AFTERNOON UPDATE ** – * IT TAKES SIX…

SCOTCH AND CIGARS?

     This article was in today’s print edition but is not yet online.

     I will come back to this on Tuesday, but two quick things today:

— These candidate financial reports are only available in person and that is not acceptable. The state races are online and so should the races in Lancaster County. I was told by the Board of Elections that they are not online and cannot be faxed or emailed – you can only get them in person. Why? This is important information that everyone has a right to!

— Someone very nicely emailed me the statements they had obtained in person (thank you). It was the weekend before the election and I simply did not have the time to go through them. But from the LNP article there is this regarding Danene Sorace:

     She received 16 donations of $1,000 or more, by far the most among the three candidates. That includes $11,500 from a half-dozen donors affiliated with Benchmark Construction Co., the workplace of her husband, Christian Recknagel. Recknagel is credited with an in-kind contribution of $705 in scotch and cigars for a fundraiser, part of $1,192 in total in-kind donations.

     And below are the top contributors to her campaign according to LNP. Yes, there is Dale High! Sorace led the vote to give LNP and High millions of dollars for their Marriott Hotel expansion right before she announced her candidacy in LNP!

     Have a great holiday and please check back on Tuesday!

********

**  The deer video is going viral! It’s also on the “People of Lancaster” Facebook page and there is the below exchange. There is a belief that this is the same man as the one in the infamous LNP story, “Lititz restaurant couple charged with selling deer parts on streets of New York, having parts in restaurant,” (click here).
     Please note: this has not been confirmed!

OH, DEER!

    When you think you’ve seen it all. A man loads a deer that was killed in the city last night into his car on East Orange Street this morning (click here to see the video)! 

*******

OR TEN & HATE CRIMES?

     This is a front page story in LNP’s print edition of today’s paper and an “insider” story online (click here).

     I wish reporter Susan Baldrige would cite the actual law, because if you remember, it took ten times for this man to be jailed (click here – and yes that is by Brett Hambright who is now paid by the public to be District Attorney Craig Stedman’s spokesperson).

     Sadly, the Columbia Spy is reporting another incident of vandalism in Columbia (click here).

* SURE LOSER?

QUESTION THE DICK?

*    Reader Butch Black asks if some bumpy roads in the city will be repaved any time soon.
      Specifically, he wonders about Hershey Avenue from Manor Avenue to Fairview Avenue, and Prince Street from King “the whole way down to the split at Willow Street and Fairview Avenue.”
     Charlotte Katzenmoyer, director of public works for the city, said Hershey Avenue will be repaired in phases over the next few years. The section from Prospect to Fairview will be resurfaced in 2019, she said, while the segment from Manor to Wabank is on the list for 2020.
From last Sunday’s LNP “Watchdog” column by Tom Knapp (click here).
      Isn’t that reassuring? Three years from now? Is she serious? Shouldn’t Knapp be a real watchdog and reporter and ask, “What the hell?”
     But apparently she is very serious so today Mayor Dick tries to blame it on the state!
     Someone at LNP should fact check the mayor’s claims.
The opening sentence of a comment on Lancaster Online under today’s LNP story by Tim Stuhlderher, “State funding formula, utility projects bedevil Lancaster’s efforts to keep streets in good repair,” (click here).
     Say what? You want LNP to question Mayor Dick? They haven’t in 12 years because the Dick got them their convention center/Marriott Hotel and gave them $9 million more in the last year alone! Why would LNP question their benefactor? He’s been lying for years!

********

MAYOR DICK:
TOTALLY WITHOUT MERIT!

     Several people have asked me (and Kevin Ressler) if he is going to run as an independent. This was his answer on his Facebook page several days ago:

     Speaking of sore losers, I love this quote from Mayor Dick under the LNP “insider” story, “Lawsuit details Lancaster firefighters union’s complaint over re-hiring of Gregg as acting chief,” (click here):

     This is a sure sign Mayor Dick is worried! Spin it, Dick!

AFTERNOON UPDATE – * INVESTIGATE DA STEDMAN!

PUBLIC OR PUBIC:
SAY WHAT?

      A few years back Ron Harper published a great cartoon depicting Dale High, John Buckwalter and Rufus Fulton with the heads buried in the pubic trough. We need to make some room for this guy.
Posted on Lancaster Online under the story by Tim Stuhldreher, “Meet Frank Wiczkowski, founder of MAW Communications, the company behind LanCity Connect,” (click here).
     Yes, add Frank to that list! There will be much more on MAW Communications and LanCity Connect coming after the holiday. And sometimes you don’t realize the typo until you closely re-read the comment (it happens to me everyday on this site) but I think that should be public – not pubic! LOL!
     And on that topic, sort-of (gasp!), I am told that the Lancaster City Police conducted a prostitution sting last night on Water Street, so expect lots of “John” mugshots in the next few days. The police can’t solve murders and shootings but they do seem to be good at catching “Johns!”
     Now back to Tim Stuhldreher. I have been wondering since January why LNP laid off Dan Nephin, who covered city hall, and replaced him with Stuhldreher. I would imagine they were both making about the same salary and I didn’t think you could get anyone better at butt-kissing than Dan! But I have been proven wrong once again! Stuhldreher, who is still listed in their “Contact Us” as a higher education reporter, is not only good at butt-kissing but he is also seriously deceiving the public about the MAW Communications deal and it is absolutely disgusting.
     And regarding his and LNP’s reporting about the primary, Norman Bristol Colon posted this on his mayoral candidate Facebook page:
      Yes, apparently Tim is not too good with numbers (LNP must be so proud)! Both Colon and Ressler still have their candidate Facebook pages up and I hope they keep them up and comment during this election season. Both still have more “likes” than Danene Sorace; she is at 1,005, Ressler leads with 1,434 and Colon has 1,238 as of 3:40 pm today.
     The Republican candidate, Cindy Stewart, who was impressive during the primary debates, is at 314 and Independent Tony Dastra has 229 “likes.”
     Dastra is doing the wonderful job of live-streaming city council meetings on the “See-thru City – Lancaster, PA” Facebook page and if you really, really want to hear Mayor Gray say “quite frankly” you will be thrilled to know he does it in the May 23rd meeting and says a lot of other corny and stupid things too (click here)!

