Northeast PA media news and gossip

T-T reporter Stacy Brown and Michael Jackson go way back

2009-06-26T22:34:00.004-04:00

Scranton Times-Tribune Stacy Brown has been turning up all over the place today because of his knowledge of (and book about) Michael Jackson. Brown wrote a first-person piece for the T-T about it all.

>> WILK's Steve Corbett writes about his dealings with Jackson out in California when Corbett covered Jackson's criminal trial

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T00:49:00.001-04:00

Corbett and Jackson out in California. Nov. 14, 2002. From the AP.

More on the Times-Tribune v. Times Leader obit flap

2008-11-07T09:48:00.003-05:00

• Erin Nissley of The Times-Tribune reports in detail on the newspaper's lawsuit, with remarks from lawyers on both sides as well as Larry Beaupre

• Jen Marckini reports on the TL's point of view, which is that it's perfectly fine to copy obits from legacy.com.

Breaking: Times-Tribune sues Times Leader, accuses it of plagarizing dozens of obits

2008-11-06T00:11:00.003-05:00

Exciting! "I've never seen such a vast and blatant example of plagiarism in my 40 years of journalism," Times-Tribune Managing Editor Larry Beaupre reports after the T-T sued the TL for cribbing Scranton obits for the TL's Scranton edition. The T-T sued the TL in Lackawanna County for unjust enrichment, fraud, etc. Good stuff.

Tragic: Liar Frank Andrews Shimkus loses re-election bid

2008-11-06T00:05:00.004-05:00

Liar – and potential perjurer – Frank Andrews Shimkus failed to get re-elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, meaning the former WYOU news director will have to take his diploma-mill advanced degrees and find work elsewhere.

Given what has been exposed about his conduct as a state representative (hogging the per diems, crashing all the state cars, the residence issue, the potential perjury issue) it would be interesting to look more into his conduct at WYOU, especially as it connects with his political ambitions.

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

2008-10-30T15:11:00.004-04:00

(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

2008-10-30T15:01:00.004-04:00

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

2008-10-30T14:54:00.004-04:00

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

2008-10-30T14:47:00.002-04:00

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"

2008-10-27T19:12:00.005-04:00

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

2008-10-27T18:59:00.003-04:00

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

Ed Lewis wants to be called The Ambassador

2008-10-27T18:55:00.002-04:00

"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

2008-10-27T18:50:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-22T11:19:00.004-04:00

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

2008-10-22T11:16:00.002-04:00

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?!?

2008-10-22T11:09:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-18T01:15:00.007-04:00

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

2008-10-18T00:48:00.004-04:00

• 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

2008-10-16T02:08:00.004-04:00

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.

Connor of the TL on Starbucks and managing

2008-07-09T11:03:00.003-04:00

Have you noticed how those Starbucks coffee shops! They're everywhere!

Corbett walks around his old 'hood in Wilkes-Barre, mourns his zen garden

2008-07-09T10:54:00.003-04:00

Those of you who miss Corbett's Times Leader ruminations about his South River Street neighborhood -- who can forget the Japanese pine tree in the front yard? -- should read his WILK column about his recent return. His verdict: "Wilkes-Barre is miserable."

Maybe having the reporter's picture with each story isn't the best idea

2008-07-09T10:47:00.001-04:00

Cumberland County isn't exactly Berwick, but any story where a naked dude walks into a Sheetz and eats a Slim Jim is a good one.

Murdoch not selling Ottaway (and the Pocono Record) after all

2008-07-08T12:15:00.002-04:00

Everyone worried about Times-Shamrock buying the Pocono Record can relax. Rupert is keeping the Record and the other Ottaway papers after all.

Farewell, nepatvnewser, we hardly knew ye

2008-07-08T11:29:00.003-04:00

Turns out it was a class project. Click the screen shot at left to read the farewell note from Toby, the proprietor.

Ed Christine lands in Binghamton

2008-07-08T11:08:00.003-04:00

In the old news department, Ed Christine is working as news editor at the Press & Sun-Bulletin in beautiful Binghamton, N.Y. Be sure to give him a call next time you're up there taking in a B-Mets game.

