Former TL staffer Stephanie Bombay to wed museum boss

Former Times Leader reporter and editor Stephanie Bombay is to marry Jesse Teitelbaum, executive director of the Luzerne County Historical Society. Bombay is working for the American Cancer Society. Their announcement, in Sunday's newspaper, was the most e-mailed story of the day. Kudos to both.

Jessica Matthews named business editor at Times-Tribune

Jessica Matthews, formerly the special projects editor at The Times-Tribune of Scranton, has been named business editor at the newspaper. She replaces Jeff Sonderman, who became metro editor. Matthews has been at the newspaper eight years. Kudos.

Pottsville readers get sports "blog" to read

The Republican & Herald of Pottsville has introduced a new way for readers to get sports news, the newspaper announced Monday, and "all you’ll need is a computer and access to the Internet." There is even a chance – maybe – that "several blog entries" will be posted on "busy sports days," the Times Shamrock newspaper reports. This will be a day long remembered in Schuylkill County and beyond.

• Don't miss the first blog posts

You, too, could teach journalism at King's College

King's College in downtown Wilkes-Barre is looking for an "assistant technical professor in mass communications" who should have a master's degree and extensive journalism experience. Perhaps the successful applicant could get the Mass Communications Department beyond the single-page "currently under construction" department Web site.

Kevin Blaum files his first Times Leader column

Former state legislator and local political figure Kevin Blaum wrote his first Times Leader column on Sunday. Pure vanilla, no ax grinding. Though you have to wonder about someone held out as an authority on local politics but who evidently hasn't talked to the chairwoman of the county commissioners since he ran into her at the movies more than a year ago.

Richard Connor of the TL loves Obama

Times Leader Editor Richard Connor writes that "we need a bridge builder." Noted.

• In Fort Worth, Connor writes (again) about the rodeo

WNEP hires Erik Schrader as news director

Erik Schrader, formerly of KODE in Joplin, Mo. and most recently of WJCL/WGTS in Savannah, takes over for Dennis Fisher as WNEP news director, the Citizens' Voice reports.

Stacy Brown to give keynote address at Black History Month dinner

Stacy Brown, City Hall reporter for the Times-Tribune of Scranton, will be giving the keynote address at Lackawanna College's Black History Month dinner on Feb. 28. Cost is $45 per person, $80 per couple or $450 per table. Email melaniannews@msn.com for details. Brown's full bio, from the press release: "Stacy Brown, featured in the latest edition of Melanian News (Scranton's black newspaper) is the author of the upcoming New Orleans' Jazz biography series and the writer of the drama, "Chicago Times." He is a multiple award winning journalist who currently works for the Times-Tribune. Recently, he was recognized with a Managing Editor's Spot News Award from the Associated Press for his work on an $11 million federal art heist at the Everhart Museum and named NEPA's best journalist of 2007 by Electric City readers. He has previously worked for the Los Angeles Times in its groundbreaking community news division, the Los Angeles Daily News and remains a freelance analyst for NBC News and a contributor to the entertainment magazine Exit Weekly. Stacy has co-authored two exciting biographies, Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder's Mother (2002), which was named one of Essence Magazine's top 10 biographies of the year and Michael Jackson: The Man Behind The Mask, An Insider's Account of the King of Pop, which was named one of the top biographies of 2005 by The Final Call newspaper. He regularly appears on MSNBC and has also appeared on the Today Show, Dateline NBC, Imus In The Morning, The Wendy Williams Experience, Showbiz Tonight, Catherine Crier Live, The BBC, The Abrams Report, The Big Idea With Donny Deutsch, Countdown With Keith Olbermann, Fox News Channel's The Big Show as well as BET Nightly News and MTV."

WBRE to do noon news by itself, hires Miss USA finalist to do weather

WBRE will stop simulcasting WYOU's noon news and instead produce its own program at 11 a.m. But perhaps more notably, Kristi Capel -- the "reigning Miss Missouri 2006" -- has been on WBRE since the beginning on January.

• See Ms. Capel's MySpace page

Express-Times D.C. reporter to run for Congress

Easton doesn't exactly qualify as NEPA, but it's interesting news nonetheless. Read the memo:


TO: Staff
FROM: Joseph P. Owens, editor in chief

Longtime D.C. correspondent Bill Cahir submitted his resignation today and informed me he plans to run for Congress. Bill is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 5th District seat being vacated by Republican U.S. Rep John Peterson. The district includes Bill's native State College and big chunks of the state north and west of there. Bill's last day is today.

