The LuLac Edition 5, 245, January 31st, 2025
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
SEMINAR THIS SUNDAY
The NEPA Task Force Against Human Trafficking will be holding a very important event this Sunday February 3rd in the basement of St. Theresa Church, 44 Davis Street in Shavertown.
The Social Concerns and Justice committee of the church is hosting this event. Parishioner Tom Mosca has been taking the lead in this cause for nearly a decade. The group will have Tammy Burke from the Victim’s Resource Center give a comprehensive view on the problem that hasn’t gone away and without intervention will continue to grow.
The presentation is free and open to everyone over the age of 18.
THE AIRPLANE AND HELICOPTER
In this weeks’ Time Machine feature at the end of the site, we delve into the tragic accident on January 27th of Apollo 1. Three astronauts were killed in an accident that was preventable and tragic. Gus Grissom was fond of saying that “When he went into space, his life was in the hands of the lowest bidder”.
The nation was solidified in mourning because 3 people gave their lives in the service of their country., That incident is in stark contrast to the tragedy that took place this week.
This week, 47 spent 45 minutes in a homophobic rant blaming former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttieieg, as well as the previous administrations accusing them of prioritizing DEI hiring practices instead of Federal Aviation Administration safety. The blame then turned to labeling air traffic controllers as incompetent and mentally incapable of doing their jobs.
Mentally unstable? Incompetent? Look at the guy’s Cabinet so far.
But it is what voters chose.
Oh and just so you know, Trump’s rant included 2 minutes remembering the 67 dead. Their bodies were still in the Potomac as he as he spouted his nonsense.
HEY MAGA “LEANERS”………
EVEN IF HE RESCINDED IT
THESE GUYS AREN’T PLAYING
This is directed at those people who leaned MAGA in this past election. The MAGAs? They were the loud minority hell bent on voting against their own interest. To quote Hillary, “They can never be redeemed”. But the “leaners”, the people who should KNOW better are responsible for the chaos. These are the union members who forgot who got them their jobs and wages. The mothers who use WIC (founded by the late President Jimmy Carter) who decided that they “didn’t care” for Hillary or Kamala. The people who drive $80,000 cars and trucks who are the sons and daughters of Eastern European immigrants’ bitch about the price of gas while Ukraine is in danger. You’ve seen these people, retired senior citizens who clog up a line at a Customer Service window buying thirty bucks of lottery tickets at a clip. The people who go to church every week, bless themselves, listen to the sermons, show off their rosary beads and then support the most amoral, un-Christian human ever put on this earth. The men of all races who can’t vote for a woman of color or for that matter any woman at all. Then there are the women who waffled and voted for their rights of choice but picked the person who in a blink an eye would grab their daughter’s ass without apology or blinking. Then there are the women who are unhappy in their lives and not want to get ANY woman ahead. Then there are the educated who buy the fruit picked by immigrants, have their homes cleaned and kids tutored by working poor people who rely on government assistance for heat in the winter. Then there are the middle-class people who get financial for the kids to get aid.
These are “the leaners” who turned away a philosophy of a caring America with institutions intact to a reckless mob hellbent on destruction. And so it begins. My message to the aforementioned is this: THESE GUYS DON’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOU.
Word of the order came Monday evening without further explanation from the Trump administration, leading charities that receive government grants and loans to question which organizations will be affected.
“This order is a potential 5-alarm fire for nonprofits and the people and communities they serve,” Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Council on Nonprofits, said in a statement Monday.
“From pausing research on cures for childhood cancer to closing homeless shelters, halting food assistance, reducing safety from domestic violence, and shutting down suicide hotlines, the impact of even a short pause in funding could be devastating and cost lives,” said Yentel.
The Association of American Universities, which is composed of America’s 71 leading research universities, including Notre Dame and Georgia Tech, said Tuesday it is “still working to assess” the impact of the pause.
Member universities “earn the majority of competitively awarded federal funding for research that improves public health, seeks to address national challenges, and contributes significantly to our economic strength, while educating and training tomorrow’s visionary leaders and innovators,” the association said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also quickly criticized the pause.