********

*  Mugshot released!

James P. Irvin III

BLATANT
WHITE PRIVILEGE!

(Click here)

 — 35 Charges – including 4 felonies – $100,000 Bail – Multiple media outlets are reporting he has already posted bail and is free.

—  No mugshot of James P. Irvin III.

— No Obstruction of Justice charges against his parents for hiding him from the law for days.

Please check back later today.

*** BREAKING NEWS *** * LOOK IN THE MIRROR, ALEX!

*** BREAKING NEWS *** 

      The Reading School District took Frank Wiczkowski, the owner of MAW Communications, to court in 2001 for back taxes he owed in the amount of $1,954.55. Lancaster city is loaning MAW $1.5 million and plans to pay them over an additional $3 million for LanCity Connect.
     This site previously published that MAW Communications’ assets seem to consist of their building valued at $89,000 in Reading.

Please check back tomorrow.

*******

MURSE: SO MANY SECRETS!

Murse

     One of the most shocking turns in the Murry case was when Tom Murse, LNP’s content editor and now also the editor of The Caucus, used the above photos of the Manheim Township School Board members with “STILL KEEPING SECRETS”” as his Twitter profile. Murse has kept the fact that Lancaster Police Chief Keith Sadler’s ex-wife states in a book that he beat her a secret from the public for years 

BEGS THE QUESTION?

Murry

AFTERNOON UPDATE – BREAKING NEWS *** CHECK THEIR EMPLOYEE LIST!

 “THIS IS NOT RIGHT
THIS IS NOT JUSTICE!”

Rev. Willie E. Shell, Sr.

  
     Since LNP in not going to have The Caucus investigate the $9 million in taxpayer money going to them, I will. So posting here will be very sporadic and rare until Tuesday, May 30th.
     Back to yesterday’s Unity Rally and Rev. Willie E. Shell, Sr. Among the poems, the songs and the personal stories and journeys that we have all heard so many times, Shell just went up to the podium and spoke solid truth.
     He said (click here and the entire event is available on the “NAACP – Lancaster PA Branch” Facebook page):
     But what about us? What about us? When we sit in our comfort zone, when we work on jobs and we see people are not being treated equally and we won’t step up. You see, we won’t step out of our comfort zone and say that’s wrong.
     Exactly. Mayor Gray is the perfect example and on top of that a total hypocrite. He knows LNP discriminates and has for years. They can’t hide it. Their reporters have to go out into the street and they run a photo of the reporter with every story online. Gray is a liar and a hypocrite but he’s not blind or stupid. He knows damn well.
But Mayor Gray didn’t and doesn’t care. Because LNP has the incredible power of being the monopoly press in Lancaster County. And if you “cross” them – you will not be in office for long! So, one day after first being elected mayor, Gray turned on the people who elected him and made a deal with racist LNP for their convention center/hotel. And for almost twelve years he has been in bed with the company that is most directly responsible for the rampant racism in Lancaster County.
      And city council, unbelievably, has looked the other way as well. They have not stood up and said “This is not right! We will not tolerate this in our city.”
     Schell also said:
      See, I worked for large corporations and one of the things that I was told is that I was a racist, I was a bigot, I hated. Why? Because I said this is not right. This is not just. You see, injustice  begins with us. That’s where it’s at. When I can tell my boss, “This is not right.” When I can go to management and say, “Hey, why is this guy allowed to make this amount of money and this guy is allowed to make this amount of money? Why do you have fourteen hundred blue and white collar workers on the job and you have no African Americans, no Hispanics?”
     …This is not right! This is not justice! We have to look at ourselves because it starts here.
     And Pennsylvania has an ethics code that states that companies that discriminate are not eligible for state funds. And that means LNP!
     And people need to speak up now and say, “This is not right, this is not justice! We will not tolerate this!” LNP cannot be allowed to continue to discriminate and they are not eligible for state funds!

*** BREAKING NEWS ***

    Crews are tearing down the three buildings on East King Street this morning for LNP’s Marriott Hotel expansion (please turn the sound off for the video – complications!).

NO ONE CALLS THEM OUT!

     Less than three years ago, this editorial cartoon that went national is the exact moment when LNP went from being openly racist to trying to pretend they aren’t racist. And for all these years no one has called them out on it (except this site) and they still don’t – and the worst offenders are Mayor Gray, other city and county leaders and the city council members.

Please check back later today.

*** – ** – * I DON’T TAKE THINGS DOWN…

THE ELEPHANT
 AT THE RALLY!