Bill has been covering D.C. for us since the late 1990s, first in partnership with our then-sister papers in York, Lebanon and Hanover Pa. and most recently with our sister papers in Woodbury, Bridgeton and Salem, N.J. As many of you know, Bill signed on with the Marine Corps shortly after 9/11 and has done two stints in Iraq. Aside from doing good work for us and numerous other newspapers in a very hectic environment, Bill is a really good guy. We'll miss him and his contributions.

We plan to begin the process of replacing Bill. It involves editors here and elsewhere, so I don't yet have a timetable. Anyone who wants to be considered for this job should drop me a note.

Your Pocono Record update

A correspondent reports:

"Pocono's Record's Prize-winning Editorial page editor Paula Heeschen, has been transferred back to reporter. Management says its temporary to train reporter Dave Pierce to do the job when Heeschen's on vacation. Heeschen, a veteran of more than 20 years, is outspoken in her views about the wholesale dumbing down of the paper under Executive editor Bill Watson and conservative publisher Jim Maxwell. perhaps. Her
editorials are generally liberal, so there is staff concern that Watson is easing her out, or down. Editorial staff has been slashed under Maxwell, both copy desk and reporter slots gone and additional assignment piled on editors. Part of circulation the function has been farmed out to a firm in Manila, Philippines. The paper is now owned by ultra conservative Australian Rupert Murdoch, who has vowed
to sell it soon."

W-B politico Kevin Blaum to write politics column for the TL

Kevin Blaum, a former state representative who is a big wheel in local politics, is going to be writing a column about politics in the Times Leader, publisher Richard Connor reported Sunday and reporter Rory Sweeney reported a few days before that. No word if this is a pay gig or if Blaum is renouncing political involvement.

Rory Sweeney's TL story

Meanwhile, in Fort Worth, Rich Connor misses the rodeo

T-S looking for copy editor for W-B/Hazleton

The Standard-Speaker is looking for a copy editor. Send applications to Larry Holeva in at the CV in Wilkes-Barre.

Gene Padden leaving NEPA for the Navy

Diamond City editor and former Weekender reporter (among other media gigs) Gene Padden is leaving the top job at Diamond City to become an intelligence officer for the Navy, Padden writes in his farewell column. "I won't be allowed to talk about my job, ever," he writes. Noted.
No word if he will be replaced or if DC will run as a subsidiary of Electric City.

Tribune Co.-run company takes over management of WNEP

A management company run by a Tribune Co. executive has taken over WNEP, Jerry Lynott of the Times Leader reports. The station was sold by The New York Times Co. last year to some rich guys at a private equity firm.

Scranton Times-Tribune adds comments to online stories

Readers may now comment on stories in The Times-Tribune of Scranton. Enjoy.

Former T-T reporter Lynne Shedlock named new Lackawanna Co. spokeswoman

Lynne Slack Shedlock, who covered Scranton City Hall until last year, is taking over as the spokeswoman for the new majority Lackawanna County commissioners. Previous press secretary Jenine Ikeler has been fired as part of the change in administrations.

Rich Connor of the TL on Luzerne County's agent of change

Times Leader Editor Richard Connor uses presidential politics to get into a column praising Maryanne Petrilla, a new county commissioner.

In the Ft. Worth Business Press, Connor writes about his close friend in New Hampshire who is a misogynist and possibly a bigot

Former TL, T-T reporters turn up on Iowa campaign trail

Former Times Leader and Times-Tribune reporters Mike McNarney and Lauren Roth ended up in The Des Moines Register after they spent their Christmas vacation trying to get their new baby's picture taken with everyone running for president during the recently-concluded Iowa caucuses.

Former WBRE reporter Kathy Bozinski fired from county job

Kathy Bozinski, the former WBRE reporter who has been working the past few years as a spokeswoman for the Luzerne County commissioners, has been fired, Jennifer Learn-Andes of the Times Leader reports. That's quite a picture the TL ran with the story.

WTF?!? Lane Filler is "Ask Mr. Smartypants"

So we were sitting here watching the Republican debate in South Carolina and we wondered, "Is Lane Filler involved in campaign coverage?" Little did we imagine how involved he was.

Open thread: Scranton firefighter, two others killed in a.m. blaze

Critique TV and print coverage of this morning's fatal Scranton fire here. Joe Pilchesky's Web site had the news at least two hours before the Times-Tribune did, though the newspaper and reporter Charles Schillinger had a thorough and complete report by late afternoon.