Dave Janoski of the CV subpoenaed by Louis DeNaples

2008-06-12T17:23:00.004-04:00

Richard Sprague associates are "in a hunt for the source of what they say were illegal leaks from a grand jury," The Morning Call reports. Sound familiar? This time, the targets are Citizens' Voice reporter Dave Janoski and others who reported aggressively about Louis DeNaples, the Rev. Joseph Sica and their alleged ties to organized crime. Interesting: No reporters from Times-Tribune of Scranton or the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader were subpoenaed.

>> Read the comparatively brief Times-Tribune story about the matter

Former WBRE reporter Molly Henneberg wins Broadcast & Cable award

2008-06-12T17:18:00.004-04:00

Fox News reporter Molly Henneberg, formerly of WBRE, was named one of 12 "next wave of leaders" winners by Broadcast & Cable. Kudos. (Corrected to delete erroneous references to WNEP)

Big changes at the Weekender

2008-06-12T17:00:00.003-04:00

Not really. But editor Mike Lello updates readers on the latest changes at Luzerne County's biggest entertainment weekly published by Rich Connor.

Andy Palumbo has a blog

2008-06-12T16:55:00.001-04:00

WNEP's Andy Palumbo has a blog. Enjoy.

Cap Cities-era TL vet gets online media job

2008-06-12T16:51:00.003-04:00

We've never heard of PV Media Group, but prnewswire says James McDonald -- who "has run two of the nation’s largest weekly newspapers in Manhattan and Philadelphia, while also overseeing the launch of a hugely successful newspaper for then-Capital Cities/ABC Publishing in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa., market" -- is the new vice president of sales. Kudos.

Forbes columnist writes about Times-Tribune libel case

2008-06-12T16:23:00.002-04:00

A flack for the National Association of Manufacturers writes at forbes.com about The Times-Tribune and the libel case involving John Murphy, Jennifer Henn, Joe Corcoran, and Randy Castellani. The piece, headlined "Too much freedom of the press," is about how a federal shield law is a bad idea. Right.

Times-Tribune makes Gawker with story about Kanjo scuffle

2008-06-12T16:18:00.002-04:00

Borys Krawczeniuk and The Times-Tribune of Scranton get a shout-out on Gawker this afternoon with the paper's story about Kanjo (allegedly, maybe) bumping the camera of some dude who got in his face. Dan Flood would have busted the guy's nose.

Former NEPA kid Lauren Weisberger has a new book coming out

2008-05-29T19:33:00.003-04:00

Lauren Weisberger, 31, lived in the Abingtons for a few years when she was a kid but is often identified in print as a Scranton native. Her new novel, Chasing Harry Winston, arrives in stores this week.

WBRE'S Kristi Capel: America's hottest weather anchor

2008-05-29T19:27:00.003-04:00

So says the T&A site bustedcoverage.com. Let the misogynistic comments begin!

Revisiting the Chiquita story in Cincinnati

2008-05-27T20:38:00.003-04:00

Former Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Cameron McWhirter has an interesting piece in the latest CJR about shield laws and the infamous Chiquita story -- supervised by Larry Beaupre, who left the paper in the fallout and is now the editor of The Times-Tribune of Scranton. (Beaupre, like McWhirter and everyone else, was played by lead reporter Mike Gallagher, who lied to his colleagues and his lawyers.) An interesting read.

Stories we missed: Frank Andrews Shimkus gets married

2008-05-27T20:33:00.002-04:00

If you want to melt your brain, read the Electric City account (click above) of the wedding of the two former WYOU newspeople united in taxpayer employment and in love.

Stories we missed: Dave Iseman gets a promotion in the Ozarks

2008-05-22T16:02:00.004-04:00

We're just happy to have a new mug. But Dave Iseman impressed his bosses at the News-Leader of Springfield, Mo. enough that they picked him over 22 other applicants to run the paper's editorial page. Click above to read editor Don Wyatt's laudatory story announcing the move. Kudos.

Stories we missed: Times Shamrock buys Virgin Islands paper (!)

2008-05-22T15:53:00.004-04:00

Somehow, this seems like ~~a scheme~~ an entirely legitimate business move to hold annual Times-Shamrock meetings in the Caribbean or get Lynett-Haggerty kids someplace nicer to work their way up in the biz than Shamokin and Hazleton. But the Daily News of the Virgin Islands won a Pulitzer Prize in the last 15 years, so it can't be all bad. (The paper won the Pulitzer under Gannett ownership in 1995.)