      I want to make a couple of things clear – and then I want to come back to what Mayor Gray and  Rev. Willie Shell said in there speeches yesterday.
— I think yesterday’s Unity Rally was great and so was the turnout. With that said – the following disclaimers:
    — I don’t think it’s that hard to draw a lot of people who are outraged when the KKK is in the county. Their history of violence and hate based on skin color is simply unfathomable to most decent people.
    — Sadly, there were very few African Americans or Latinos in the crowd. Where were the black ministers and reverends and their congregations? Where were the Latinos? I don’t believe that the NAACP has been active or vocal enough and a lot of people who are directly affected have given up on them.
     — When I went up to Lancaster under the exact same scenario in 2001, over a dozen black ministers sat on the old courthouse steps and said they would not allow the Klan to walk through their city. They did not threaten violence – they simply took to the steps and it was an incredibly powerful and brave statement. And the Klan did not walk through the city – they changed their plans and reportedly met on a farm in – you guessed it – Quarryville!
     — Those ministers were missing this time and, once again, I think most of it is the lack of action and involvement by the Lancaster NAACP. Minorities are being arrested more often – are being charged more heavily – have their bail set higher and are sentenced to longer terms of imprisonment than whites. It has been going on for years and it has to stop. Justice must be equal!
     — The pictures of Ressler and Police Chief Sadler were posted here for “fun” yesterday – but I have serious comments about Sadler. This was a rare public showing for the chief and I think he is desperate to keep his job following the mayoral election! The crowd gave him a big cheer and applause – but this man is also an alleged wife-beater (stated by his ex-wife in a book available everywhere), he has failed to diversify the force and failed to solve multiple murders and serious crimes. I don’t think the applause is warranted but few people are aware of his circumstances because of the Lancaster Newspaper’s failure to inform the public.
     — And then there is LNP (the Lancaster Newspapers) – the elephant in the room in all of this – their Marriott Hotel and soon to be “expansion” is less than a block away from the rally site and their literal ivory tower offices are a block-and-a-half away. And there will be much more on that to come.

******

STEDMAN DECEIVES!

     This post by District Attorney Craig Stedman on their Facebook page may have caused part of the “problem” between myself and Blanding Watson. Stedman states the NAACP was involved in the whole over two month “process.” Watson told me over the phone that their only involvement was that the family wanted the NAACP to be present when the DA showed them all the evidence immediately prior to his press conference. Watson agreed and attended.
     Was the DA purposely misleading to help bolster his “case.” It would certainly seem so and he needs to be called on the carpet for it and the NAACP should have issued a statement clarifying the situation.

******

TWO DAY SUSPENSION?

YOU TAKE THINGS UP!

Watson

      On Tuesday, April 11th of this year, I wrote the following on this site (click here for the original):

       I saw Blanding Watson of the NAACP come out of the room with the family prior to the DA’s press conference to the “press.”
      Is Watson going to issue a statement regarding this? Is he going to do one thing about this 18-year-old being killed or is he going to sweep it under the rug the way he has in the past? If he doesn’t make a public statement regarding this, he should be removed by the NAACP.
     That Friday, April 14th at 8:30 am in the morning, I received a call from a “private” number. It was Blanding Watson (I already had his super secret private number and he knew it) and he asked me to “take it down.” I told him I don’t “take things down” unless they are factually incorrect.
      And then he used the words “defamation” and “libel” with me. I told him to “go for it!”
    The District Attorney’s office may have instigated the problem with their statement trying to indicate the NAACP was more involved than they actually were – and I will discuss that, the NAACP in Lancaster and their Unity Rally yesterday that failed miserably to draw African Americans and Latinos later today.

* SADLER STEPS OUT FOR THE DAY!

*    There were very few African-Americans or Latinos at today’s Unity event sponsored by the NAACP. Why? And I was not impressed with the speeches! There will be a full report tomorrow.

WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?

      Kevin Ressler and Police Chief Keith Sadler talk at today’s Unity Event. (Oh, and that’s LNP reporter Tim Stuhlderher on the right.)

AFTERNOON UPDATE ** – * & THE LANCASTER CITY POLICE!

VERY BAD BEHAVIOR!

      This was one of hundreds of comments about the video of the Mount Joy Police Officer but I think this poster nailed it.
    No, we don’t know what happened prior to the video and we don’t know for sure if the officer hit the man or just knocked his phone. But neither action is acceptable and the incident needs to be investigated.
TERRIBLE DEJA VU
     Tomorrow the KKK is reportedly meeting in Quarryville and the NAACP is having a rally on the old courthouse steps. This is scarily deja vu for me. It was the exact same scenario the day I was going to Lancaster to hand out the printed, special edition of the Lancaster Independent Press – “Lancaster Lynching – 20 years later.”
Please check back tomorrow.

LYING HYPOCRITES
 (AND CRIMINALS!)

 **   We’re here to protect your right to information and to safeguard your access to the policies and procedures that impact your life. So, when local municipal officials make important hiring decisions out of public view, without public input, we have to call them on it. That’s our job.
From today’s LNP’s editorial mentioned below which has not been posted online in its normal spot but is available – click here.
     What about when public officials break the law to give LNP millions of dollars for their for-profit, off the tax-rolls Marriott Hotel expansion – don’t you have to call them on it? Don’t you have to report on it? Isn’t it your job?
     What a bunch of lying hypocrites! They are an absolute disgrace to journalism!

********

* Click here to view the video.

WHO IS FOOTING THE BILLS
FOR LNP’S MARRIOTT HOTEL?

     From yesterday’s LNP “insider” story, “Former Lancaster city police Sgt. Ray Corll to serve sentence in York County Prison,” (click here).
     Six years ago today, Spencer Houston was shot to death in his home. His murder has never been solved:

      And today, the editors at LNP in an editorial that is not yet online, have the unmitigated gall to say this after stating journalists will meet at the Lancaster Marriott for the next two days (also see yesterday’s post immediately below on this site):

 Please check back later today.

AFTERNOON UPDATE – WHO CONTROLS LANCASTER?

THE WORDING IS CLEAR!

