Rich Connor of the TL loves a good party

The reader is supposed to believe that his deep-pocketed investors bought into the TL because of its business value but because of "the impressive, Wall Street-type boardroom" at the new airport. Can we get Golas and his tomatoes back?

CV outs two of the local TL owners

Chuck Parente (Pagnotti Enterprises, other interests) and Frank Henry (Martz Trailways) are two of the Wilkes-Barre owners of the Times Leader, Tim Gulla revealed in the Citizens' Voice this morning. Will the TL follow it up tomorrow? And will it note the stakes of the two men when it writes about them?

Will Sunbury be added to the Times-Shamrock empire?

Ottaway Newspapers, a subsidiary of Dow Jones, announced this week that it will sell The Daily Item in Sunbury as well as other small papers in bustling places like Oneonta, N.Y. Note that Dow Jones is not selling the Danbury paper, which it bought from Ed Christine's (second) wife's family, or the real prize (such as prizes are in Ottaway), the Pocono Record.

The Lynetts are on WVIA-TV right now

Sorry this wasn't posted in time to call in your favorite questions. Kudos to the TL for running WVIA's laudatory press release about the Lynetts (breaker boy, Pulitzer Prize, fourth generation) almost word for word. Great journalism, fellas!

Pa. Superior Court hears Times-Tribune libel/shield law case

The justice will decide later what trumps: the state's shield law or the right of libel plaintiffs to vigorously press their cases. In the middle is the newspaper, which published a story that two ex-county commissioners claim is libelous.

Michael Race of the Times-Tribune wins statehouse reporting award

Kudos to Race, who won an award from "the Association of Capital Reporters and Editors." The small item in the Scranton paper does not say who judges the award.

Woman charged with harassing WNEP employees

She sounds like she might be off her rocker. What goes on in the mind of a woman who claims to be related to Joe Meyer and Marisa Burke?

A little late, here's the story about how Bill Kelly will ask the tough questions

Kelly must not be interested in lively television if he's interviewing the TL's Richard Connor and the Lynett family on separate weeks rather than in one big happy family. Also in a very positive story by Rory Sweeney: Connor calls the pissing match with Times-Shamrock, largely dormant in print since Matt Golas left, "demeaning." Matt, wherever you are, zing!

Get ready: the TL' Rich Connor to take calls Thursday on WVIA

Connor will be on WVIA at 9 p.m. on channel 44. Call (800) 326-9842. It's going to be the highlight of the week.

Connor to write regular Sunday TL column; for his first topic, he chooses Elvis

Elvis is still popular! And he's been dead a long time! Amazing insights. Next week: Remote controls are complicated.

Set your VCR: Richard Connor to appear on WVIA-TV on Thursday

The TL editor and publisher will field questions from Bill Kelly, WVIA boss, at 9 p.m. Of course, one of Kelly's bosses on the board of directors is Bill Lynett of the Scranton Times. Will they be softball questions? Or hard-hitting? Tune in to find out.

The Big Vopper in The Wall Street Journal

Saturday's Wall Street Journal carried an op-ed piece that referred to Bartinicki v. Vopper, the Supreme Court case -- possibly the most memorable and important First Amendment case to come out of NEPA -- involving former WILK talk-show host Fred Williams, a.k.a. Fred Vopper. In brief, Williams played on the air a tape of a Wyoming Valley West teacher's union negotiator talking on his cell phone about blowing off the front porches of board members. Someone had illegally taped the call on his police scanner and given it to Williams. The negotiator sued Williams, alleging violation of wiretap laws. The Court ultimately held that the First Amendment reigns supreme.

Click above for the first couple paragraphs. For the rest, you'll have to pay a dollar at the Anthracite News Stand. Or Leo Matus.

Read a summary of the case from Cornell Law School

TL's FOI lawsuit against Luzerne County now in judge's hands

The TL alleges that the Luzerne County commissioners broke the law when they voted secretly by phone in June. The commssioners say it was a poll, not a vote. Judge Mark Ciavarella has the case. Will the TL's regular beating of the local judiciary come back to haunt it?

Local boy is a top editor at Field & Stream

This won't do much to fuel the TL vs. CV fires, but it's a nice story about a guy from Dimock (Susquehanna County, halfway between Montrose and Tunkhannock, I had to look it up) who made it big in New York City writing about fishing.

Still no word on the new secret TL owners

The Nichole Dobo/Tim Gulla CV story made Romenesko's media news Web site.

Connor: If you have a question, call

In the last legs of an AP story about local newspaper ownership, Richard Connor says he's just a phone call away.

More tales from the TL kitchen

Copy editor Michele Harris appears in the newspaper talking about sauces with Mary Therese Biebel. Cameos by "Ron," "Rory" and other TL staffers.

Local deep pockets buy Fox 56, WB affiliate in W-B

The stations, WSWB and WOLF, had been in bankruptcy court. Two men currently or formerly with Parente Randolph and Martz Trailways are behind the $55 million deal, Dave Janoski of the TL reports.

Tim Gulla's CV story about the topic

Another one bites the dust: TL circulation boss out

He's being replaced by a guy from Hazleton, according to a TL story/press release without a byline. No comment was apparently sought from incumbent Donnell Giles, who is done today.

Love all over: Stephanie Kanavy of the Scranton Times and Mike Sadowski of the Pocono Record

The couple is engaged. Again, congratulations.

Kristie Grier ties the knot

It was an all-star TL cast when former Weekender editor Kristie Grier married Matt Ceruti. Congratulations.

Audio clip of Connor talking about taking over as editor

In case you missed it, here is an audio clip from Tuesday of Connor talking about Matt Golas and about taking over as Times Leader editor.

TL production boss out

Brett Shoemaker quit or was fired earlier this week, the CV reports. Update: The TL, in fact, reported this on Wednesday in its story about Connor replacing Golas.

TL lawyer says they won't fight subpoenas, except Iseman says they will

Two papers, two stories. In the TL (click above), attorney Ralph Kates says the newspaper will allow Ed Lewis, Dave Weiss and Terrie Morgan-Besecker to take the stand in the Hugo case. In the CV (click below) Dave Iseman says the newspaper will likely fight the subpoenas, which is newspaper custom. The CV is still on the fence on how it will respond.

CV story on Hugo case, media subpoenas

TMB, Dave Weiss, Ed Lewis subpoenaed

The subpoenas of the three TL reporters are part of DA Dave Lupas's effort to get Peter Paul Olshefski off the Hugo case. Lewis is being subpoenaed in his capacity as a CV reporter. How will that work?

Burying the lead: Connor says he and Golas would kill each other

Or something like that. The second-hand quote is in the 99th graf of Renita Fennick's gloves-on story about how Matt Golas got fired. Nichole Dobo's story in the CV was unremarkable except that she could not reach Golas for comment even though he lives four blocks from the paper.

TL owner will work as editor and publisher

Golas fired from the TL; Connor takes over as editor too

Will we ever find out how Matt Golas did playing the ponies? This makes the third editor in a year and a half in Wilkes-Barre.