>> Read the E&P account
>> Read the work that won the Pulitzer, as well as the citation and associated information

Matt Kemeny, formerly of The Times-Tribune, at top position on obscurestore.com

2008-05-22T15:50:00.002-04:00

Matthew Kemeny, now at The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, enjoys the top position on Jim Romenesko's obscurestore.com today with the story of Harrisburg police impersonating pizza delivery guys to catch robbers.

BREAKING: Chris Kelly has a concealed-carry permit

2008-05-21T11:28:00.005-04:00

We'd been in a bit of a funk after seeing Green Ridge's own Joe Biden do so badly in the Pennsylvania primary. Or maybe we were waiting for the right bit of news to resume our solemn NEPA Media duties. This may be it: Chris Kelly has a concealed-carry permit.

Frank Andrews Shimkus sets the date

2008-04-10T13:04:00.003-04:00

Frank Shimkus, the ex-TV newsman formerly known as Frank Andrews, had his engagement announcement run in the Times-Tribune on Sunday. He will wed former TV news subordinate Gabrielle Prutisto on May 3. For the record, the announcement says Frank lives in Throop. That man needs to get his story straight.

Former T-T reporter Josh Brodesky wins SPJ award

2008-04-10T12:59:00.004-04:00

Former Scranton Times-Tribune reporter Josh Brodesky, now of the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, was the co-winner of the Arizona SPJ's Sunshine Award, which recognizes important contributions to FOI issues. Kudos.

Times-Tribune alumni hit the Obscure Store daily double

2008-04-10T12:44:00.002-04:00

At the end of the day Wednesday, two Scranton Times-Tribune alumni had the two top stories on Jim Romenesko's Obscure Store site. Matthew Kemeny of The Patriot-News in Harrisburg had a story about all the madness at the Susquehanna Township Chuck E. Cheese, while Lauren Roth of the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va. had a story about a schoolteacher who was running an escort service on the side. Kudos to all. (Both stories have since moved down the page a bit.)

The Times-Tribune goes inside the Scranton mayor's Clinton fundaiser

2008-04-10T12:40:00.004-04:00

We know we're behind the curve on this, but Times-Tribune reporter Stacy Brown wrote an interesting first-person take on the high roller-only party Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty threw last week for the Clintons. Admission: $2,300 a head. The mayor invited Brown and his wife to the party, evidently the only reporter there.

Richard Connor of the TL: My friends don't know me very well

2008-04-08T17:42:00.007-04:00

That's the obvious conclusion after Connor – who wrote about the spate of anti-Semitic vandalism in Wilkes-Barre – writes that people he knows have twice recently talked about "Jewing them down" and the like. Thing is, Connor's daughter is married to a Jewish guy. Oops! He also gets a shot in at Obama for good measure.

Shakeup at WBRE?

2008-04-08T17:37:00.002-04:00

A tipster reports that s/he heard that Agent Andy Mehalshick is moving off the anchor desk. "Since it's better than 50-50 that Lyndall Stout won't be coming back after her baby, that means an entirely new anchor team (again!) at 28." Discuss.

Borys has a blog

2008-04-01T17:19:00.003-04:00

Scranton Times-Tribune political writer Borys Krawczeniuk has been blogging about presidential politics for the last couple weeks, which is an excellent idea. The blog has been updated regularly (*cough*) with interesting stuff. Recommended reading.

Kim Martucci gets an on-air proposal!

2008-04-01T17:06:00.004-04:00

Former WBRE weather lady was proposed to recently on the air (!) down at WUSA in Washington. Wow. And wow.

• Read Martucci's crazy blog

Arsonist tries to torch new WNEP bureau

2008-04-01T17:03:00.003-04:00

Someone tried to burn down the building housing WNEP's new Pocono bureau. Read the Pocono Record story for all the details and a picture of WNEP workers staring at a piece of lumber.

DeNaples lawyer meets with the Inky

2008-04-01T16:49:00.002-04:00

How about this for unusual: Richard Sprague, the attorney for Louis DeNaples, had a lengthy sit-down with the Philadelphia Inquirer's editorial board to talk about the DeNaples case. It's a pretty interesting story for those following the DeNaples matter closely. Will Sprague meet with the Times-Tribune staff next?

PAPME winners announced

2008-03-20T15:56:00.003-04:00

The Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors have picked their winners for 2007. Winners from The Times-Tribune are Jessica D. Matthews, Butch Comegys, Joby Fawcett and David Falchek. Winners from the Citizens' Voice are Michael P. Buffer, James Conmy and Heidi Ruckno. Winners from The Times Leader are Aimee Dilger and Fred Adams. Kudos to all.

