| |
*** BREAKING NEWS ***
“Gray also said he does not like the way the project is being funded, but doesn't see a way to change that at this time.”
WGAL-TV (click here).
Then stop this white elephant, Mayor Gray. For Lancaster’s sake, please pull the plug. You want to use over $100 million in public funding? Pull the plug. Please.
“Soon Every Town in America Will Have an Unused Convention Center”
(click here).
~ “And Die-Hards!” ~
CAN YOU COUNT?
WHERE’S AN EDITOR?
Well, the Governor came to town yesterday. Does he make the front page of the morning paper? Hell, no! Chickens make the front page and Ed Rendell made page B1.
This morning’s Intell article on the Democratic Rally begins with the following two sentences:
“Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell made his case for re-election Wednesday to several hundred people in Binns Park despite some heckling from about a dozen local Republicans.”
“Rendell headlined the Rally for the People concert, which attracted several hundred die-hard Democrats hopeful for positive Election Day results come November.”
Where’s the editor? We only need to be told “several hundred” once, okay? Once is enough. Where’s the editor? It’s repeated in the first two sentences of the story, for God’s sake! And where does the “die-hard” come from? If Republicans show up to a Republican event will you refer to them as “die-hards?”
The level of writing and editing of the Lancaster Newspapers is just slipping further and further into an abyss and it is disgraceful.
BATTLES
We have the same reporter, David Pidgeon, writing about the same upcoming event in yesterday’s Intell. His opening sentence:
“Gov. Ed Rendell, locked in a re-election battle with former Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann, will headline a concert and rally for Lancaster County Democrats Wednesday in Binns Park.”
Further down in the story, he writes this:
“Rendell, scheduled to speak at 5:30 p.m., is as much as 20 points ahead of Swann in several election polls, and he has outraised the Republican nearly three to one.”
So why did you write the “locked in a re-election battle” nonsense? This is no “battle.” Where’s the editor? This is just terrible reporting, writing and editing.
CHAT ROOM?
And of course, the story about $1 Million in checks stashed in County employee Dave Straub’s desk completely disappeared from this morning’s paper. WGAL is reporting today that there were 200 uncashed checks in his drawer (click here).
Do you suppose it dropped out because of the Lancaster Newspaper angle involved in this story? Yesterday’s New Era article by Tom Murse said this:
“Straub was also know to have posted numerous comments – more than 3,000 since 2001 – on an Internet chat room operated by Lancaster Newspapers Inc. He signed his name to some of the posts, though it is unclear whether he was doing so from home or on work time.”
A “chat room?” Horrors! It’s a “forum,” Tom Murse and it’s called “Talkback.” Since, as a reporter you aren’t allowed to sign-up (remember Justin Quinn), and therefore can’t review his posts, I will tell you that many, many, many of his posts were made during “work time.” Why didn’t you check with the LOL Boss or Dave? They could have told you.
I will have more on forums shortly. As I mentioned yesterday, the internet and these forums can become addictive. On the Talkback board, after a person’s 500th post, they are literally given the title “Talkback Addict.”
“IN RESERVE”
Part of the reason they are so addictive, I think, is because of the information that is provided and the quality and the humor of the posters' writing.
A Talbacker pointed out a startling and worrisome sentence in this week’s Sunday News article, “Judge calls session on project lawsuit” (click here):
“I liked this part of the article: ‘If the construction payments need to be made before the money is available, he said, Sen. Gib Armstrong, 13th District, has $500,000 in state funding available in reserve, which the authority can have with 60-days notice.”
To which a poster replied:
“Why does something sound really wrong with this? And I don't mean in a 'can't be right' sense. I mean in an unethical, or a 'what the ----' sense.”
To which another posted said:
“Could it be the fact that it is all really, really wrong, in the sense of ‘wrong, bad, harmful and greedy without regard to existing reality.’”
Yup, that sums the situation up as well as can be done.
Coming tomorrow - what do the “Talkbackers” think of Representative Mike Sturla? Yikes!
“Straub was also known to have posted numerous comments — more than 3,000 since 2001 — on an Internet chat room operated by Lancaster Newspapers Inc.”
Please check back later today…
Eurytopic – what were you doing? (Or not doing)?