You, too, could be on the CV editorial board

The Citizens' Voice is looking for someone to join the newspaper's editorial board as a "community member." Contact Jim Gittens -- and not Mike McGlynn, pictured nearby -- for details.

Best story ever: CV carrier has first W-B baby of '08, was carrying papers up until the end

Denise Allabaugh has the story of Cari Hunsinger, the CV carrier who had the first Wilkes-Barre baby of 2008 and who was carrying papers the morning before the blessed event. "My mom delivers newspapers with me. My hips were starting to hurt. I get out and walk a lot," she tells the CV. "Last night, I fell on the ice. That probably helped speed this up.”

Jen Marckini resurfaces at the TL

Former Scranton Times-Tribune reporter Jen Marckini, who left the Scranton paper recently, has resurfaced in Wilkes-Barre. She had a five-paragraph story in yesterday's paper about a Kingston stabbing.

Pocono Record = " Innovative, high-performance media group"

So says an ad on journalismjobs.com, which seeks an "Internet-oriented journalist." E-mail Tom DeSchriver at tdeschriver@poconorecord.com for details.

Corbett gets it up the ass

WILK talk-show host Steve Corbett holds forth on his blog about his recent trip to the doctor and about the importance of the regular colonoscopy.

Rich Connor of the TL on immigration and on Christmas

Times Leader Editor Richard Connor writes about immigration in his Sunday Times Leader column. Immigration = good. Fear = bad.

In Fort Worth, Connor writes about the joys of parenthood

The Scranton Times-Tribune is looking for an assistant sports editor

Do you have a creative approach to the Web? Then apply to become an assistant sports editor at The Times-Tribune of Scranton!

"The cheapest man in the whole world:" Bill Lynett

So writes V. Scott Beddome, a Wisconsin radio guy quoting fellow radio guy Lee Arnold. Beddome is publishing - on his blog - the story of how a group of Milwaukee radio guys tried to trick The Who into playing in Milwaukee. Surely an item of interest to broadcast people.

Randy Shemanski named new Electric City editor

Times-Tribune assistant sports editor – and University of Scranton pitching coach and recruiting coordinator – Randy Shemanski will take over the entertainment weekly Electric City from Matt Smith, who is working on the new site the570.com.




Read Shemanski's linkedin page

Check out the Web site Electric City Editor Matt Smith has been working on

The TL's Connor writes about his little girl, Santa Claus and a kid named Buster

Times Leader editor Richard Connor tells readers about Santa, Virginia O'Hanlon and the old New York Sun. Merry Christmas.

Former WBRE weather guy contemplating run for elected office

Vince Sweeney, who used to do the weather on WBRE, is apparently making noise on his blog (click above) about following the paths of Keith Martin and Frank Andrews Shimkus to Harrisburg and/or going on to Washington. Judging by the blog – “I never saw a chestnut roasting on an open fire until I was probably in my 20s. It made for a great lyric in a marvelous song, but chestnuts roasting was never part of my reality” – he'll fit right in.

Connor: Debit card guys are innocent until proven guilty

In another rousing defense of vigorous journalism, Times Leader Editor Richard Connor writes that "the presumption of innocence in these matters would be a refreshing return to values of the past and gentler, less skeptical times." Skepticism. Who needs it?

“We pay overtime. We are very scrupulous about paying overtime."

UPDATE: Joe Strupp wrote a story published this afternoon in Editor & Publisher. Read it here. Also, Romenesko linked to the TL story.

It's go time. In Tuesday's editions, the Times Leader reports on the federal investigation of overtime practices in the newsroom of The Times-Tribune of Scranton. Editor Larry Beaupre says the newspaper is very scrupulous about paying overtime. Former reporter Sarah Molina told TL reporter Sherry Long that "Times-Tribune reporters often worked 14-hour days and 50-to-60-hour weeks without receiving overtime pay or additional days off."

Um. So. Either Beaupre (who also called the story a "rumor") (?) or Molina is lying. Kudos to Molina for being willing to go on the record, though she'll probably be crucified for her courage.

Federal probe of Scranton Times-Tribune widens

Former reporters of the Times-Tribune of Scranton have started getting phone calls from U.S. Department of Labor investigators inquiring into how the newspaper handled overtime. Letters had been arriving in mailboxes for a few weeks. The letters, from investigator Joseph Sabol in the department's Scranton office (570-961-2636), begin: "We are making an investigation of this firm to determine if it is complying with the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act.... In doing so, it is customary to ask some of the present and former employees for certain information by direct correspondence. The fact that we are asking for this information does not imply that this firm has violated any law."