        Susan Baldrige              Randy Patterson      Thomas Baldrige  

      From the CRIZ Bylaws and the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission:
     “Conflict” or “conflict of interest.” Use by a public official or public employee of the authority of his office or employment or any confidential information received through his holding public office or employment for the private pecuniary benefit of himself, a member of his immediate family or a business with which he or a member of his immediate family is associated.
     This states “associated.” It does not state the family member has to have an ownership interest in the business.
     This is apparently over the heads (sarcasm) of the Gray administration – specifically Randy Patterson, the Lancaster CRIZ Authority Board and the Lancaster City Council members.
     Thomas Baldrige, a CRIZ Authority Board Member, voted to give his wife’s employer, LNP, millions of dollars.
     Randy Patterson tried to argue that Susan Baldrige does not have an ownership interest in LNP. It does not matter. What part of the word “associated” does he fail to understand/choose to ignore? It is an obvious ethical violation of the law.
     And I am going to spend next week submitting this to the State Attorney General’s Office, the PA State Criz Authority and the PA State Ethics Committee.
     The Lancaster city council members – including mayoral candidate Danene Sorace – were aware of the illegality of this matter and also chose to ignore it. That is absolutely unacceptable.
     LIP News will post through the weekend and then beginning on Monday posting will be sporadic as I work on the above. Thank you for your patience.    

     ********

BALDRIGE ILLEGALLY
VOTED TO GIVE HIS WIFE’S
EMPLOYER, LNP,
MILLIONS OF YOUR DOLLARS!

      So, LNP owner Beverly (Peggy) Steinman is using her tax free foundation to give LNP employees’ children $30,000 scholarships (see yesterday’s post)? Really?
     And last night, “about 2,100 people attended the $225-a-seat dinner – the chamber’s 145th — at the Lancaster County Convention Center” (click here).
     That would be the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry whose president and CEO, Thomas Baldrige, is married to LNP “investigative reporter” Susan Baldrige.
     And she posted this picture on Twitter last night:

      Well, of course they are smiling. Thomas Baldrige used the organization to pay himself over $262,000 in 2015 – that is considerably more than President Judge Dennis Reinaker or DA Craig Stedman makes:

      And Susan Baldrige also posted this – hmmm…:

     I have more exploring to do! The 2015 tax form 990 for the Steinman Foundation is here. The 2015 tax form 990 for the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry is here.
Please check back later today.

* NOT SO FAST!

YOU HAVE TO WORK FOR
PEGGY TO GET $30,000

    

     The above photo and an accompanying article were prominent in today’s LNP print edition on Page A-3. It was briefly online – then very quickly moved off their homepage and now they have made it an “insider” story (click here for “3 high school seniors receive $30K each from James Hale Steinman Memorial Scholarship Fund”).

     I can imagine several reasons for this:

—— This is not news. This is a perk (and $30,000 each is a damn nice one) of working for Steinman Communications. The first time I commented on a story about these “awards”  many years ago, LNP acted like any student in Lancaster County could win these “scholarships.” It was not true and this article states:

      The children of Steinman Communications employees are eligible for these scholarships.

      That means this is not news and also means that over the years they have all been white – with the exception one year of a Latino name if I recall correctly.

—— Faith Roda, the daughter of LNP Executive Editor Barbara Hough Roda, is a recipient this year and is pictured. If you recall, several years ago Roda pulled her Asian-American daughter out of her back pocket to talk about the wonderful benefits of diversity at a Martin Luther King breakfast. The only problem: There is no diversity at LNP!

     The article also states that Roda has been employed by the Steinmans for 34 years. And for the last decade, she has held high editorial positions and that means she is in large part responsible for the lack of diversity at LNP! And it is all just incomprehensible and repugnant and inexplicable.

     And I’m sure someone figured that out and then decided to “hide” the article online as much as they could.

* 

[This editor’s note: In the past I have never published her daughter’s name or posted a photograph of her daughter (readily available on the internet) out of respect for the child. But her name and photo were in the print edition of this morning’s paper and that opens it up for discussion.]

*******

SEND IN THE CLONE?

Gray and Sorace

     Send in Mayor Dick’s clone – Danene Sorace?
     Not so fast! This was a primary – there’s still an election to go! Kevin Ressler and Norman Bristol Colon together drew more votes than Sorace, even though she had the backing of the Lancaster City Democrats and Mayor Dick. They split the vote so Sorace won.
     But Ressler raised some excellent issues that will not go away – and I’ll come back to those later today.

* AFTERNOON UPDATE – THROW THE BUMS OUT!

VOTE!

— Final post of the day – Ressler is reportedly doing well over the entire city. Sorace is doing so-so in the North where she lives. There does not seem to be much excitement for Norman Bristol Colon.
     A lot of people vote after coming home from work and having dinner. Please vote and vote for Ressler and a new dawn for Lancaster!

—   Kevin Reesler and his crew give a thumbs up at 4:15 pm today! Two of the volunteers are McCaskey students (far left and on the bicycle) who are using their day off from school to volunteer for Ressler!

A NEW DAWN!

     Back to the election. Kevin Ressler will be on Fox-43 at 4:30 and 5:00 pm so please watch and please vote.

******

     Patrick Hopkins, the city Business Administrator who hopefully will soon be without a job after today’s election, took a serious swipe at Mike Gross on Twitter! LOL!

GROSSED OUT, AGAIN!

      Taking a quick break from the election – there is this ridiculous “apology” in today’s LNP – “LNP sports columnist Mike Gross issues apology regarding track and field column,” (click here).
     The only time I have ever written about sports was – you guessed it – when Mike grossed me out! I am rerunning it below and the original is here – and by chance it was on the same day the police released the ridiculous and pathetic video supposedly related to Erma Kaylor’s murder.

*****

**** According to Kevin Ressler’s Facebook page, the Resslers have voted! Yes, Melissa Ressler gave birth last Tuesday. That is Kevin’s mother on the left. Vote for change!

 ***  Erma Kaylor’s murder is one of 20 unsolved murders in the city under Mayor Gray (see the “UNSOLVED MURDERS” tab above). No one questions this. The city council members (including mayoral candidate Danene Sorace) just sit there and do nothing as people are being killed and killer after killer is left on the streets. They don’t care!    

VOTE FOR CHANGE!