T-T editorial page turns up the heat on Frank Andrews

2008-03-20T12:52:00.004-04:00

The Scranton Times-Tribune has been disappointingly meek in coverage of Rev. and Rep. Frank Andrews Shimkus and his elaborate deception regarding his living arrangements with a woman who is not his wife. Not so on the editorial page. Thursday's editorial page criticized Andrews for "playing cat and mouse games," while John Cole's cartoon rightly mocked Shimkus for his predicament. Good stuff.

Frank Andrews Shimkus plans write-in bid

2008-03-19T12:07:00.002-04:00

Read today's installment of "Don't Ask Frank Andrews Any Hard Questions." Today, Frank claims to be planning a write-in bid on the Republican ballot this fall, even though he's a Democrat. Nice.

WNEP opens bureau in Stroudsburg

2008-03-19T09:10:00.001-04:00

The Pocono Record reports that news anchor Trish Hartman and videographer Dan Turansky (pictured) will staff the bureau.

Frank Andrews Shimkus fights on, despite the court finding that he is a liar

2008-03-18T18:11:00.003-04:00

We're not sure what's uglier: Frank Andrews vowing a write-in campaign despite convincing evidence that he lied to a Commonwealth Court judge repeatedly, or The Times-Tribune handling the man with kid gloves. Reporter Robert Swift doesn't question Shimkus about the facts of the case or about how the court could have concluded that Shimkus "made a purposeful representation in bad faith," fancy words for "deliberately lying."

• If you haven't read the court's opinion, take some time and do so. It's strong -- and damning -- stuff.

Obama camp: We have bigger fish to fry than you, Times Leader

2008-03-18T09:41:00.004-04:00

Update 12:49 p.m.: Wonkette picked up the story. Heh.

The Times Leader ran a bitchy little story today complaining that the Obama campaign didn't show local reporters and crowds nearly as much love as Hillary did. And while the story comes off as bush-league whining, it's true. And how about this gem from an Obama staffer: "Look, we’re not here to answer questions from The Times Leader all day." Meow!

Open thread: Hillary/Obama coverage

2008-03-17T10:57:00.003-04:00

You asked for it, so here it is. How did NEPA newspapers and TV stations comport themselves over the weekend? Too much Hillary adulation? Not enough? Discuss.

CV wins Keystone press awards

2008-03-17T10:53:00.003-04:00

The Citizens' Voice of Wilkes-Barre won five Keystone press awards. Winners include Dave Janoski, Bob Kalinowski, Heidi Ruckno, Andrew Staub and Erin Moody and Mark Moran. Kudos.

Times-Tribune wins Keystone press awards

2008-03-17T10:48:00.002-04:00

The Times-Tribune of Scranton won a bunch of Keystone press awards, the newspaper reported Sunday. Winners included Christopher J. Kelly, first place for column writing. Other winners include Jessica D. Matthews, Borys Krawczeniuk, Chad Jennings, Michael J. Mullen, Butch Comegys, Erin Nissley, Stacy Brown, Donnie Collins and Jason Farmer.

Marty Myers also won an APSE award for his story about a high schooler with Down Syndrome who played in a girls basketball game. Kudos to all.

Joe Butkiewicz of the Times Leader on writing his father-in-law's obit

2008-03-17T10:44:00.002-04:00

Times Leader Managing Editor Joe Butkiewicz writes a nice piece about one of the surreal bits of newspapering: Writing the obituary of a loved one. Butkiewicz's father-in-law, Edmund Poggi, died earlier this month.

Paul Sokoloski of The Express-Times returns to the Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre

2008-03-17T10:37:00.003-04:00

Getting the band back together: Paul Sokoloski, a sports columnist at The Express-Times in Easton, is returning to Wilkes-Barre to work at his old paper, the Times Leader.

Richard Connor of the TL on Hillary's Penna. tactics

2008-03-17T10:28:00.003-04:00

Richard Connor wrote a so-so advance column for the Sunday paper about Hillary's plans to march in Scranton's St. Patrick's parade on Saturday, and about how the Clintons have been been campaigning in Pennsylvania generally.

• In the Fort Worth Business Press, Connor writes that Hillary wraps up "the vote of the pizza eaters and shot-and-a-beer crowd in one fell swoop" with her Scranton campaigning this week.

