state of the Republican party in Luzerne County.  

 

DAN DUCKS DEBATE

MEUSER DECLINES TO PARTICIPATE IN WVIA 9TH DISTRICT HOUSE DEBATE; 8TH DISTRICT DEBATE SET FOR OCT. 29

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser has declined to participate in a proposed WVIA-TV debate with Rachel Wallace, his challenger for the 9th District congressional seat. Wallace had accepted.

The televised debate was set for late October.

That news also comes as panelists have been chosen for an Oct. 29 debate between the candidates for the neighboring 8th District. Sign-up information for the public also has been released.

Meuser, R-Luzerne County, is seeking his fifth term. Wallace, a Democrat from Schuylkill County, is a former congressional staffer who worked in the U.S. Senate, at the State Department and the White House.

Meuser is a relatively safe district but he has been front and center running hard. However, he has refused to meet up with groups who might disagree with him. Meanwhile, his opponent Rachael Wallace is running a great campaign aided by Amanda Waldman who previously tried to topple him. Meuser’s problem is that there are now two GOP wings. The wing that is poised about high costs and a clown President or the MAGA ingrates who would literally eat shit if Trump said there were vitamins in it. That wil be the determining  factor in if he wins or loses. (WVIA, LuLac)

STATEMENT FROM RACHEL WALLACE ON DEBATE COMMENTS BY SCHUYLKILL COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BOARD MEMBER / MEUSER STAFFER

Evelyn Datte, a member of the Schuylkill County Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors and a staffer for Congressman Dan Meuser, today defended Meuser’s decision to back out of a scheduled WVIA debate and participate only in a debate hosted by the Chamber next month.

Datte called WILK-AM’s “The Sue Henry Show” on Wednesday morning to claim that Meuser was prioritizing the Chamber’s debate over WVIA’s proposed forum during Meuser’s six weeks off in the lead-up to the election. She also said Meuser will be doing no in-person town halls for the remaining time before the November 3 mid-term elections.

Rachel Wallace has the following statement:

“These political comments from a member of the Chamber’s board are inappropriate and frankly disappointing. The Chamber has promised an impartial debate. That promise seems questionable given the comments made by one of the host organization’s board members today.

Wallace is hosting seven town halls in October in the lead-up to November 3.

 

 

ROB MANIPULATES NEWSCAST

The Bresnehan campaign ran an ad featuring WBRE/WYOU anchor Mark Hiller talking about the Congressman, Trumpp and the rain tax. It seems the Congressman’s team decided to edit Mr. Hiller’s original story regarding the Rain Tax and shortened it a bit. It wasn’t illegal but a tad tricky. Anyway the Congressman’s staff said that the lawmaker did a lot of hard work on it, (which we do not doubt) and that they wanted to summarize it.

Uh leave the editing to the TV people in the future guys.

 

IRAN LEADER HAS HIS SAY

IN DEFIANT SPEECH, PEZESHKIAN CALLS OUT TRUMP AND SAYS IRAN WILL FIGHT ‘UNTIL OUR LAST BREATH’

AP reports that Iran’s president said Wednesday that his people have been “victims of terrorism” by the United States, delivering a rare wartime speech at the U.N. General Assembly a day after President Donald Trump said he may “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if a deal isn’t reached soon to end the nearly seven-month war.

The defiant speech by President Masoud Pezeshkian marked a striking instance of a foreign leader addressing the world body while their country is at war with the host nation. While defending his country, Pezeshkian held up large photos of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the more than 150 Iranian schoolchildren killed on the first days of the war.

“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” Pezeshkian said at the General Assembly. “Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions imposed upon our country. And we defended ourselves with utmost strength. America and Israel attacked us.”

He added of the United States: “Yes they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee.” Toward the end of his speech, Pezeshkian called out Trump by name.

“It must be understood by Mr. Trump and those who seek to bully us that we are ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations without accepting the language of force,” he said.