The letter asks the respondent's duties, regular hours, and place of work. It also asks how often the person worked overtime and whether the person was paid for overtime.

Click above to see scans of the letter.

BREAKING: Feds investigating overtime practices at Scranton Times-Tribune

Letters have started landing in the mailboxes of former Scranton Times-Tribune staffers -- letters from the federal government inquiring about how the newspaper handled overtime. At least two former reporters have received letters, we're told. More as it happens.

Welcome Roja Heydarpour to the Scranton Times-Tribune

Well. The New York Times to The Times-Tribune of Scranton isn't a career track you see every day. But welcome to Roja Heydarpour, a Columbia University grad school product who has her own real Wikipedia page. Kudos.

Update: Lest anyone think Heydarpour was exiled to Scranton, read the glowing memo circulated in the Times newsroom upon her departure:

Roja Heydarpour is jumping from the NYT ship to become a full time reporter at the Scranton Times-Tribune. Today (Nov. 16) is her last day.

As Sewell Chan pointed out in an e-mail, "Northeastern Pennsylvania had better watch out."

Roja came to us almost two years ago, while still pursuing her master's at Columbia, and has been a rock solid anchor on the Metro desk ever since. No matter what chaotic news event broke out around here, she was there to calmly keep the desk humming along, providing a patient, steady presence for Metro reporters and editors. You never saw her sweat.

Take a moment to reflect on just how many phone calls Roja has answered during her dayside Metro tenure.

Most recently, she began contributing blog postings to City Room and moderating reader comments, gracefully incorporating new web duties into her often hectic day. "Roja has been a vital part of the city room blog since it launched in June," Sewell said. "She juggles blogging and comment moderation with her other duties in a way that seems effortless."

True. So let's toast her, shall we. Come raise a glass in her honor today at 4 p.m. in the conference room near my office. Just wander over toward Margaux's desk and you'll find it.

And that's just the appetizer. Roja asks that you join her afterwards, any time after 5:30, at Cafe Andalucia on Ninth Avenue between 39th and 40th. She'll be there into the wee hours.

Steven

Christopher J. Kelly goes to Wal-Mart

Have you heard of these "Bratz" dolls? They are dolls that look slutty. They are called "ghetto dolls" by some, Christopher J. Kelly reports in his Times-Tribune column. Crazy! We stopped reading at the word "anyhoo."

Richard Connor: Debit-card story is overblown, competition is overrated

Rich Connor's Sunday column is a keeper. How would you like to work all week on the big story in town, pick up the Sunday paper and read this from your boss?

• "We lost focus."

• "My fear has been that we might rush either another story or an editorial into print to avoid being “beaten” by other media.

• "It is difficult and perhaps unfair to criticize debit card users when there was no set of rules to follow."

Slurp. Guzzle. And so on. The accompanying staff editorial minimizes the story, and includes this gem: "Skrepenak should think back to his football days. Right now, the county’s in the fourth quarter with little time left on the clock. Will he retreat to the sidelines? Or will he make the big play and lead the county to fiscal responsibility?" Calling Joe Pulitzer!

Open thread: Advice for Jeff Sonderman

Sunday's Times-Tribune carried a story (click above) announcing Jeff Sonderman's promotion to metro editor. For no reason, an assemblage of such stories:

"Jeff Sonderman has an outstanding track record as a reporter and editor and will do a great job as The Times-Tribune continues to expand its local news coverage in print and online at www.thetimes-tribune.com." – Larry Beaupre on Sonderman, 12/07

"Stephen Daily is an outstanding journalist who has been instrumental in the development of one of the best newspaper business sections in the country.... We look forward to his leadership as The Times-Tribune and Citizens’ Voice continue to expand business and personal finance coverage in Northeastern Pennsylvania." – Beaupre on Daily, 4/06

"We were looking for someone with experience in business news and strong editing skills with imagination and leadership ability." – Beaupre on Fred Reinecke, 1/05

"It is a pleasure to turn over responsibility for local news coverage to an editor with the experience, background, talent and integrity of Ken Knelly." – Beaupre on Knelly, 10/04

"Mr. Knelly comes from a newspaper with a distinguished business section and he, himself, has an outstanding reputation as a business editor and journalist." – Beaupre on Knelly, 9/03

Any management advice for the new editor? Career advice? Job leads?