Judge: Frank Andrews Shimkus is a big fat liar

2008-03-15T09:45:00.006-04:00

Well, well, well. State Rep. and former WYOU anchor Frank Andrews is a fake and lied about his residence, a Commonwealth Court judge ruled yesterday. Borys Krawczeniuk reports: "Judge Jubelirer called the use of the Boulevard address “a purposeful misrepresentation made in bad faith and with intent to deceive the electorate.”

The judge further wrote, according to The Times-Tribune: “We find it incredible that (Mr. Shimkus), given his testimony about his injuries ... would reside in a house without his belongings, without a real bed and where there was ongoing painting when his new home, which he owned with his fiancee, where his belongings were, was approximately one mile away.” Frank has been tossed off the ballot.

• Read the court's order – good stuff

Former T-Ter Kemeny on Obscure Store this afternoon

2008-03-14T12:40:00.001-04:00

Former Times-Tribune reporter Matthew Charles Kemeny has the lead story this afternoon on Jim Romenesko's obscurestore.com site. The story is about an ELCA bigshot who allegedly stole a bunch of church money to buy classic cars. Kudos.

Former CV publisher named publisher of Mississippi paper

2008-03-14T11:29:00.003-04:00

Ed Nichols, one of the poor guys brought in from outside to serve as "publisher" of the Citizens' Voice in the mid-1990s, has been named publisher of the Clarksdale (Miss.) Press Register. The late Carl Romanelli, in his book The Quivering Voice, described Nichols as allegedly a big spender and incompetent.

You, too, could be an assistant sports editor at The Times-Tribune

2008-03-13T18:17:00.002-04:00

Are you an energetic, decisive editor? Want to lay out some pages? E-mail Sports Editor Judy Connelly at jconnelly@timesshamrock.com.

Former NYT editor Raines reads the Pocono Record the most!

2008-03-13T17:38:00.004-04:00

Buried in a blog report of a New York "media summit" was this nugget: Former New York Times Editor Howell Raines reads most regularly not The Times or The Wall Street Journal but... The Pocono Record. Interesting.

Mike Liechty is standing by to improve your writing

2008-03-13T01:40:00.003-04:00

We didn't click on the link at first either. But former Times Leader News Editor Mike Liechty has hung out his own shingle as a freelance editor. Liechty – who uses Joe Student as a reference but not Allison Walzer or Dave Iseman or any current Times Leader employee – will polish up your blog for "$25 a page." Liechty characterizes his departure from the Times Leader in 2006 like this: "Having achieved all of his goals at the Times Leader, Mike resigned to seek other challenges."

James Conmy of the Voice joins the W-B Police Department

2008-03-12T11:42:00.003-04:00

Longtime Citizens' Voice reporter James Conmy was sworn in last week as a Wilkes-Barre police officer. Conmy was most recently covering county courts. Kudos.

Times-Tribune reporter hearts Chelsea and Hillary

2008-03-12T11:16:00.004-04:00

"She spoke passionately and with eloquence?" "The candidate's impressive accomplishments?" Reporter Stacey Solie, new to the Times-Tribune by way of Columbia's grad j-school, pours it on a little thick this morning in her ~~love letter~~ news story about Chelsea's visit to Scranton. Judging by Solie's story, you would have thought it was the second coming.

Borys and Hillary share a tray in Old Forge

2008-03-10T22:04:00.005-04:00

Times-Tribune political reporter Borys Krawczeniuk dined with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton Monday at Revello's in Old Forge, part of the Clinton strategy of focusing on local media. Be sure to watch the video. Good stuff.

The NYT lands in Scranton for the first of many Hillary stories

2008-03-10T11:09:00.005-04:00

Today's New York Times has a story from Scranton about Hillary Rodham Clinton and her roots in the Electric City. Steve Corbett is a special guest star, talking about NEPA tribalism. We'll say it now: The national press is going to be dying for the next seven weeks for insightful commentary about NEPA politics. If The Times-Tribune does not affirmatively work to make Borys Krawczeniuk and Robert Swift available to the national press, it will be an enormous opportunity lost.