Wow! – A Judge meets and the Gov. Rocks!
Please check back later today...
~ Lindy Biechler, David Ludwig,
The Millionaire and Rent – A – Negro! ~
My Bananas are Black!
IT’S BEEN
WAY TOO LONG
Becky,
I am at a loss for words regarding the incompetence of the Lancaster District Attorney’s performance and that of his investigators.
As I am reading your program and reports on unsolved murders in the area I find it hard to understand what these men actually do to solve these mysteries.
In the Monday, April 11, 2005 issue of the Lancaster Newspaper the DA (Donald Totaro) was pictured with State Rep. Katie True during a ceremony on the steps of the Lancaster County Courthouse to make the beginning of Crime Victims’ Rights Week. He was quoted as saying, “Justice is not served until victims are.”
Well, when does he plan to begin serving those victims?
In the June 16, 2006 edition of the New Era, there was an article reminding us of the vicious murder of Lindy Biechler which took place in December, 1975. To date that case has not been solved. We were told at the time that the Vidocq Society had met with the County Detectives and were to have made recommendations on solving and closing this case.
The media was quick to publish this news and one detective was quoted as saying, “the motive is known” but he did not elaborate. He did however make the remark that “we are two steps behind.”
Another forensic scientist was quoted as saying “the killer should not buy any green bananas.”
Surely in this time since that meeting and all the publicity, there had to be recommendations made by the Society and still we see or hear nothing about that. What is the holdup? If they know who the guilty party is, why are they not going after him?
Many years ago it was reported that the local (Manor Twp.) detectives were quoted as saying, “We know who did it, we aren’t allowed to touch them.”
Who had control at that time to prevent these detectives from doing their job and solving this horrible crime? Is the DA politically tied to the guilty party and covering up this case? Whose pocket is he into? Who has him under their thumb? Strange? Not at all. Who financed his political campaigns when he ran for the office of District Attorney and who now will fund his next campaign to become a judge?
This man has no desire to solve this crime as long as he has personal desires and goals for his own career. Is this the kind of man the County will want sitting on the bench? I should certainly hope not!
Where are the answers to the meeting and what if anything does Totaro plan to do about them? It has been way too long now and this isn’t any way to treat the victim’s family or friends.
Make the man come forward with answers and solutions. It is his job! Do the taxpayers know what this man is really all about? A selfish individual who has nothing more than his own personal gains in mind.
The Bar Association needs to take a long hard look at Mr. Totaro’s work records and non-performance so that hopefully they will not include him in their final acceptance and decisions for candidates.
I have to question whether this is incompetence or corruption in the County Office? One can lead to the other.
I will be watching the outcome of the investigations and your reports in the near future.
An anonymous email I received on August 17, 2006
Thank you very much for writing. Where is the follow-up, Lancaster Newspapers? Where is it Cindy Stauffer? Where’s the arrest District Attorney Totaro? Where is it? My bananas are black!
A letter regarding this case was published in the New Era on August 16, 2006 and a thread was started on the Talkback board on August 19, 2006. I can not link directly to their Talkback Board (what a hoot!) but the text of the post is reprinted here.
I will have much more on this case later in the week. What an absolute disgrace. Bring in outside authorities to handle this case. Investigate the DA and his County Detectives.
POLITICAL ASPIRATIONS
“Please pray: the official decision of whether or not to have a trial will be mid June. The District Attorney has political aspirations and knows that David's case will generate much publicity for the DA. We do not want a trial; David has walked with honesty all the way through and none of us want the media circus that David's case is sure to generate. The DA and the judge will make the decision. The DA has only personally held 2 cases in 6 years; David's is the second. The judge said that he would move David's case to a larger courtroom to accommodate the media.”
An email supposedly by David Ludwig’s mother and posted on the “Action Report” website (click here).
This is just strange and weird. I questioned this man’s credibility before when he was selling what supposedly were David Ludwig’s emails for $3.00 (click here). If you have an opinion regarding this, please send me an email.
QUICK DICK
Finally to lighten things up, this email in from my hero:
“According to new government intel, not only is the Tour de Farce fiasco the result of an Al-Qaida plot, so was the Bonds & Rose scandals and JJ's wardrobe malfunction. Sean Kelly's poem tells all at http://richardquick.blogspot.com/2006/08/tour-de-america-tribute-to-patriot.html
Thanks, Richard Quick, Esq.”