Scranton Times-Tribune names new metro editor

Jeff Sonderman has been named the new metro editor of The Times-Tribune of Scranton. Kudos. His linkedin resume (click above) has already been updated. Impressive. His Wikipedia page (!) (click below) has already been deleted. No word on a successor for business editor.

Jeff Sonderman's Wikipedia page

Hazleton is en fuego

First, the penis on the high school football field is picked up by Gizmodo, Gawker Media's gadget blog. Then Gawker's consumerist blog inexplicably runs an awful vintage commercial for the Game Store at Laurel Mall in Hazleton.

Watch the commercial at consumerist.com

Corbett: I love, love, love the TL

We understand that Corbett posted this blog piece a cool two weeks ago. But "I’ll always be part of the Times Leader" is too good to pass up. Corbett blogs about his love for the paper at the same time as the big birthday party, though it seems he didn't attend.

Joe Sylvester leaves Scranton for the Times Leader

Longtime Pittston reporter Joe Sylvester, who had recently been covering Old Forge and surrounding towns, has left The Times-Tribune of Scranton for the copy desk of the Times Leader. Kudos.

Kudos to the Voice and reporter Michael Buffer

Kudos to the Citizens' Voice, which broke the story this week of the prison official who put his trip to a Vegas nudie bar on a county debit card. Reporter Michael Buffer has been on the case from the beginning, and in Monday's editions writes about how another $2,700 in charges from the same guy - Sam Hyder - are also suspicious. The story has been on the state wires.

It's been funny to read the CV lead the story, read Steve Corbett credit the Voice, and then read the TL credit Corbett.

Court upholds firing of Scranton Times-Tribune source

A state attorney general's agent who fed information about a grand jury investigation to the Scranton Times-Tribune has failed in his bid to get his job back. The Commonwealth Court ruled that James Kolojejchick -- who was fired and later jailed because of information he shared with newspaper editor John Murphy -- knew what he was doing when he told investigators that he hadn't been in contact with the newspaper. The contact was about a story the newspaper wrote that generated a still-pending libel suit.

The court writes: "The newspaper editor needed a second source to confirm the story
published in January 2004 in order to mitigate the newspapers’ exposure in the
lawsuit. The newspaper editor met with [Kolojejchick] in December 2004. [Kolojejchick] told the editor that he had heard from the OAG attorney conducting the grand jury investigation that the Commissioners had testified in an evasive manner. In response to a further plea from the editor, [Kolojejchick] put this information in the form of an affidavit."

Kolojejchick was fired, and his union took the case to arbitration and lost. This case was an unsuccessful appeal of that arbitrator's ruling.

Read the Commonwealth Court ruling in full

Hazleton penis made famous by Google Maps

Has everyone else noticed that Google recently upgraded their northeastern Pennsylvania images -- and now you can see the penis vandals created on high-school football field in Hazleton a few years ago. The Standard-Speaker wrote about this in a story Saturday that will undoubtedly make it's way through the Internets in the coming days. A tipster passed along this bigtentailgate.com item.

Read the S-S story

Richard Connor on what makes a good publisher

The only reason we're posting this three-week-old column from Fort Worth is because Times Leader Publisher Richard Connor holds forth on newspapers and publishers. Regarding the new publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Connor writes: "The first test of common sense and business acumen for new publisher Gary Wortel will be to see how long he puts up with the lunacy emanating from the newspaper’s third-floor newsroom." Nice!

Richard Connor sees dead people

The Times Leader editor writes (in a rerun of a 1994 piece) about how his first news job was writing obits. Why do these columns run in Fort Worth but not Wilkes-Barre?

A little story about little WGBI-AM of Scranton

While hunting for art for the WEJL item (see below), we found a wonderful item from the radio site flybush.com about radio station WGBI, which started broadcasting in 1925 from a tiny building on Davis Street in Scranton -- between Colliery Avenue and McCarthy Street. It's a fun read by a guy who clearly knows about and loves radio. He visits the top of the Times-Tribune building in the process.

Ode to the antenna atop the Times-Tribune building

Cheryl Kashuba of the Lackawanna Historical Society writes a nice piece about the history of the Christmas lights on the WEJL tower. Did you know: Santa used to arrive atop the Times building in a helicopter?

Photo: Erin Nissley's flickr page