• Be sure to watch the NYT video, as interesting and insightful as the print story

Times Leader wins 17 Keystone press awards

2008-03-10T11:00:00.003-04:00

First-place winners include reporters Terrie Morgan-Besecker and Mary Therese Biebel and designer Rachel Van Blankenship. Second-place winners include the late Jerry Kellar, Jennifer Learn-Andes, Mark Guydish and Lindsey Jones. The paper also won a second-place award for the “What It’s Like To” feature. The weeklies also won some awards. Kudos.

Holy shit! Cops find hands wrapped in Feb. 4 Times-Tribune

2008-03-09T13:49:00.004-04:00

That's quite the detail in today's Dave Falchek story about the man accused of killing a homeless woman and scattering her parts throughout NEPA: In his Stroudsburg-area home, cops found a pair of hands wrapped in the Feb. 4 Times-Tribune.

Richard Connor of the TL: Hillary wins Penna.

2008-03-09T12:56:00.000-04:00

This week's installment of political commentary from Times Leader Editor/Publisher Richard Connor.

Steve Corbett of WILK in the news again

2008-03-06T22:52:00.004-05:00

Love him or hate him, WILK talk-show host and former Times Leader columnist does manage to stir things up. Corbett's Feb. 20 interview with Joseph Sica, the Catholic priest and DeNaples associate charged with perjury, may turn into additional ammunition for prosecutors. Sica told Corbett on WILK that he met with mobster Russell Bufalino in 1982, news to prosecutors and potentially a damning admission in a case that hinges on when the two men met. Citizens' Voice reporter Dave Janoski has the story.

Alert readers will recall that this is not the first time a Corbett interview with a defendant has ended up being news; Corbett's interview with killer Glenn Wolsieffer in 1989 briefly landed the columnist in jail on conspiracy charges (the phone interview was taped without Wolsieffer's knowledge) before the charges were tossed.

• Read Corbett's WILK blog post on his Sica interview

Former TL editor Dan Valenti to speak March 13

2008-03-06T22:30:00.004-05:00

Dan Valenti, a former editor at the Times Leader, will be speaking about writing and about covering baseball on March 13... at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, Mass. The event is free and open to the public.

Scranton Times-Tribune puts old front pages online

2008-03-06T22:23:00.002-05:00

Enjoy the old-timey front pages from The Times-Tribune and predecessor papers.

More on the Lynett family changes at Times-Shamrock

2008-03-06T21:40:00.002-05:00

A few links of interest:
• At The Daily Review of Towanda, Shamokin publisher Gregory Zyla takes over for George Lynett Jr. (The Daily Review)
• Lengthy story about Zyla in Shamokin (The News-Item)
• Bio of new T-S co-CEO George Lynett Jr. (The Daily Review)
• Bios of new T-S co-CEO W. Scott Lynett as well as Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice/Hazleton Standard-Speaker co-publishers Gregory Lynett and Daniel Haggerty (Citizens' Voice)
• Bio of new T-S co-CEO Matthew Haggerty (Scranton Times-Tribune)

Money from former Scranton Tribune sports editor's foundation goes to new NEPA medical school

2008-03-06T21:26:00.004-05:00

Samuel “Chic” Feldman died ringside at the Garden in 1972, slumped over his typewriter. But the remaining funds from the Scranton Tribune sports editor's memorial foundation were just paid out recently, when Feldman's friends gave the last $30,000 to the new NEPA medical school. A nice story from The Times-Tribune's Daniel Axelrod.

Changing of the guard at Times-Shamrock

2008-03-04T00:13:00.006-05:00

The fourth generation of the Lynett/Haggerty families is taking command in Scranton as the third steps aside, Times-Shamrock newspapers are reporting late Monday. In summary:

• Co-publisher George Lynett, 64, will "cut back on direct management" as brother Edward J. Lynett, 66, did four years ago. Third brother Bill Lynett, 61, remains as co-publisher of The Times-Tribune and CEO of Times Shamrock.

• Robert J. Lynett, 35, George V. Lynett Jr., 36, Matthew E. Haggerty, 37, and W. Scott Lynett, 39, join Bill as co-CEOs of Times-Shamrock. Yes, that's five co-CEOs. We'll see how that works out.

• Daniel P. Haggerty, 32, son of Cecelia Lynett Haggerty, replaces Scott Lynett as Citizens' Voice publisher.

• Gregory E. Lynett, 33, son of Edward J. Lynett Jr., replaces Scott Lynett as Hazleton Standard-Speaker publisher.