Yes, Millionaire Richard Quick is back! Who is he and what’s his “game?” I have no idea. But some of what he writes is wickedly good.
RENT A NEGRO
“My friends still ask, ‘how’s that black friend of yours?’”
One of the sites the Millionaire links to is www.rent-a-negro.com. Calm down people. It’s excellent satire. “I took her to the country club for lunch…all heads turned.” What a hoot!
Please check back tomorrow…
BLACK BANANAS AND RENT-A-NEGRO?
(OH, AND STURLA - THAT'S PATHETIC - CLICK HERE)
CHECK BACK LATER TODAY…
~ High On ~
IMAGINATION & INSIGHT
The LCCCA has scheduled a meeting for tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. in the Southern Market Center. The a.m. is correct. This one ought to be good! Please attend if you can.
As noted this morning, bids are being opened today. A Talkbacker posted this several days ago:
“All of this, paired with the developer's fees High Associates have been receiving, plus the deductions they took on the empty building for seven years AND recouped when they sold the building to RACL, means Dale High gets paid to propose the project, design the project, solicit bids for the project, build the project, manage the project, and then own the project without losing any of his own money.”
Nice work if you can get it!
Is the dance over? “Just My Imagination” by Lanco Yokel is here.
INDECENT ASSAULT
This WGAL story never made it into the Lancaster Newspapers, “Police: College Employee Assaults Teen,” (click here). According to the Franklin & Marshall Employee Directory this would actually be Paul J. Martini who has the following listing: “358-4635 Martini, Paul J. ROS Theater Technical Director, Theater, Dance, and Film.”
This is the second professor/college employee in a week. I am going to come back to these stories shortly, but today I thought I would rerun “A Neighbor’s Insight” from the old site:
A NEIGHBOR’S INSIGHT
(I received this email on December 17, 2003, shortly after
distributing the Lancaster Independent Paper)
Becky:
I received a copy of the LIP from my parents for reading. They still live in the neighborhood. I remember the Holzinger family from growing up in the neighborhood, but you are a few years older than me, so I really didn’t know you. The only memories I have of your family is stopping in while trick or treating on Halloween. I remember getting asked in for cookies.
I believe what you wrote really happened, but I must admit that while I was reading the paper I was thinking that this is unbelievable. Most likely I thought this because the neighborhood was a good one. It’s incomprehensible that something like this would happen in our back yard - and we wouldn’t have any suspicions. Since I had no real memories about your family, I asked my mother for her thoughts. She told me that the family was quiet, but since your parents were educated, she just thought that they kept to themselves. Her thoughts were that the children were brilliant and were busy studying. She did note that after high school, you and your siblings did not visit home very often, which was surprising to her.
Usually, after finishing a book or article, I go about my regular routine. But, for some reason, I keep thinking about what you wrote. For 40+ years you have been in turmoil and I hope that you can soon find peace and the happiness that you deserve. Being a mother myself, I cannot comprehend the terror imposed upon you. No one has the right to abuse their child. I assume it is too late for you to file charges against your parents.
I applaud your courage for speaking out! I’m looking forward to the next issue of your paper, especially “Charlie’s Story.”
Bid opening today at 2:00 p.m. Do you think it will be High?
Please check back later today…
*** BREAKING NEWS ***
Smart should be fired. Click here.
“Shaub: Colleagues don’t want to testify”
Say what? “TOTARO MUST GO” is coming later today…
~ And Deadbeat Parents ~
GO, FLOYD, GO!
(No Wonder He Left)
“We just hope that he is a man of integrity.”
Floyd Landis’s mother quoted in yesterday’s New Era article, “Meet Floyd’s folks,” (click here).
I’ll pass on meeting his folks, thanks.
What kind of statement is that to make about your own son? If he’s not a “man of integrity” people can look directly at the two of you as the cause, Paul and Arlene. You raised him. Do you two have “integrity?”
No wonder he left. I would never speak to these parents again.
Go, Floyd, Go. Peddle that bike!
Yikes! He stopped for a beer! This from the official website (click here).
“15:58 - Yellow Jersey |