Hey MAGA voters, get ready, we are in for the log haul because YOU picked an ignorant pig who has no clue about foreign relations

 

TO GOP: WASTE IN GOVERNMENT

WHERE AND WHO IS IT? 

Ever notice how Dan Meuser and other GOP Congressmen are talking about ending waste in government? has made reducing government waste a recurring theme in his public engagements, combining constituent outreach, legislative work, and participation in bipartisan efficiency initiatives.

In April 2025, Meuser hosted a telephone town hall for his 9th District constituents, addressing concerns about tariffs, Social Security, and government waste. He told callers that while President Trump has pledged not to cut Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security, there is “waste and fraud in the system” that, if uncovered and stopped, could yield significant savings and help reduce the deficit.

. He cited examples of inefficiencies, including criticism of Elon Musk’s messaging style, but emphasized that he had “problems with his way of messaging” and that Musk had “uncovered waste” in government.

Okay Dan and pipsqueak speaker Johnson, where is the WASTE? Give us the numbers of what was saved. What waste did you find? Give us specifics. When Lou Barletta eliminated waste in government, he told us it was about buildings that weren’t useful. But you SAY NOTHING. When a little league coach steals funds, we are told where and what he or she spent the money on. But we hear there’s waste but what kind of specific waste?

You kneel before a guy who tears down the East Wing, shits up a reflecting pool, and want to build a ballroom and an arch. Really? THAT’S YOUR WASTE.

  

SCALISE THE LIAR

ABC's Jonathan Karl shut down a popular GOP talking point in defense of President Donald Trump's ban on three news organizations from the White House.

In a testy exchange on ABC's This Week Sunday, Karl confronted House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) about Trump's move to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.

"Do you support him banning these news organizations because he doesn't like what they're reporting?" Karl asked Scalise.

The Republican leader defended the ban.

"First of all, I don't think we've had a president that's been more open to the press," Scalise said. "Look…you go to a bill signing with President Trump, and the first thing he does before he even signs the bill is he brings in the press, and everybody gets to not only take pictures but ask questions. Go look at Joe Biden. Joe Biden removed the press credentials from over 400 different agencies. You know, what President Trump's done has brought a lot of those back in. But he wants a free and fair press. He's … been to the White House Correspondents Dinner. He just the other day he was answering questions about this to the press and they're asking him about his attitude towards the press while he's holding a press conference. You never saw that under President Biden."

Karl promptly fact-checked Scalise on a claim that numerous Trump defenders have made in recent days.

That's actually not true about Biden," Karl said. "The 400 individual reporters who had credentials did not reapply. There was only one that was actually denied a credential. And all of those who didn't reapply were allowed to come in. They were not banned from the White House. That did not happen!"

Karl pressed Scalise about the president's move — which has been denounced by observers across the ideological spectrum.

"[Trump] is now banning CNN, MSN. MSNOW and Politico from the White House," Karl said. "Do you support him doing that? Do you think it violates the First Amendment?"

"Well, I don't know why he did it," Scalise said.

Yeah Stevie boy, blame it on Biden. What a pathetic lying bastard.(LuLac, ABC)

 

PAIGE COGNETTI DROPS TWO NEW ADS CONTRASTING HER RECORD WITH ROB BRESNAHAN’S, HIGHLIGHTING STAKES OF THE RACE

WHILE ROB SPENDS HIS TIME IN OFFICE PLAYING THE STOCK MARKET, PAIGE WILL “CRACK DOWN ON PRICE GOUGING, MAKE THE BIG GUYS PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE, AND FIGHT CORRUPTION.”

Paige Cognetti’s campaign for Congress launched two new ads highlighting the choice in this race between a reformer who will shake up a broken Washington and fight for families and small businesses, or a congressman who has shown he is only interested in serving himself.

In “Sandwich,” Paige shares the story of how she met her husband at his store over 20 years ago. He made her an incredible sandwich, and the rest is history. Paige calls out big corporations jacking up costs and taking advantage of the little guys, while highlighting how she will take action to stand up for middle class families who are getting squeezed.

