Dave Iseman resurfaces in southern Missouri

Well, it's official. Former Times Leader managing editor Dave Iseman had a byline Friday in the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader.

(Indeed, Iseman is an assistant managing editor at the paper, as a reader pointed out.)

Breaking: Times-Shamrock buys Hazleton Standard-Speaker

Citizens' Voice publisher and fourth generation member Scott Lynett will add the Speaker to his portfolio -- in other words, it's not worth it to give the paper its own publisher. Read the Times-Tribune's staff report for all the news. Newspaper history buffs will enjoy the timeline and backgrounder on the history of the S-S.

Oops: Letter scathingly critical of high salaries at WVIA gets into Times-Tribune

Tom McGeehan of West Wyoming rips WVIA for paying its boss, BIll Kelly, $175,000 a year for less than 40 hours of weekly work. Co-publisher Bill Lynett, of course, is on the WVIA board of directors.

Madness: Connor writes again about the Molly Maguires

We're sure it's a fine play. But two columns, five stories and a review in 10 days? All uniform in their gushing? Somewhere Iseman is rolling over in his grave. Let's recap:


April 20: If you talk to Jim Burke, producer of the new musical 'The Molly Maguires,' he'll tell you one of the lead characters is based on a real-life villain who was evil, through and through. 'I have no sympathy for him,' said Burke, whose show will debut Thursday at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre. -- Mary Therese Biebel story

April 22: AMID THIS LIGHT and breezy lunch conversation accompanied by a delicate green salad and a fragrant and colorful pasta dish or two, the brightest color in the room is not on a plate. It’s Jim Burke’s face. -- Richard Connor column

April 22: Back on April 25 and 26, 1946, Wilkes-Barre native James J. Burke performed in St. Mary’s High School’s senior play “Ever Since Eve.” Now 61 years later, he returns to the area to present the new musical he proudly acts as producer for, “The Molly Maguires.” -- Jessica Grizzanti story

April 27: Before audience members enter the F.M. Kirby Center to see the opening performance of “The Molly Maguires” musical, producer and Wilkes-Barre native Jim Burke wants people to look at a special painting in the lobby. -- Meredith Ripa story

April 27: Amid the diamond-patterned lights illuminating the east corner of Public Square Thursday night, hundreds of people sauntered into the F.M. Kirby Center for the opening night of “The Molly Maguires.” -- Ron Lieback story

April 27: In the 1930s and ’40s, when stage shows toured several cities before going to Broadway, legend was “if you can make it in Wilkes-Barre, you can make it anywhere.” It’s probably been more than 60 years since local audiences have seen a Broadway-bound production. If the positive reaction given by the estimated 1,000 patrons at Thursday night’s opening of the new musical “The Molly Maguires” is any indication, Wilkes-Barre native and executive producer Jim Burke may very well have a hit on his hands. -- Walter Mitchell review

April 28: More than 60 years have passed since a young James Burke worked as an usher at the old Comerford Theater in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Now the 78-year-old Wilkes-Barre native is back in town once again putting people in their seats in what is now the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts. -- Bill O'Boyle story

April 29: Well, Jim Burke did it. He produced and brought home to the F.M. Kirby Center the musical, “The Molly Maguires.” -- Richard Connor column

Two promotions at Times-Shamrock corporate

"James M. Phillips is The Times-Tribune’s new circulation director, and advertising director Steve Sauder is now senior advertising director for all newspapers owned by parent company Times-Shamrock," as the newspaper reported in an unbylined piece Saturday.

CV staffers also win PNA awards

We missed this earlier in the week. Apologies. Individual winners include Jonathan Bombulie, Wade Malcolm, and Joel A. Erickson.

(For the curious: The Pennsylvania Newspaper Association divides dailies into five divisions. The Times-Tribune is in D2, the Times Leader in D3, and the Voice in D4 - so no chance for head-to-head award competition.)

Beaupre: Running photo of Va. Tech shooter was the right thing to do

Times-Tribune editor Larry Beaupre responded to letter writers in a rare editor's note earlier this week. Scroll to the bottom to read it.

Times-Tribune, Yahoo to do something together

It involves transformation, local relationships and partnering, Dave Falchek of the Times-Tribune reports.

Stephanie Kanavy and Mike Sadowski wed

Kanavy, assistant news editor at The Times-Tribune in Scranton, and Sadowski, a reporter at the Pocono Record in Stroudsburg, actually got married in October. The announcement ran Sunday. Kudos.

Connor: Check out the new play about the Molly Maguires

Connor earns his columnist's pay this week with a Pa. piece about coal miners and a Texas piece (admittedly a retread) about a rodeo guy.

Connor in Texas: Ode to a rodeo boss

No Imus or Coulter or Ivins this morning.

TL also wins state press awards

Individual winners include Ron Bartizek, Jennifer Learn-Andes, Don Carey, Renita Fennick, Kris Wernowsky, Tom Venesky (pictured), and Aimee Dilger. Also winners were weekly staffers Jack Smiles (Pittston Dispatch) and Kristie Grier Ceruti (Abington Journal). The TL won honorable mention for running incredibly large and unflattering mugs of its own staffers.

