"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

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."

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.

Connor of the TL on Starbucks and managing

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

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

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.

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

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.

Richard Connor of the TL: Hillary wins Penna.

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

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

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

Rich Connor of the TL: The New York Times sucks

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

Rich Connor of the TL: I can't print the bad word an anonymous friend called Hillary

Times Leader Editor Richard Connor writes he needs Hillary to be the Democratic nominee to fire him up about voting for McCain. She is also an "untamed shrew." Um. Well. Next week: Connor writes that Barack is clean and articulate.

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

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

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 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.

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?

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!

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?

Times Leader sets world record for self-aggrandizement

Jesus. Where do you start? There's the relentless reminding of readers that the Times Leader loves Wilkes-Barre so much that it's giving away $100,000, $25 at a time. There's the over-the-top Web coverage -- one story, two video clips, three photo galleries. There's reporter Bill O'Boyle, whose "story" is the biggest wet kiss yet for the man who signs his paycheck, Richard Connor. And, finally, there is the lead art both online and above the fold: Connor blowing out birthday candles. This dude makes Allison Walzer look like the most humble motherfucker ever.

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.