In “Do,” local voter Sid contrasts Rob Bresnahan’s record of stock trading on his votes that hurt Northeastern Pennsylvanians with Paige’s record of doing “the right thing,” like turning down the city car and a pay raise while balancing the city budget.

 

PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF STATE RELEASES NEW TOOLKIT FOR ON-DEMAND MAIL BALLOT VOTING AT COUNTY ELECTIONS OFFICES

As counties begin providing mail ballots to eligible Pennsylvania voters who requested them, the Pennsylvania Department of State today announced a toolkit for counties with a streamlined mail ballot application for voters choosing to request, mark, and return a mail ballot in person.

Although the Commonwealth does not have early voting the way many other states do, eligible Pennsylvanians can vote by mail ballot in person at their county elections office or designated satellite office once ballots have been finalized and are available. The deadline to apply for a mail ballot and to vote by on-demand mail ballot is Oct. 27.

"Voting on demand by mail ballot is a convenient option that allows eligible Pennsylvanians to make their voices heard on their own schedule. They can apply for, receive, mark, and return their ballot all in one trip," Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. "Providing this new toolkit is part of our ongoing commitment to supporting voters and counties in fulfilling the most basic tenant of our republic - the right to vote. (AP, LuLac) 

 

MEDIA MATTERS

WVIA NEWS  

WALN

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

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.

 

THE LAURIE CADDEN SHOW

Tune in every Saturday morning at 9am for The Laurie Cadden Show on WILK FM 103.1 and AM 980 and 910. Laurie’s program has been a northeastern Pennsylvania mainstay every Saturday. Tune in to hear her insights and take on local issues as well as entertaining and informative interviews.

 

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SUNDAY NIGHT SOCK HOP

 

BEATLE EDD’S FAB FOUR MUSIC HOUR

Tune in every week to the Home of Rock and Roll for a jam packed, unpredictable hour starting at 9am Sundays. Host Edd Raineri gives you facts and great music from the immortal Fab Four on ROCK 107.

 

THE LULAC TIME MACHINE

Pope John Paul I Dies 

 

September 1978

Pope John Paul I[a] (born Albino Luciani;[b] 17 October 1912 – 28 September 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, giving rise to the first year of three popes since 1605. John Paul I remains the most recent Italian-born pope, the last in a succession of such popes that started with Clement VII in 1523. He was the first pope to have been born in the 20th century, as well as the last pope to die in it.

Before the August 1978 papal conclave that elected him, he expressed his desire not to be elected, telling those close to him that he would decline the papacy if elected, but he eventually felt an obligation to accept his election. He was the first pontiff to have a double papal name, choosing "John Paul" in honour of his two immediate predecessors, John XXIII and Paul VI. He explained that he was indebted to John XXIII and to Paul VI for naming him a bishop and a cardinal, respectively.

His two immediate successors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, later recalled the warm qualities of the late pontiff in several addresses. In Italy, he is remembered with the appellatives of Il Papa del sorriso (transl. "The Pope of the smile") and Il sorriso di Dio (transl. "The smile of God").Time magazine and other publications referred to him as "The September Pope" He is also referred to in Italy as Papa Luciani to distinguish him from his successor of the same papal name. In his hometown of Canale d'Agordo, a museum built and named in his honour is dedicated to his life and brief papacy.

John Paul I was declared a Servant of God by his successor, John Paul II, on 23 November 2003. Pope Francis confirmed John Paul's heroic virtue on 8 November 2017 and titled him venerable. Francis presided over John Paul's beatification on 4 September 2022.

Pope Paul VI died on 6 August 1978, ending a papacy of fifteen years. Luciani was summoned to Rome for the conclave to elect the new pope. Time reported that the Dean of the college, Carlo Confalonieri, who was excluded from participating because of age, had been the first to suggest Luciani.