The fourth generation is from left, Greg Lynett, Matthew Haggerty, George V. Lynett Jr., W. Scott Lynett, Bobby Lynett and Daniel P. Haggerty. (Photo from the T-S Web site.)

TL: Former Scranton Tribune reporter Robert Curran sucks

2008-03-04T00:02:00.002-05:00

In a history piece about a West Pittston family terrorized by demons in the 80s, Times Leader reporter Sheena Delazio quotes a TL review of Tribune/Scrantonian reporter Robert Curran's book about the topic:

“Scranton newspaper writer Robert Curran forsakes the principles of his trade to give readers a one-sided account of what did or didn’t occur over several years in Jack and Janet Smurl’s former home on Chase Street in West Pittston,” said Times Leader staff writer Joseph Marusak in a December article.

Mary Beth Gehrman, a national author who reviewed the book, said the book wouldn’t even make a good fiction read since it was so poorly written.

“Whether or not the Smurls are truly convinced that they were being haunted…is a matter for speculation,” Gehrman said. “But it is hard to conceive of a supposedly sophisticated objective and (as far as I know, at least until now) credible reporter like Curran taking their story seriously given the complete lack of any empirical or physical evidence to support it.”

Connor of the TL: Obama will beat HRC, and other conventional wisdom

2008-03-03T23:58:00.002-05:00

Did you know that Obama is a good speaker? And women faint at his feet?

From the archives

2008-03-01T01:37:00.001-05:00

Former TL sports writer Doug Pape named new Luzerne County manager

2008-02-29T21:10:00.002-05:00

Doug Pape, a onetime Times Leader sports reporter who ended up in county government, has managed to become the top non-elected official in Luzerne County government. Pape will be paid $72,000, quite a bit less than his predecessor ($85,000) but quite a bit more than his old TL salary. Kudos.

The Scientologists are coming! (Maybe)

2008-02-29T00:01:00.007-05:00

Not that there's anything wrong with that. But the breathless top story in Thursday's Times-Tribune of Scranton could have used some context. The story, by Sarah Hofius Hall, starts like this: "Rome, Brussels, Scranton? Yes, Scranton. The Electric City will follow those world-class cities in hosting dozens of global leaders this fall for an annual international conference. That event is a prelude to the permanent relocation of a Nobel Peace Prize-nominated human rights and religious freedom center to Scranton from the nation’s capital."

Um. "Nobel Peace Prize-nominated," indeed. Here's the thing. About a third of America, from Ray Angeli at Lackawanna College to Chris Carney, can send in Nobel nominees. Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini are all Nobel Peace Prize nominees. It's kind of like when you read "Pulitzer Prize-nominated," which is always a sign of a bullshitter since anyone can submit a Pulitzer nomination. Being nominated to one of the service academies (like West Point) is substantially more difficult then being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

And Joseph Grieboski's "Institute on Religion and Public Policy" seems to have existed out of the media's view until Thursday. If The New York Times and Washington Post archives are any clue (nothing in the Times and a couple squibs in the Post), the Times-Tribune story was more ink than every previous story about the "institute" combined. That's not a reason to kill the story, but it is a reason to give restrained treatment to what amounts to "tiny group no one has ever heard of to have annual meeting in Scranton."

It's hard to tell if is affiliated with the Church of Scientology. Some folks on the Internet sure think so. It really doesn't matter, but the affiliation would have been nice to note in the story somewhere.

Charges dropped against Times-Shamrock owned Orlando Weekly staffers

2008-02-28T15:43:00.003-05:00

"All sides claimed victory" in the case of three Times-Shamrock employees accused of aiding prostitution through ads in the T-S-owned Orlando Weekly.

Towanda carrier killed in auto crash

2008-02-28T15:38:00.002-05:00

David Mingos, 40, died Wednesday morning after his van hit a tree outside Towanda. The Windfall man was on his way to deliver Wednesday's Daily Review, the Towanda paper reported. Condolences.

Times-Tribune story on Sorvino makes Defamer

2008-02-27T23:44:00.002-05:00

Gretchen Wintermantel's story about Paul Sorvino's "film" The Trouble With Cali – a story detailing tens of thousands of dollars in questionable expenses – was picked up by Gawker Media's Defamer site tonight. Kudos.

Lou Kirchen named regional VP of Local TV LLC

2008-02-26T11:20:00.003-05:00

Lou Kirchen, the general manager of WNEP, has been named regional vice president for parent company Local TV LLC. Kudos.

