The Citizens' Voice is looking for a sports writer

You, too, could be covering Wyoming Seminary field hockey and the occasional King's College wrestling match. The CV is advertising on journalismjobs.com that they'll consider "entry-level reporters with strong journalism backgrounds." Call today!

Electric City is looking for an editor

Times Shamrock's Electric City is looking for a new editor after Matt Smith took a promotion overseeing Times Shamrock's weekly and alt-weekly Web operations. Smith actually announced this in his column at the end of October, but we missed it amidst the wall-to-wall Office coverage.

Correction: We first wrote that Smith would be running all TS Web operations. A commenter pointed out the error. Apologies.

Charlie Weiss is dead

We're embarrassed to have missed this, but Wilkes-Barre homeless man Charlie Weiss died in early October at a Hazleton nursing home. Charlie was perhaps Wilkes-Barre's best-known homeless resident. Steve Corbett eulogized him on his WILK blog last week.

Corbett: When Times Leader colleagues mocked me for writing about Weiss, "I felt like I was being eaten alive by rats in the newsroom."

Photographer Gary Clark's memorial page

A powerful 2004 All Things Considered piece about Clark's work shooting Wilkes-Barre homeless men

Photo by Gary Clark

Only in NEPA: Folks confuse Stacy Brown with Al Roker

We've been meaning to pass this along, but Electric City noted a couple weeks ago that during the Office convention people had a hard time keeping Times-Tribune reporter Stacy Brown and NBC Today weatherman Al Roker straight. Classic.

Frank Andrews Shimkus: "I can't even get a pencil"

Former WYOU news director and current state representative Frank Andrews Shimkus denies to Electric City (!) that he's living in sin with wife-to-be Gabrielle Prutisto or that he got her a job in Harrisburg. Crazy talk, he says. P.S: She'll be wearing a Vera Wang dress, the ceremony will probably be at St. Luke's in downtown Scranton, the reception at the Scranton Cultural Center, and Fast Eddie will be on the guest list.

Welcome Charles Schillinger to the Times-Tribune

The York Newspaper Company has completed their recent trade with the Times-Tribune of Scranton by sending reporter Charles Schillinger to the Times-Tribune. Schillinger, a 2003 graduate of York College of Pennsylvania, later reported on The Daily Review in Towanda and the Hanover Evening Sun -- isn't that where the potato chips come from? -- as well as The York Dispatch (not the YDR as reported here earlier). Schillinger was recognized by the PNA for his reporting on the shooting deaths of two Bradford County sheriff's deputies in 2005. Welcome.

Chris Kelly talks with a guy who showed up at the newspaper to talk about a piece of wood that looks like E.T.

"Journalists wait their entire careers for a story like this to stroll through the front door," Kelly writes." Since there were no journalists around, I went down to the front desk to talk with the man."

Connor: Merry Christmas, you broken-down old Public Square

More from Times Leaderr Publisher Richard Connor who writes -- again -- about the newspaper giving away 100 grand to local charities. Kudos.

Times-Tribune doing something or other with Zillow.com

We've been getting Google news alerts about this for days. Something about T-T house ads going on Zillow. Yawn.

U. of Scranton j-prof's blog on Merrill flap picked up by Romenesko

Matthew Reavy, who teaches journalism at Da U, blogged about the John Merrill flap this week, and his thoughts were posted on Jim Romenesko's Poynter Institute site. Kudos.

Times-Tribune looking for a Web producer

Ed Pikulski of the Scranton Times-Tribune is advertising for an "online content producer." Hiring is immediate. E-mail EPikulski@timesshamrock.com to apply.

Times Shamrock employees on undercover video

The Orlando Sentinel has video of Times Shamrock employees at Orlando Weekly talking about alleged prostitution ads. Not exactly the Pentagon Papers, but whatever.

Frank Andrews Shumkus and Gabrielle Prutisto make it official

Former WYOU reporters Frank Shimkus -- who went by a fake name, Frank Andrews, much of his working life -- and Gabrielle Prutisto spent $370,000 (!) on a house at 61 Schoolside Drive in Throop, the Times-Tribune reported in the agate type last week. The very Rev. Andrews, or Shimkus, got elected to the House a year ago. Not long after, Gabrielle got a job in the House Democratic PR office. Crazy how that happened.

The funny thing is that the same day The Times reported the real-estate transaction in the court notes, it ran an item in the main news pages:

It’s BBC Day

"Today is Baptist Bible College & Seminary Day in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and in Lackawanna County.

"A statewide designation, sponsored by Rep. Frank Andrews Shimkus, D-South Abington Township, created the day in the Keystone State.

"The resolution comes as BBC&S marks its 75th anniversary this year and was passed unanimously by the state House of Representatives. The day comes “with respect for Baptist Bible’s leadership cultivation and community outreach,” according to the resolution."

Connor gets Jann Wenner, Ulysses S. Grant and Public Square all into one piece

Times Leader Publisher Richard Connor talks about the newspaper's scheme to give money to charity and also about George W. Bush. Word.

Open election thread: Who carried the coverage?

Comment here about election coverage both Tuesday on the Web and on Wednesday in print and online. Kudos to The Times-Tribune for monitoring the clusterfuck ballot-counting operation in Lackawanna County -- and kudos to reporter Dave Singleton, who played along with making the de rigeur "nothing's going on" video for the paper's Web site.

Who wants to buy The Morning Call?

Romenesko is reporting that The Morning Call is reporting that the New Yorker is reporting that someone wants to buy the Allentown newspaper from new owner Sam Zell, though no one is saying who.

Cordaro/Munchak campaign goes after Times-Tribune objectivity

The Cordaro-Munchak campaign is circulating a letter to Times-Tribune Editor Larry Beaupre complaining that a newspaper executive has donated to the Washo-O'Brien campaign and that a co-owner of Times-Shamrock is law partners with O'Brien's uncle. Didn't this come up in the primary? Anyway, click above to read the letter to Beaupre from Munchak-Cordaro campaign boss Damon Bowen.

Rich Connor of the TL sends off a longtime downtown W-B merchant

Times Leader Publisher Richard Connor continues his love-in for the golden early 80s in Wilkes-Barre with his eulogy for a former South Main Street corridor merchant who died recently.

Mark Sowers joins Times Leader Web team

Welcome Mark Sowers to the Times Leader Web team. Sowers had been working in weather and doing Web work at WNEP. No word on his dope remote control helicopter skillz.

Check the Sowers blog at WNEP

Check Mark's desktop wallpaper site

Ed Christine lands at the AP

News for the doubters and haters: Ed Christine is working as an assistant sports editor for the AP. Watch this video of Ed sharing his take -- or reading from a script -- on today's Colts-Patriots NFL game.