"Fearless: The Richard A. Sprague Story" coming to bookstores soon!

(Note: This will be the most carefully-written blog post in American history.) While it isn't labeled as such, what appears to be the official/authorized biography of Richard A. Sprague is on its way to bookstores, courtesy of our friends at the American Bar Association.

"Richard A. Sprague's philosophy holds that the law is sacred in this land, and as a lawyer he has always had the solemn obligation to fight as hard as he could to make the law serve his client, whether the client be the people of the United States, the people of Pennsylvania, or an individual caught up in the system," the blurb on the ABA site says. "Read this compelling story of a man who wasn't afraid to risk everything to fight for his fellow man and made a difference in the legal profession."

In short: The perfect Secret Santa gift for John Murphy!

Frank Andrews Shimkus still scrapping towards election day

Good old Frank Andrews Shimkus, who has been a hell of a time with concussions and car crashes and judges calling him out for lying, debated the challenger for his state representative's seat the other night. Read Shari Sanger's report in The Times-Tribune.

Another collegiate press politics story: Elderly W-B man answers door in his underwear

A reporter from George Washington University's student paper accompanied some College Republicans on a trip to Wilkes-Barre. One volunteer was asked if she was legally in the country. Another found an old man in his skivvies. Yum.

Columbia student writes about Scranton's anti-Obama Democrats

The substantial number of anti-Obama Democrats in Scranton has gotten a free pass from the press, especially concerning people like Tony Rodham, Jamie Brazil and other Hillary people who have cast their lot with McCain. A Columbia University student wrote an interesting story about the phenomenon.

"The project isn't as ambitious as it sounds"

All of you who thought you'd never see the Times Leader try to break into the Scranton market: These are strange days indeed. After scrantonedition.com soft-launched a few weeks ago, real printed editions of the Times Leader's "Scranton edition" hit the streets today.

Does this qualify as a shot across the bow of the Lynetts? More like a pea shooter. Or maybe just a dirty look. The content was amazingly thin, rewritten press releases and repurposed W-B copy. As Scott Wasser told the troops in a memo, "the project isn't as ambitious as it sounds." Readers have no reason to doubt him so far.

>> Read Rich Connor's hearty hello to the people of Lackawanna County
>> Read Managing Editor Scott Wasser's memo to the troops

Edward J. Lynett Jr. wins PNA lifetime acheivement award

Click above for The Times-Tribune's report. Kudos.

Ed Lewis wants to be called The Ambassador

"I’m not condoning the use of street names; my job as a crime reporter brings me in regular contact with multiple law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, defense attorneys, defendants, witnesses and victims," Ed Lewis writes. "That’s why I want to be called “The Ambassador."

Connor of the TL: I heart McCain, but I still let the paper endorse Obama

Romenesko picked up Connor's Sunday piece, where he extols the virtues of Maverick John McCain. "I could have overruled but didn’t because I believe our process was democratic, the decision a mirror of what appears to be the sentiment of many persons, perhaps even a majority," Connor writes, "and because I respect the intellectual honesty of the members of our editorial endorsement board."

Mark Kandel, husband of WNEP's Marisa Burke, sentenced for providing booze to minors

Mark Kandel, former Scranton School Board member and NEIU bigshot -- and husband of WNEP's Marisa Burke -- was sentenced to 90 days home arrest for providing alcohol to minors at his home, The Times-Tribune reports.

>> Read WNEP's somewhat brief item

Josh Brodesky moving up at the Arizona Daily Star

Josh Brodesky, formerly of The Times-Tribune of Scranton, has been named the new real estate reporter at the Arizona Daily Star in Tuscon. Brodesky gets a shout-out (click above) from his new editor for coverage of the dysfunctional department of Child Protective Services there. Kudos.

Rich Connor part of group to buy Blethen Maine Newspapers?!?

A blog in Washington state is reporting that a blog in Maine is reporting that the Portland Press Herald is reporting that Times Leader Editor/Publisher Richard Connor is part of a group trying to buy the Maine newspapers owned by the Blethen family. Connor, the Portland paper reports, was born in Maine.

Longtime WNEP staffer Tim Karlson dies

Karlson worked in a number of departments at WNEP going back to 1983. Condolences.

• Read the TL story
• Read the CV story
• Read the Times-Tribune story
• A Beale's Bites post about Karlson
• Vince Sweeney eulogizes Karlson on his blog

More on the 'kill him' controversy at Scranton's Palin rally

• The Times-Tribune reports more about what reporter Dave Singleton heard and where he heard it
• “TL story draws national interest,” the TL reports, noting that their initial story drew more than 200,000 page views
• Singleton tells ProPublica that a Secret Service flack has suggested that the story should never have been published
• Singleton's reporting isn't good enough for University of Scranton journalism professor Matthew Reavy, who calls the death threat story "unsupported" on his blog

Times Leader: No one to corroborate Times-Tribune report of "kill him" at Palin rally

Fight! The Times-Tribune of Scranton reported that someone yelled "kill him" at the Sarah Palin rally in Scranton on Tuesday. The threat was national news, and was fodder for Keith Olbermann's show that night.

Andrew Seder and the Times Leader hit back hard, all but calling the story a fabrication. The story quotes the local Secret Service boss as being "baffled" by the Times-Tribune story. Reporter Dave Singleton and Metro Editor Jeff Sonderman are both namechecked. The Times-Tribune also has a story about the Secret Service investigation of the threat, but omits the agency's skepticism. Discuss.