Luciani was elected on the fourth ballot of the August 1978 papal conclave. Luciani had previously said to his secretary, Father Diego Lorenzi, and Father Prospero Grech (later a cardinal himself), that he would decline the papacy if elected, and that he intended to vote for Aloísio Lorscheider, whom he met in Brazil. Cardinal Sin of the Philippines told him: "You will be the new pope."

However, when he was asked by Jean-Marie Villot if he accepted his election, Luciani replied, "May God forgive you for what you have done", but accepted the election. After his election, when Cardinal Sin paid him homage, the new pope said: "You were a prophet, but my reign will be a short one".[16] On the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, Pericle Felici announced that the cardinals had elected Albino Luciani, Patriarch of Venice, who had chosen the name Pope John Paul I.[22] It was the first time that a pope had chosen a double name. He later explained that the double name was taken to gratefully honour his two immediate predecessors: John XXIII, who had named him a bishop, and Paul VI, who had named him Patriarch of Venice and Cardinal.

He was also the only pope to have added the ordinal number "I" to his chosen papal name.

In the aftermath of the election, the pope confided to his brother Edoardo that his first thought was to call himself "Pius XIII" in honour of Pope Pius XI, but he gave up on the idea, worried that the traditionalist members of the Church might exploit this choice of regnal name.

Observers have suggested that his selection was a compromise to satisfy rumoured divisions among seemingly rival camps within the College of Cardinals.

Around 10 p.m. on the day of his death, the pope learned that several young neo-fascists had fired upon a group of young people reading L'Unità, the communist newspaper, outside one of the party's offices in Rome. One boy was killed while another was seriously wounded. The pope lamented to Bishop John Magee, "Even the young are killing each other." He later retired to his room to read Thomas à Kempis's The Imitation of Christ in bed.

On 29 September 1978, on what would have been the 35th day of his pontificate, John Paul I was found dead in his bed with reading material and a bedside lamp still lit. He had probably suffered a heart attack the night before. Upon the global announcement of the news, Bolivia declared six days of mourning, while Spain, Zaïre[ and Lebanon all declared three days of mourning and the Dominican Republic declared two days of mourning.

John Paul I's funeral was held in Saint Peter's Square on 4 October 1978, celebrated by Carlo Confalonieri. In his eulogy of the late pope, he described him as a flashing comet who briefly lit up the church. He then was laid to rest in the Vatican Grottoes.

Locally two priests Fater Joseph Super and Rev. Bannick were appointed as Monsignors by this Pope in the short time of his reign and this week in 1978 the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Kiss You All Over” by Exile.

 

 

The LuLac Edition #5, 776, September 23rd, 2026

 

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

Our “Write on  Wednesday” logo.

This week Victory Pig Pizza’s raw materials were sold at auction. To all of us in the valley, NEPA and yes LuLac land, “the pig” was an institution. A way of life. A constant. But no more after a valiant fight by the last owners, Tanya and Rich. On Facebook the eatery was eulogized From West Pittston, here’s what was written.

GOODBYE VICTORY PIG

A FINAL CUT OF VICTORY PIG PIZZA

The contents of Victory Pig Pizza were auctioned off today, closing another chapter in the history of one of Wyoming Valley’s most recognizable pizza places.

The biggest surprise of the auction came from the commercial baking pans. Three separate lots of pans sold for a combined $3,550, including one lot that brought $1,700, another that sold for $1,000 and a third that brought $850. Together, those three lots accounted for more than 30 percent of the entire auction total.

They may have looked like well-used restaurant equipment, but those pans helped make generations of Victory Pig pizza. For countless families, those pizzas were part of Friday nights, family gatherings, celebrations and everyday traditions that stretched across decades.

Another lot that attracted a lot of attention was a group of Victory Pig memorabilia, including T-shirts. During the auction it had climbed to around $300, another sign that people were not just bidding on restaurant equipment, but on pieces of a place they remembered.

Today, pieces of that history went home with new owners.

The restaurant may be gone, but anyone who grew up with Victory Pig knows the memories are not going anywhere.