“Congress approved these investments, and they are not optional; they are the law,” the New York Democrat said in a statement Monday night. “These grants help people in red states and blue states, support families, help parents raise kids, and lead to stronger communities.”
Schumer added that the action jeopardizes “billions upon billions of community grants and financial support that help millions of people across the country.”
“It will mean missed payrolls and rent payments and everything in between: chaos for everything from universities to non-profit charities,” he said.
Locally the following agencies rely on federal aid and grants.
Head Start is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to five from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Where do these kids go from here?
Breakfast and Lunch programs for children: In the Wilkes-Barre Area School District 98% of the children are on the subsidized lunch program. The poverty rate of children in Wilkes-Barre is 42.8%1. On a per-household basis, 20.8% of families are below the poverty line in Wilkes-Barre. This will CUT the federal food programs.
Maternal Family Services partners with U.S. states and jurisdictions through our Title V MCH Services Block Grant.
Area Aging on Aging relies on The Older Americans Act (OAA) which specifically authorizes funding for the operation, “acquisition, alteration, or renovation of existing facilities” of multipurpose senior centers. Resources are also available for senior centers and other community organizations to deliver services such as meals, transportation, information and referral, health promotion and disease prevention, and caregiver support.
Federal Funding for Education: Many public universities in the United States rely heavily on private funding sources such as tuition payments and gains on endowment assets. Still, the federal government allocates billions of dollars each year to thousands of universities in the form of research and development grants and contracts, as well as financial aid to undergraduates through the Federal Pell Grant Program.
The federal government in Luzerne County alone relies on health services for babies, school aged children, college students pursuing careers in a profession or trade, and the elderly. Every demographic has a “leaner”.
The “leaners” gave the administration permission to destroy the middle class. When they complain………. because it’s now affecting them, remind them….
THIS IS WHAT THEY WANTED!
PLEASE REMIND THEM THAT THE REST OF US ARE COLLATERAL DAMAGE!
MARK BUFALINO IN THE JUDGE RACE
GOVERNOR JOSH SHAPIRO REACHES AGREEMENT WITH PJM TO PREVENT UNNECESSARY PRICE HIKES AND SAVE CONSUMERS OVER $21 BILLION ON UTILITY BILLS
IN DECEMBER, GOVERNOR SHAPIRO FILED A LAWSUIT WITH FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORS TO PREVENT ENERGY PRICE HIKES ON 65 MILLION CONSUMERS, INCLUDING 13 MILLION PENNSYLVANIANS.
GOVERNOR SHAPIRO’S WORK TO FIND A PATHWAY TO RESOLVING THIS LAWSUIT WITH PJM HAS AVERTED RUNAWAY PRICES AND WILL SAVE PENNSYLVANIANS MONEY ON THEIR ELECTRICITY BILLS.
Governor Josh Shapiro (Photo: LuLac archives)
Governor Josh Shapiro announced he has reached an agreement with PJM Interconnection on a plan to resolve his recent lawsuit and to save consumers over $21 billion over the next two years. In December, Governor Shapiro filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)(opens in a new tab) against PJM Interconnection, criticizing flaws in PJM’s capacity auction design that threatened to impose significant new price increases. The agreement will avoid historic price hikes on consumers across all 13 states PJM serves, including Pennsylvania.
Left unaddressed, PJM’s next capacity auction scheduled for July 2025 would have resulted in billions in unnecessary energy costs for 65 million people across the region. The Governor worked with PJM to significantly lower the capacity auction price cap – from over $500/Megawatt-Day to $325/MW-Day – averting a runaway auction price that would have unnecessarily increased energy bills.
The Commonwealth is a leading producer of energy and the nation’s largest exporter of electricity – nearly a century ago, Pennsylvania helped to found PJM, and today still serves as a generation backbone for the region. At the same time it has led this fight against unnecessary price increases on consumers, the Shapiro Administration is committed to meeting the need for new generation by getting more power projects built in Pennsylvania as part of an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy to create jobs, reduce emissions, and ensure safe, reliable, affordable power for Pennsylvanians for the long term.