*****

FIVE YEARS AGO TODAY
STILL UNSOLVED!

**   Five years ago today, on May 16, 2012, 83-year-old Erma Kaylor was brutally stabbed to death in her home at 235 W. Vine Street.  No arrest has been made.
     When Mayor Dick and his cronies are finally out of office, maybe he can work on solving this horrific murder since he’s so damn smart!

********

VOTE FOR CHANGE!

(Click here)

     If you don’t like what you read, do not vote for Danene Sorace. Throw all of these bums out of office! Enough is enough! This is a disgrace to the citizens of Lancaster!
Please check back later today.

AFTERNOON UPDATE – ** – * GRAY: A LIAR FROM DAY ONE!

A BUNCH OF CROOKS!

Pat Brogan

     This is Mayor Rick Gray’s Chief of Staff, Pat Brogan’s response to my email today to all of the city council members and Gray’s top administrators asking why and exactly how much LanCity Connect is paying LNP to “sponsor” their concert series.

     Isn’t that special? Apparently Brogan thought she could quickly answer for all and stop the bleeding and the truth from coming out. She’s also the voice you hear in this morning’s video telling people to give lying Gray a chance to speak and turn on those who voted for him.
     You can play games all you want, Brogan, but some of you will be going to jail. Acting as if LanCity Connect is not a direct agency of city government! A Right to Know request should settle this quite quickly!
     And this explains why LNP and their reporter, Tim Stuhldreher, never questioned the $1.5 million dollar loan to MAW Communications (on top of other millions) when it would have taken Stuhldreher all of five minutes to find they own a building valued at $89,000 in Reading.
     LNP masquerades as the press when they are nothing more than a greedy, corrupt and racist business that uses their power to control the city and line their own pockets. 

Gray and Sorace

     I had planned a lot more for today – but when I realized that Mayor Gray and LNP were in collusion again to steal from the public it took priority.
     City councilwoman and mayoral candidate Danene Sorace is directly behind this MAW deal and she cannot be allowed to hurt the citizens of Lancaster any more than she already has! Do not vote for her and these corrupt liars and thieves she would keep in office!

WHAT THE HELL?

********

DANENE SORACE:
MAYOR GRAY’S CLONE!

* – *** BREAKING NEWS *** HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

MOTHER’S DAY MUSICFEST!

     Back to much happier news. After you cook for or take mom out to eat – go to Tellus360 for the above event (click here). Entry is free!
     And please read the below ad that appears for Ressler in today’s print edition of LNP on Page A-5. It is short, concise and to the point! Lancaster needs change!

*******

*** BREAKING NEWS *** The attorneys for State Senators Scott Martin and Ryan Aument (Kleinbard LLC) filed a supplemental brief in their motion to expedite their lawsuit to remove Sheriff Mark Reese. They cite the federal lawsuit recently filed against Reese as one reason it should be expedited. Their motion contains the full federal lawsuit including the emails in question.
     For anyone who wanted to access the emails and previously could not, they are now available to the public (click here). Once again, these emails are filthy and disgusting and the only reason I bring this up is because I believe the public should be fully cognizant of Reese and what a sick and disgusting individual he is and what deputy sheriff Jessica Padilla was subjected to.
     I also want to know why others have not been called on the carpet. This is an outrage!
     Once again – WARNING – these emails are explicit, hard-core pornography.

A NEW DAWN!

* REALLY???

PLAYING CHICKEN?

*    Recognize that face? Yes, it’s former LNP reporter Gil Smart talking about chickens (click here)! Oh, joy! This issue has moved from city to city and apparently Smart has written several columns on this most serious of issues!
     They tried this in Lancaster but it did not fly – click here for “Lancaster city won’t allow keeping of chickens.”

ME, ME, ME!

     Anderson just celebrated her one-year anniversary with a solo trip to Mexico.
     She said even though she’s married to herself, she’s dating and open to marrying another person.
From Philly CBS-3, ” ‘Self-Marriage’ Movement Growing Relationship Trend Across Country,” (click here).
     On a rainy Saturday morning what is better than some absolute nonsense? I saw this segment during the news and I am still in shock. I am considering suing CBS-3 for stupidity!

AFTERNOON UPDATE * DROPPING THE BALL?

SORACE WENT
INTO THE HOOD!

     It has been a busy day. Former Sgt. Raymond Corll was sentenced earlier today and is presumably now a resident in the Lancaster County Prison. The DA’s office released a very long report on the stabbing death of Hiram Calderon last September (click here). And former Mayor Art Morris and the increased cost to the public for LNP’s Marriott expansion were finally mentioned in a story about city council with a title featuring the Giant closing in the city (click here).
     I will come back to all of these but it is Friday and “Frank Lee,” a budding poetic genius, offered one poem today and there is one from several days ago when mayoral candidate Danene Sorace did not know how many fire stations there are in the city, and I can’t think of any better way to end the work week!
Thank you Frank and cheers to a happy and safe Friday!

Sorace went into the hood
to pretend she’d do them good.
For suggestions she asked
as she kissed their ass
will it work? She figures it would.

The clone of the Dick was sure
of fire station numbers there were.
I forgot you see
There aren’t two but three
So stop reminding me.

********

CORLL SENTENCED

Raymond Corll

     Former Lancaster City Police Sgt. Raymond Corll was sentenced this afternoon to seven to 23 months in prison by President Judge Dennis Reinaker – click here for the LNP story.

LESS MUTED?

From today’s “insider” story on mayoral candidate Danene Sorace (click here).

     Is that so? On the city’s website on “Green Infrastructure Projects” there are exactly two listed (click here).  And one of the two topics is on “Permeable Basketball Courts” and says this:
     At both Sixth Ward Park and Brandon Park, the City installed permeable macadam at the basketball courts, allowing for the courts to help capture and retain water.  Players even appreciate the fact that there are no puddles after rain and local residents comment on how the sound from bouncing balls is less muted.
     Is that a typo? Less muted? And where are all of these millions of dollars?
Please check back later today.

