~ & Smart! ~
IN THE NEWS - OR NOT!
The preliminary hearing for Joy O'Shea Woomer was moved to this afternoon at 1:30 p.m. according to an assistant in Chris Patterson’s office. Patterson, of the law firm Patterson Cody Taylor & Winters, is her defense attorney in this bizarre and disturbing six-year-old case.
Although it's unclear whether it was a factor in the decision to charge Woomer, on the day before her arrest CEO of Hospice of Lancaster County Steven Knoub told Geesey [County Detective Joseph Geesey] "it was possible for a nurse to pilfer morphine in 2002."
A quote from the 11-28-08 Intell story, “Former DA, others talk about case of nurse charged in boy’s death,” (click here).
Why is Detective Geesey still working? He is one of the principal players/criminals in the Lancaster Lynching story (click here). This man has been a bad cop for over 27 years at a minimum. Who would believe a word this man says?
There will be more on this tomorrow.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEETINGS?
The bespectacled and bow-tied Rick Gray slouched in his chair late Tuesday afternoon, and his eyes drooped toward a 43-page budget document resting on his lap.
Gray, the mayor of Lancaster city, was in the middle of his third newspaper editorial board meeting in 24 hours about his proposed 2009 budget.
For two hours Tuesday, he and Patrick Hopkins, the city's chief financial officer, talked taxes, revenues and spending with reporters and editors of the Intelligencer Journal.
The opening three paragraphs to Dave Pidgeon’s Intell story on 11-26-08, “Gray holding tongue on 2nd term,” (click here).
Well, isn’t that special! This morning Pidgeon did a rewrite, saying absolutely nothing new, on the portion of the article that deals with whether Gray will run for a second term as mayor. But what I want to know is why Gray apparently had “editorial board meetings” with all three newspapers? Why?
The newspapers are all owned by the same company. The Intell and the New Era publish a combined edition on Saturdays and some holidays.
But more importantly, why did Gray apparently go to the Lancaster Newspapers with his budget? Do they have to approve it? They can read it for themselves and send a reporter to interview Gray if they want to. Why would the mayor go to them? Who is Mayor Gray beholding to?
Yes, I know that during elections the candidates often go to the newspapers to be “interviewed” by editors and reporters before the paper backs a candidate. But that is not the case here. It’s bad enough the newspapers are a 50% partner in the $200 million publicly funded downtown disaster – but why would the mayor have to meet with them about his budget?
It’s almost as bad as two years ago when Mayor Gray saw fit to take two weeks of the public’s time and money and meet behind closed doors with the newspaper bigwigs to fill a “$20 million dollar gap” in their convention center funding. But this is outrageous.
There will be more on this later this week.
SOMEONE IN LANCASTER MIGHT KNOW HIM!
Guarini [Lancaster County Prison Warden Vincent Guarini] also would not release the man's name Wednesday afternoon because no next-of-kin had been notified. It will be tricky to notify someone, he said, because the inmate had no family listed, was from out-of-state and no one has visited him since he arrived at the prison.
From the 11-20-08 Intell article, “Prison inmate’s death investigated,” (click here).
Well, isn’t that convenient? We still do not know his name, age, race or why he was incarcerated in the first place. This is unacceptable. Let me remind you that Jack Brubaker of the New Era was doing a four day series on abuse in the prison when this happened. This is unbelievable.
Warden Guarini was not in his office today so I will try him tomorrow. I also have a call in to Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni and the Lancaster City Police who investigated this alleged suicide. I will contact the County Commissioners tomorrow. The public has a right and a need to know this information.
SNOT IS RUNNING DOWN LANCASTER!
Do you remember when Sunday News associate editor Gil Smart took a one block walk down Prince Street over his lunch hour several years ago and announced Lancaster was “safe?” I want to be factual so let us not forget his one-quarter block walks to Central Market to get lunch as well!
Well, Smart actually left his office and took another walk downtown this week (gasp!) and wasn’t as pleased. He wrote a little blog ditty titled, “Why I don’t (heart) City Life” (click here):
Walked down North Queen Street this afternoon to the jewlers shop to see if the $160 watch can be fixed for less than $160. Answer: No.
On the way back, passed a pale, reedy guy who looked to be about four tokes over the line. Then heard some sort of snorting; turned around to see him standing on the curb, holding a finger to his right nostril, and blowing his left nostril into the street. No tissue; just chunks into the gutter. Right in front of Cross Keys Coffee & Tea.
It strikes me that as we spend millions of dollars to rejuvenate the city, and argue over whether this is a good idea or not, it’s scenes like this one on North Queen which do more to run down this city than anything else you could name.
You know, spoiled, rich, white, frat brat doesn’t even begin to describe this pathetic loser. Go home to your wealthy suburbs and lock the doors, Smart. Be careful though, as you’re driving home you might see a dog pooping or cows getting randy and doing the nasty! Gasp! Where will you be safe from such eyesores?
Talkbackers had a field day with this one and later this week I will come back to one of my favorite Smart posts – “Convention center jobs” from August of 2007. It’s a sad, totally hypocritical classic.