An ode to Dave Konopki and Jerry Kellar

2008-02-25T12:14:00.004-05:00

Chris Hine, a sports writer for the student newspaper at Notre Dame and a NEPA native, writes about how he learned to be a pro by seeing how Kellar and Konopki handled the story of his father, a high school coach forced to retire. A nice piece.

Whaddya expect for a quarter?

2008-02-25T12:06:00.004-05:00

The daily Citizens' Voice will be a quarter until further notice. "The change will make The Citizens’ Voice the best buy in Luzerne County," Publisher Scott Lynett says. Right.

Former WYOU reporter John Nugent gets a job in South Carolina

2008-02-25T12:04:00.002-05:00

From the News Blues Web site: "WCIV-4-ABC in Charleston, SC (Market #100), has hired John Nugent as sports director. Nugent, you may recall, worked at Gannett's WTSP-10-CBS in Tampa (Market #12), until several DUI convictions led to his contract not being renewed. His new boss at WCIV is News Director Jim Church, who originally hired Nugent in Tampa in 2001."

Frank Andrews Shimkus, Gabrielle Prutisto and Joe Pilchesky

2008-02-24T22:52:00.003-05:00

A strange story keeps getting stranger. Former WYOU reporter Gabrielle Prutisto told Throop police that she found funny footprints outside her house and also found a cracked window and "blames Joseph Pilchesky’s Web site for inciting the suspected trespassing," according to Dave Falchek's Scranton Times-Tribune Sunday. Except that the cops told the paper that the double-paned window was cracked on the inside, not the outside.

Prutisto is engaged to former WYOU anchor Frank Shimkus (who used the fake name Frank Andrews during his journalism career), who is running for re-election to the General Assembly but has been accused by Pilchesky of not really living at the Scranton home cited on election papers as his residence.

Low production value video battle of the entertainment weeklies

2008-02-24T22:36:00.003-05:00

Not to be outdone by the crazy kids at the570.com, the Weekender has posted a meet-the-staff video. We offer it without further comment.

Renee Puchalski named regional ad sales boss for Times-Shamrock

2008-02-24T22:14:00.003-05:00

Renee Puchalski, a longtime sales rep for Times-Shamrock, will coordinate buys across the T-S chain, The Sunday Review of Towanda reports. Kudos.

Rich Connor of the TL: The New York Times sucks

2008-02-24T22:11:00.005-05:00

Times Leader Editor Richard Connor on the NYT McCain story: "The paper’s staff is laden with reporters and editors whose work shows them to be haughty, aloof and smitten with an institutional ego that borders on insufferable.... Over the past 10 years The New York Times has repeatedly embarrassed itself due to poor supervision of reporters and inept work. It has been plagued by plagiarism, among other problems." Got it.

• In Fort Worth, Connor writes about Texas Republican politics

Times-Shamrock Shamokin employee charged with theft

2008-02-22T12:32:00.008-05:00

Christine Zablosky, late of the The News-Item in Shamokin, has been charged with theft after she allegedly pocketed $43,000 (!) in subscription renewals.

Photoshopping images at the570.com for fun and profit

2008-02-21T15:41:00.005-05:00

An eagle-eyed reader of the new Times Shamrock entertainment site the570.com noticed that a picture of singer Nate Hosey of the band Maybe Someday was Photoshopped. Specifically, the "Weekender" on his t-shirt was turned into "Meekender." The image disappeared off the site this afternoon, though what appears to be purposeful blurring of the Weekender shirt appears in other images. Click on the "How About Today?" gallery. Stay classy, the570.com.

Scott Wasser returns to the TL

2008-02-21T15:02:00.004-05:00

Scott Wasser, onetime Wilkes-Barre Times Leader sports editor, is coming back into the fold – as managing editor for news and business. Joe Butkiewicz will be overseeing features and the weeklies. Not that the TL was going to get Joe Pulitzer to run the newsroom, but Wasser seems to have spent the last few years writing quasi-puff auto and home electronics stories for bottom feeders like Curtco's Digital TV and Electronic House. Wasser had also been doing PR for Wesley College in Dover, Del. It's not clear if the comment shown nearby – found among the comments in a Google cache version of a story Wasser wrote for Electronic House – has anything to do with his availability in Wilkes-Barre.

• John Plucenik writes about how Scott Wasser helped get him started on the TL sports desk