AFTERNOON UPDATE ** – * THREE TERMS OF GRAY IS ENOUGH!

CORLL TO BE SENTENCED!

     Former Lancaster City Police Sgt. Raymond Corll is scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow at 1:30 pm by President Judge Dennis Reinaker. Corll was found guilty by a jury of perjury, simple assault and other charges earlier this year.
      Why wasn’t something done much earlier about Corll? Why haven’t Police Chief Sadler, Mayor Gray and the city council members been held accountable for allowing this man to stay on the force following successful lawsuit after lawsuit against him? This man had an excessive force problem for years and nothing was done!
     We cannot allow city councilwoman and mayoral candidate Danane Sorace to sit idly by again and allow this to continue. She has been nothing but a rubber-stamp for Gray. Lancaster needs a  new mayor, a new police chief and new city council members! Enough is enough!

********

SAY WHAT?

   From today’s “insider” LNP story on mayoral candidate Norman Bristol Colon (click here).

**   I asked this before on this site – but could someone tell me how they make what is apparently a good living doing this? Catering and motivational speaking? How do they pay their taxes from this business? Hmmm…

******

*    The screenshot of the below comment is small and difficult to read so I am republishing it here:

THROW SORACE TO THE CURB!

     This excellent comment was posted on Lancaster Online under yesterday’s Letter to the Editor in support of mayoral candidate Danene Sorace (see the post immediately below).
     Sorace has suddenly announced that neighborhoods are her number one priority. After his first term, Mayor Gray said the exact same thing: click here for the 2008 LNP article titled, “Mayor Gray will run again – Downtown projects were on front burner for four years, but now he wants to focus on neighborhoods.”
     Mayor Gray lied! Imagine that? Sorace has been nothing but a rubber-stamp for this liar for her slightly over three years as a city council member. Enough of these ridiculous lies! Throw Sorace to the curb!
Please check back later today.

AFTERNOON UPDATE ** – * MAYOR GRAY’S CLONE!

SORACE:
NOT TELLING THE TRUTH!

     I need to transcribe every word of what former Mayor Art Morris said to council last night and that will come tomorrow. He did say the $5.1 million dollar figure the city will receive from Penn Square Partners (LNP and High) that Danene Sorace has been stating repeatedly in the debates is no longer valid and has not been because of the increased cost of construction and the increased CRIZ money given to them several months ago. That figure is now significantly lower. This is extremely important and there will be more tomorrow.
     Another terrible decision by Sorace – the $1.5 million dollar loan to MAW Communications for LanCity Connect. I put in a revised Right to Know request and received some documents late yesterday afternoon that I need to review.
     One note: On social media a resident stated they were hooked up with cable/fiber last week and told they would go “live” today. The person stated they received an email today that said there were difficulties and the city hoped they would be “live” by the end of May. The person said they were very glad they had not cancelled Comcast.
     If you have signed up and would like to share your experiences, please contact this site.

**   This is former Mayor Art Morris from six months ago. This is before they gave them $3 million more and as he explained last night, this situation just gets worse and worse for the taxpayers. And I am quite sure the city council person he is referring to is Danene Sorace who led council on voting for this knowing she was running for mayor and would need LNP’s “endorsement.”
     This is so corrupt and unethical and parts of this are illegal!

*    One of Danane Sorace’s worst decisions was to give millions of taxpayer’s dollars to LNP and High for their Marriott “expansion.” Former Mayor Art Morris spoke about it at last night’s city council meeting which you can watch by clicking here. There will be much more on this to come.

SORACE:
TERRIBLE DECISIONS!

      …Danene Sorace has served on City Council for the past four years, chairs the important finance committee and is on the public works and economic & neighborhood revitalization committee. No other candidate has even one day of experience in city government.
From a Letter to the Editor in today’s LNP print edition and online here.
     That is so wrong on so many levels I will come back to it later today.
     One quick note about yesterday’s Land Bank story: The county of Lancaster has a land bank that is totally separate from the city land bank. It is the city land bank website that is missing!
Please check back later today.

AFTERNOON UPDATE * *** BREAKING NEWS *** – * ONE WEEK TO GO!

AMENDED COMPLAINT

     Yesterday, the law firm representing William Murry, Kleinbard LLC, filed a second amended complaint against LNP and Executive Editor Barbara Hough Roda and reporters Kara Newhouse and Susan Baldrige (click here).
     In their strongly worded complaint, they note the article (screenshot below) with the headline stating the Manheim Township School Board “admitted” violating the Sunshine Act is false. Murry’s attorneys argue that the school board never “admitted” to any violations and LNP falsely and maliciously repeated this claim in article after article and in several editorials.

**********

*    The Facebook pages for the candidates running for District Judge in Lancaster’s Southeast are as follows:

Click here 

Click here

*

PRIMARY MAY 16TH

     LNP has a voter’s guide this morning (click here). Once again, you can click here to see a sample of the ballot  you will vote on next Tuesday May 16th.
     An important race for District Judge in Lancaster’s Southeast that has received very little press is below.

Please check back later today.

AFTERNOON UPDATE * LNP: INVESTIGATE THIS!

THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW!

     I read this story in the e-Newspaper this morning but I object to it being an “insider” story online and I am waiting for their promised coverage of the other two Democratic candidates this week before I have any comment (click here).  Information about candidates is vital and the readership should not be limited to those willing to provide an email address – especially since LNP will not tell the public what they are using them for/how they are making money from them.
     I believe that every article that has been in LNP that states that Lancaster County Judge candidate Jeffrey Conrad was rated “not recommended” by the Lancaster Bar has been an “insider” story and that is not acceptable. This is vital information the public absolutely needs to know. See the two “insider” stories below and there will be more on this shortly.   