Times-Tribune wins PNA, state SPJ awards

Individual winners include Jessica D. Matthews, Chad Jennings, Kevin O'Neill, Roger Dupuis II, Dave Singleton, Chris Birk, Jeff Sonderman, Bob Sanchuk and Jim Conroy. Kudos.

Fired Pocono radio guy refuses offer to return to work

Gary Smith said nappy-headed ho a bunch of times. The Pocono Record has the details.

RIP William Schultz

The Scranton native and longtime Lancaster newspaper editor died earlier this week. Schulz carried The Scranton Times as a boy and later edited with his wife the Wyoming County News in Tunkhannock.

Goodbye, Life

The Parade-like insert in the TL has died. Today marks Life's final appearance. Pour one out.

Corbett: This one homeless guy I talked to at the TL was in better shape than the newsroom staff

Steve Corbett takes a trip down memory lane on his WILK blog with the tale of the homeless man with softball-sized calves.

McGlynn of the CV: Eff you Scranton reporters

After a recent game at the Lackawanna County Stadium, McGlynn challenged the "Scranton media contingent" to a fight in the parking lot, Anchorman-style.

Connor: Imus, Imus, Imus

Rich Connor files a lengthy column about Don Imus. Highlights: use of the phrase "whup-ass," advocating that Imus be beat to a pulp, and reporting what Google has to say about 'nappy.' And another enormous mug.

Connor is wonderful, KR sucked, etc.

Another installment in a series of Times Leader stories about how great the new owner is and about how terrible the old owners were. This week's highlight: Prashant insinuating KR was less than candid about the physical plant in Wilkes-Barre.

The TL reports on the CV/Scranton Times circulation reporting changes

Wait - the Times-Tribune is becoming an edition of the CV? Jerry Lynott has the story.

Stroudsburg DJ fired for repeating nappy-headed hos again (and again, and again...)

This has caused quite the flap in the Poconos. The Pocono Record has team coverage.

Don't miss the hundreds of angry comments on the paper's Web site

The CV to disappear as its own newspaper?

The Voice, in a terse announcement from its publisher, says the paper will now be "an edition of Times-Shamrock Newspapers." What does this mean? Will the CV no longer be listed as a newspaper by the ABC? Did the TL just -- at least on paper -- win the newspaper war?

New link for Corbett blog

Sorry for the confusion. The link in the rail has been updated.

Matt Golas lands on his feet

The TL editor who led the post-Walzer era only to be deposed at the beginning of the Rich Connor regime is the managing editor at planphilly.com, "a new city planning and urban design web site for Philadelphia" that is an ofshoot of the design college at Penn. To get in touch with him, e-mail mgolas@design.upenn.edu. Kudos.

Connor of the TL: I had good Jewish friends growing up in Maine

In Fort Worth, Connor writes about natural gas extraction in Tarrant County

Chris Kelly has hard time coming up with this week's column

"Tired of reading lame spoofs of pulp novels and other examples of self-indulgent navel-gazing? Then help a hard-luck ink-slinger get his groove back."

The Butteryfly Guy

The TL also had a letter to the editor this week that misspelled Connor's last name. Slick.

Alan K. Stout stepping down as Weekender editor

Stout will continue writing about local music but will head up the TL's NIE program. Kudos.

Towtruck Bob calls CV 50 times a day, shows up in newsroom

Voice columnist Mike McGlynn writes of Wilkes-Barre tow-truck operator Bob Kadluboski, who captured a fugitive at gunpoint this week: "This guy not only is a friend to law enforcement officials, he's a gigantic boon to the local media." McGlynn also gets the words "hell" and "bitching" into print. Impressive.

TL to buy Philadelphia Weekly?

We're sorry to be late on this, but the Philly alt-weekly reports that Richard Connor is in the running to buy the paper. Comment, please.

Cop who leaked to Scranton Times-Tribune sent to prison

The state AG's investigator who gave information to the newspaper -- information that got the newspaper into an ongoing defamation suit -- will do two weeks at the Dauphin County Prison. Only The Times-Tribune's Mike Race was at James Kolojejchick's sentencing on Monday in Harrisburg.

Connor: Privatizing the light company in Texas is a great deal

In the Ft. Worth Business Press, Connor extols the virtue of an equity firm taking over a business ostensibly operating for the public good. How does this sound familiar?

Ain't no party like an Office party... organized by Times-Shamrock

Coincidentally, news of this upcoming office convention appears in the Times-Tribune of Scranton. Tim Holmes, manager of Times-Shamrock's community newspaper operation is heading up plans for the party.

Two Times-Tribune reporters tell their tale of doing stand-up in New York

A fun little first-person story from Scranton reporters Roger DuPuis II and Matthew Kemeny.

Former TL editor Walzer gets green light to sue Connor

The most interesting part of the story is how she allegedly stuffed hundreds of dollars into the pockets of TL Photo Editor Clark Van Orden.

TL hires new retail, classified ad managers

Jason Vincent comes from the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader and Michelle Lester from the Greenville (S.C.) News, Ron Bartizek reports. Lester also comes with an incredibly big mug.

High schoolers hang out at Wilkes U. journalism conference

Kudos to the Wilkes people for putting the conference on. Be sure to read the commenter at the end of the story mad about reporters and their "person opinions."