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.

Connor of the TL on Starbucks and managing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WNEP's Andy Palumbo has a blog. Enjoy.

Cap Cities-era TL vet gets online media job

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

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

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.