“When PJM’s next auction was set to result in historic price hikes, I filed a lawsuit to stop this price hike on consumers and defend Pennsylvanians,” said Governor Shapiro. “PJM did the right thing by listening to my concerns and coming to the table to find a path forward that will save Pennsylvanians billions of dollars on their electricity bills. My Administration will continue to work to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable power for Pennsylvanians for the long term.”
PJM operates a capacity market, which means that operators are paid to commit to providing energy in the future. Over the last several years, demand for energy has risen rapidly but PJM has been slow to allow new power sources onto its grid – and as a result, PJM capacity prices have skyrocketed. PJM’s 2025/26 capacity auction, held in July 2024, resulted in costs of $14.7 billion – an over 800 percent increase from the prior year.
The Governor pushed PJM to reduce their price cap, and a diverse coalition came together support the Governor’s message, including four governors(opens in a new tab), energy and consumer advocates, and the Organization of PJM States (OPSI). The Shapiro Administration’s energy leadership promises to save the PJM region over $21 billion on utility bills in the next two years.
PJM and the Shapiro Administration have agreed to a path forward for the complaint, subject to consultation with PJM members and the PJM Board of Managers. In order to avoid further delays to the auction schedule, PJM will soon seek a FERC order by proposing a cap and floor mechanism through an FPA section 205 filing with the FERC.
This resolution follows over a year of engagement with PJM. Governor Shapiro continues to repeatedly(opens in a new tab) press for long-term solutions that address increasing costs, urging PJM to:
Reopen their closed interconnection queue(opens in a new tab) to get new projects online, like the restart of Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania;
Rely on member states to help determine which projects are ready(opens in a new tab) and to speed up project approvals like the Governor has done in Pennsylvania;
Implement new best practices established by FERC(opens in a new tab) in order to be better prepared in extreme weather scenarios and ensure affordable, reliable power year-round; and
Reform the capacity market (opens in a new tab) to more accurately reflect real world conditions, ensuring grid reliability while saving consumers money on their utility bills.
BRESNAHAN RAISES CONCERNS OVER PUBLIC UTILITY RATE INCREASE
Congressman Rob Bresnehan (Photo: LuLac archives)
U.S. Representative Rob Bresnahan, Jr. released the below statement following news of UGI Utilities – Gas Division’s request to raise rates by $110.4 million per year. This request, which was made to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission yesterday, would go into effect on March 28, 2025, and would result in a 10.8% increase for residential
“As Northeastern Pennsylvanians continue to struggle with high living costs, it is infuriating to see a public utility company request to raise rates by over 10%,” said Rep. Bresnahan. “It's unacceptable that NEPA families are fighting to keep their homes warm while corporate executives stand at the trough collecting multi-million-dollar compensation packages. UGI should expect to answer for the fiscally irresponsible mismanagement of this essential service.”
UGI Utilities, a subsidiary of UGI Corporation (NYSE: UGI), most recently raised rates on December 1, 2024, when the rate for residential customers increased by 8.7%. UGI Corp. had a net income of $269 million in Fiscal Year 2024. Additionally, it was announced yesterday that UGI, in partnership with Stonehenge Energy Resources III, completed a $120 million acquisition of Superior Midstream Appalachian, LLC, with UGI holding a 49% ownership interest.
CASEY/CARTWRIGHT TO BE FETED AT FIORELLI’S
DEMS IN LUZERNE HAVE SIGNING PARTY PLANNED
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MEDIA MATTERS
WALN
BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM
THE NEW CBS EVENING NEWS
CBS TV launched a new type of newscast replacing the traditional one vacated by Norah O’Donnell. John Dickerson co anchors it Maurice DuBois, focusing on in-depth reporting.
The revamped show aims to shift away from the traditional star anchor model, emphasizing correspondents in the field to enhance storytellingmsn.com.
This change marks a significant evolution in the program's approach, as it seeks to engage viewers with more substantial news coverage and analysis. Somewhere Walter Cronkite and Douglas Edwards (the first CBS anchor) are rolling over in their graves. But with an old hand like Dickerson and Face The Nation’s Margaret Brennan, this might pull them out of the ratings cellar of network news.
BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SUNDAY NIGHT SOCK HOP
BEATLE EDD’S FAB FOUR MUSIC HOUR
THE LULAC TIME MACHINE
January 1967
It was a Friday night. We were watching TV that night when Jules Bergman from ABC TV broke in with the news of an accident involving Apollo 1. Apollo 1, initially designated AS-204, was planned to be the first crewed mission of the Apollo program, the American undertaking to land the first man on the Moon. It was planned to launch on February 21, 1967, as the first low Earth orbital test of the Apollo command and service module. The mission never flew; a cabin fire during a launch rehearsal test at Cape Kennedy Air Force Station Launch Complex 34 on January 27 killed all three crew members—Command Pilot Gus Grissom, Senior Pilot Ed White, and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee—and destroyed the command module (CM). The name Apollo 1, chosen by the crew, was made official by NASA in their honor after the fire. Immediately after the fire, NASA convened an Accident Review Board to determine the cause of the fire, and both chambers of the United States Congress conducted their own committee inquiries to oversee NASA's investigation. The ignition source of the fire was determined to be electrical, and the fire spread rapidly due to combustible nylon material and the high-pressure pure oxygen cabin atmosphere. Rescue was prevented by the plug door hatch, which could not be opened against the internal pressure of the cabin. Because the rocket was unfueled, the test had not been considered hazardous, and emergency preparedness for it was poor.
During the Congressional investigation, Senator Walter Mondale publicly revealed a NASA internal document citing problems with prime Apollo contractor North American Aviation, which became known as the Phillips Report. This disclosure embarrassed NASA Administrator James E. Webb, who was unaware of the document's existence, and attracted controversy to the Apollo program. Despite congressional displeasure at NASA's lack of openness, both congressional committees ruled that the issues raised in the report had no bearing on the accident.
Director of Flight Crew Operations Deke Slayton selected the first Apollo crew in January 1966, with Grissom as Command Pilot, White as Senior Pilot, and rookie Donn F. Eisele as Pilot. But Eisele dislocated his shoulder twice aboard the KC-135 weightlessness training aircraft and had to undergo surgery on January 27. Slayton replaced him with Chaffee,[and NASA announced the crew selection on March 21, 1966. James McDivitt, David Scott and Russell Schweickart were named as the backup crew.
On September 29, Walter Schirra, Eisele, and Walter Cunningham were named as the prime crew for a second Block I CSM flight, AS-205.[7] NASA planned to follow this with an uncrewed test flight of the LM (AS-206), then the third crewed mission would be a dual flight designated AS-278 (or AS-207/208), in which AS-207 would launch the first crewed Block II CSM, which would then rendezvous and dock with the LM launched uncrewed on AS-208.
In March, NASA was studying the possibility of flying the first Apollo mission as a joint space rendezvous with the final Project Gemini mission, Gemini 12 in November 1966.[9] But by May, delays in making Apollo ready for flight just by itself, and the extra time needed to incorporate compatibility with the Gemini, made that impractical.This became moot when slippage in readiness of the AS-204 spacecraft caused the last-quarter 1966 target date to be missed, and the mission was rescheduled for February 21, 1967.
According to the Board, Grissom suffered severe third-degree burns on more than one-third of his body and his spacesuit was almost completely destroyed. White suffered third-degree burns on almost half of his body and a quarter of his spacesuit had melted away. Chaffee suffered third-degree burns on almost a quarter of his body and a small portion of his spacesuit was damaged. The autopsy report determined that the primary cause of death for all three astronauts was cardiac arrest caused by high concentrations of carbon monoxide. Burns suffered by the crew were not believed to be major factors, and it was concluded that most of them had occurred postmortem. Asphyxiation occurred after the fire melted the astronauts' suits and oxygen tubes, exposing them to the lethal atmosphere of the cabin.
Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee were buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Ed White was buried at West Point Cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. NASA officials attempted to pressure Pat White, Ed White's widow, into allowing her husband also to be buried at Arlington, against what she knew to be his wishes; their efforts were foiled by astronaut Frank Borman.[69] The names of the Apollo 1 crew are among those of multiple astronauts who have died in the line of duty, listed on the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Florida. President Jimmy Carter awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor posthumously to Grissom on October 1, 1978. President Bill Clinton awarded it to White and Chaffee on December 17, 1997.
posted by David Yonki @ 5:44 PM
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