*******

*    Yesterday’s morning post about Mayor Gray’s three top administrators got lost under the police chase. If you did not read this article about Gray’s “convenient” lies, please do!

      There are many, many comments on social media about the police chase. Above is a sample of two that were repeated over and over again. Will LNP ever follow-up on this story? Is there someone in charge in these police departments who can say we have six or eight police cars tailing this truck with four flat tires – it’s too many – three of your cars need to stop and get back to their regular business of protecting the public?

********

CONRAD: “HE DOESN’T
LOOK LIKE A CRIMINAL”

     This was one of two front page stories in yesterday’s LNP print edition by “The Caucus” reporters (it is an “insider” story online – click here).
     So is LNP going to have their reporters investigate why a candidate to be a Lancaster County judge had 13 out of 14 parking tickets withdrawn? Should this man who was “not recommended” by the Lancaster Bar become a judge? Do you want him judging you? Why did Conrad tell Judge Madenspacher his client “doesn’t look like a criminal?” This type of corruption in Lancaster County has been going on for years because LNP turns a blind eye – and it has to stop.

Please check back later today.

**** – *** – ** – * BUT…BUT…WE GOT YOU THE CRIZ!

—  The New Holland Police press release is here.

****  LNP finally has a story up – click here for “35-minute police chase ends with swarm of police and use of canine in Lancaster city.”

Madonna

ANTHONY MADONNA

***    It is believed that this is the docket for the driver arrested last night. Madonna is 50 years old and has an extensive criminal record.

**   The People of Lancaster Facebook page has two different videos of this chase. There is a third video on The Realist People of Lancaster Facebook page. Where is the police report on this chase and arrest?

POLICE CHASE GOING VIRAL!

*   Go to the People of Lancaster Facebook page and watch this video of a police chase in Lancaster last night that is going viral (click here). The number of officers chasing this apparently drunk driver is astonishing and this is the last five minutes of what was reportedly an hour long chase!

GOOD RIDDANCE TO ALL!

From left to right: Patrick Hopkins, Charlotte Katzenmoyer and Randy Patterson.

From today’s front page LNP print story and an “insider” story online by Jeff Hawkes titled, “Water main repairs and other nitty-gritty challenges await Lancaster’s next mayor,” (click here).

     Well, isn’t that some fancy talk from long-time LNP reporter Jeff Hawkes! As I noted after the last debate, these three are desperate to keep their jobs.
     Again, from the only time I ever remember LNP criticizing their direct money supplier, Mayor Gray, was when he requested huge pay increases for these three. From a December 2012 New Era editorial there is this (click here):
     To justify the pay increases, Gray resorts to the same argument he used last year when he similarly hiked the salary of Patrick Hopkins, his administrative services director. Hopkins pay at the time went from $84,000 to $92,000, a 9.5 percent boost.
     Gray apparently views all three to be indispensable city employees whom he wants to keep from jumping ship, ostensibly because of higher salaries elsewhere.
     Patterson, alone, was offered a job at twice the salary, the mayor recently told members of this newspaper’s editorial board.
     So let me get this straight: Patterson was offered twice his then salary – which was over $100,000 – and he turned it down? What kind of nut is this? Would you turn it down if you could double your salary? Does this man have any financial sense or was Mayor Gray (gasp!) lying?
     Regarding the Marriott “expansion” Mayor Gray was also quoted by LNP  stating this (click here):
The expansion will address an identified shortage of hotel rooms needed to attract larger conventions to the adjoining Lancaster County Convention Center, according to city officials.
     To underscore the need, Mayor Rick Gray said he was asked Tuesday morning by several different organizations looking to hold conventions if the city had 600 hotel rooms within walking distance of the convention center. It does not now, but when the expansion is finished, along with the expansion of the nearby Hotel Lancaster, there will be 550 convention-quality rooms.
     Do you really believe that Gray was taking convention center calls for some strange reason that morning and several people asked him if the city had 600 convention-quality hotel rooms within walking distance of the convention center? Do you believe that? Isn’t that, like the job offer, just a little too “convenient?”
     Why doesn’t LNP ever question this man’s blatant lies? Because he and these top three advisors have given them millions of dollars over the course of his administration!
     Gray and these three and the city council members are all liars! Good riddance to all of them!

PLANT SALE TODAY!

& SUPPORT A GOOD CAUSE!

AFTERNOON UPDATE ** – * QUITE FRANKLY…

SORACE FADES!

     LNP moved the debate from a top story on their website early this morning. You would think it would be an important story – the final debate just days before the primary! I guess Sorace failed to shine so they yanked it!
     One quick correction/clarification to this morning’s post: After listening to the debate again, Colon said Police Chief Sadler was the “greatest appointment” Gray made during his administration. Oh, my! That doesn’t make it any better.
Have a safe and fun First Friday and please check back tomorrow.

**   One day following the mayoral debate, the traffic changes on East King Street are pictured below. There is a barrier down the middle of the street with the right hand side blocked off and the three buildings that will be torn down for the Marriott “expansion” are on the right.
(The photos were taken at 2:30 pm today and the slight white area is the reflection of a paper on the dashboard of the car.)

SORACE IS BAFFLED!

 *    In a testy exchange just before closing statements, Ressler said Sorace had tried to tell him after a previous debate that Lancaster has two fire stations, not three.
     “If a person in charge of the budgeting doesn’t know there are three fire stations, how resourced can (the stations) be?” he asked.
     “I just couldn’t visualize where it was,” Sorace said. “The fact that you keep bringing this up, it baffles me.”
From the LNP coverage of the debate (click here).
      I am completely baffled and amazed that Sorace doesn’t understand how pathetic and telling that is!

