Ex-TL employee charged with fraud

The woman was working in circulation and used a subscriber's credit card to buy stuff.

Times-Tribune roughs up WILK, others over advertorials

Dave Falchek of the Scranton Times-Tribune writes a scathing story about a recently-charged local homebuilder and how he used his "show" on WILK to promote himself, and how WILK washes its hands of the matter despite including the builder in the station's staff listing.

Times-Tribune continues to push on jail birth story

The Scranton Times-Tribune is talking about going to court to get documents connected to the recent birth at the Lackawanna County Prison. “We’re reviewing our options, because the taxpaying public has a right to know,” Larry Beaupre says. Kudos to the newspaper's vigor.

Talk dirty to me, Rich

In the Fort Worth Business Press, TL Editor Richard Connor writes about "a toxic mixture of languid water and bad karma" down in Texas. No TL column this week.

Update: Connor in fact wrote in the TL about illegal immigration, Hazleton, etc. Apologies. Read it

TL writes about the Hazleton cop hiring info it fought so hard for

Steve Mocarsky writes about civil service scores and hiring practices at the Hazleton Police Department -- information the paper went to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to get. Kudos to the effort.

The TL's Connor: More on the alleged FBI sting in Wilkes-Barre that we're not reporting on

Times Leader editor Richard Connor writes again about the whispers surrounding the Luzerne County Courthouse and a potential FBI sting operation involving judges there.

The Pocono Record is also in the Dow Jones deal

Shockingly, analysts and observers have not commented that the Pocono Record is part of the vast Dow Jones empire that Rupert Murdoch is trying to buy. The Record ran a very brief item about the situation earlier this week. Would Murdoch keep the Record and other Ottaway papers? Or would he sell them? Who would be more interested? The Lynetts or the TL's super-rich out-of-state investors? Discuss.

Borys Krawczeniuk story makes The Drudge Report

MUST CREDIT NEPAMEDIA: Borys Krawczeniuk's Scranton Times-Tribune story about the prisoner who had her baby at the Lackawanna County Prison -- and the guard who used her finger nails to cut the umbilical cord -- made the Drudge Report. Not exactly top billing, but still noteworthy. Kudos.

It's a new day on the Times Leader business desk

Business Editor Ron Bartizek promises an "entertaining, easy-to-digest and informative" business section. The local stocks and mutual fund listings will both be trimmed, as will the Motley Fool feature. No word on whether the wet kiss puff pieces will increase in frequency and intensity.

Former TL copy desk chief Mike Liechty attacked by a hawk -- three times

We offer this without any further comment.

Pocono Record makes the NYT

We're late getting to this, but the Pocono Record featured prominently in Thursday's New York Times coverage of the shooting of two city cops. The NYT used a photo (left) by Pocono Record photographer David Kidwell, and editor Susan Koomar was quoted.

Iseman's title in the Ozarks: Assistant Managing Editor

In case anyone was curious, former Times Leader managing editor Dave Iseman is now listed as the assistant managing editor of the News-Leader of Springfield, Mo., a Gannett paper with a daily circulation of 61,000.

Connor: Bush was right to commute Libby's sentence

The Times Leader publisher writes -- in his Fort Worth Business Press -- about how Scooter Libby was the victim of a liberal lynch mob. Oh, and there -was- WMD material in Iraq.

Rory Sweeney of the TL is in the Army now

Not really. But the Times Leader writes about driving a Humvee through Nesbitt Park and another armored vehicle. A fun piece, but a little unseemly in a time of war.

The TL's Rich Connor waxes nostalgic about newspaper mergers

Holy Cow! Richard Connor turns in a Unabomber-length manifesto about newspapers -- their past, their present and their future. Something about the Battle of Wyoming. Enjoy.

National Journal writes about former Scranton Times cartoonist, debate of still vs. animation

This week's National Journal has a detailed take on the rise of animated cartoons vs. "still" cartoons. Prominently featured in the story is Walt Handelsman, the former Scranton Times cartoonist who now works at Newsday and won the Pulitzer Prize earlier this year.

Pocono Record: There's a difference between print and the Web

The Stroudsburg newspaper's editorial page is in the wake of the news today, taking a look at the golf course/stripper case.

A flag cake gets cooked for the TL staff

Read all about the newsroom's reaction in Mary Therese Biebel's column.