RESSLER HAS A PLAN!

      City council woman and mayoral candidate Danene Sorace is out of touch and her experience with LIVE Green is apparently limited to rain barrels and planting trees. And Danene’s big plan for Lancaster? More parks! She doesn’t know that there are three fire stations in Lancaster and believes that speaking with her 10-year-old daughter and her friends is keeping her in touch and up-to-date with troubled youth! Her lack of experience and financial knowledge is literally breath-taking.
    

     Norman Bristol Colon said the best thing the Gray administration has done is hire Police Chief Keith Sadler. That is so ridiculous that I will devote a day to that topic. One of the nastiest phone conversations I have ever had was with Sadler following the horrific and still unsolved murder of 83-year-old Erma Kaylor in her home.

Kevin Ressler

      Surprise! Kevin Ressler’s wife is pregnant and due on May 16th – primary day! Wow! This man has done his homework and studied; he has a plan and an action team and he speaks truth to power. He made LNP Executive Editor Barbara Hough Roda take off her glasses early in the debate over his remarks about the LNP owned Marriott expansion. He was the only candidate to make good, clear talking points and there will be much more on the actual debate coming.

       Something I have touched on for over 12 years on this site but not recently is the rampant racism that exists at LNP and I will come back to that on this site before the primary.
     Another topic that came up is apparently Charlotte Katzenmoyer, Patrick Hopkins and Randy Patterson are desperate to keep their cushy, overpaid city jobs. As I stated last week, the only time I have ever seen LNP criticize Mayor Gray and the city council members was when Gray wanted and received huge pay hikes for these three incompetent and arrogant civil “servants!” And I will come back to that later as well, because, quite frankly, Mayor Gray (gasp!) lied!
      And for “Frank Lee,” a frequent commenter to this site, you will be “happy” to know that Sorace used the term “quite frankly” last night. She really, really did! She truly is a mindless Gray clone.
You can watch the debate here and please check back later today.

AFTERNOON UPDATE ** – * IS LNP ACTING INDEPENDENTLY?

 CLEARLY UNETHICAL –
AND ILLEGAL!

     I will be watching the debate very carefully tonight. The Lancaster Newspapers and the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry have no business being involved/hosting this debate. It is clearly unethical and Thomas Baldrige’s (pictured above) vote to give his wife’s employer millions was illegal.
     It is not just this site that objects to LNP receiving millions more of the public’s money. You can read all about it at former mayor Art Morris’ site linked to below and at NewsLanc.com also linked to below.
Please check back tomorrow for all the details!

 Art Morris, wearelancasterpa.com (click here).

 Robert Field, NewsLanc.com (click here).

********

**   From the lawsuit:

WHO KNEW?

*    This LNP “insider” story is what I put up as “BREAKING NEWS” yesterday (click here). Her lawyer has found a gold mine in Lancaster County. And what I want to know is why aren’t other heads flying in the Sheriff’s Department? Anyone she reported these absolutely disgusting emails to and they did nothing should be fired immediately! This is unbelievable!

WHO WILL YOU SERVE?

From the front page of today’s LNP print edition.

     Oh, this should be good! Will LNP Executive Editor Barbara Hough Roda bring a copy of their journalism code of ethics to the debate? Will anyone ask her for it? Will Thomas Baldrige of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry bring their code of ethical conduct with him? Will anyone ask him?

[One of the four principles the Society of Professional Journalists lists as the foundation of ethical journalism (click here):
Act Independently
The highest and primary obligation of ethical journalism is to serve the public.]

Please check back later today.

AFTERNOON UPDATE – *** BREAKING NEWS *** – * FOUR MORE GRAY YEARS?

SAME OLE, SAME OLE!

     I ran out of time today, but this comment posted on Lancaster Online under the last story about a mayoral debate sums it up perfectly (click here and no, I am not “Kirk Brown,” Richard Musser. You are the fruitcake who sends nasty, incredibly stupid comments into my site. Believe it or not, Richard, there are a lot of smart people who share my opinion about things!).

*** BREAKING NEWS ***   Jessica Padilla filed a law suit in the Pennsylvania Eastern District Court against Lancaster County and Mark Reese on April 18 (click here). Several of the emails Reese sent to Padilla are attached as exhibits to her lawsuit and they are extremely explicit hardcore pornography.

*    In this LNP article from June of 2012, “Fewer dollars prompt Lancaster County Conservancy and LIVE Green to join forces,” Sorace was a “part-time consultant” (click here):
     LIVE Green brings to the conservancy table hundreds of individual donors –– and its human assets
Those include Schroeder, the organization’s only full-time employee, and part-time consultant Danene Sorace.

**********

IT’S TIME FOR CHANGE!

AFTERNOON UPDATE – *** BREAKING NEWS *** WHERE’S THE MONEY, MAW?

SORACE: NOT A
FINANCIAL CLUE!

BUSINESS SENSE?

Stuhldreher

**   Surprise! LNP reporter Tim Stuhldreher worked for the Central Penn Business Journal for over three years and specifically states he covered “banking” (click here)! Imagine that! He must have some business sense – or maybe not!

FROM $500,000 TO $4.7
MILLION IN TWO YEARS!

*    This broadband network seems to us to be $500,000 well spent.
From the February 27, 2015 LNP editorial, “A hot spot already, Lancaster city shows with its broadband plan that it’s moving forward,” (click here).
     Oh, by the way LNP, that’s up to $4.7 million now only slightly over two years later! The city has already paid MAW $1.7 million; they have “loaned” them $1.5 million and are going to give them a supplemental budget appropriation of $1.5 million from the Water Fund for costs associated with providing LanCity Connect broadband service.
     Do you think that $4.7 million is “well spent” now, LNP?

*** BREAKING NEWS ***

NO FINANCIAL INFO FOR MAW!