HORSE SENSE & HORSE SH*T?

ELEVEN UNSOLVED MURDERS
UNDER SADLER -
SIXTEEN UNDER MAYOR GRAY!

     I’ve run out of time again! I spent far too long fighting a word processing glitch to add the two new unsolved murders under the tab at the top of this site. There are now eleven unsolved murders in the City of Lancaster in the less than five years since Police Chief Keith Sadler was sworn into office. This is simply horrific!
     Really good comments have been coming in. This one under the story about Peter Sturla, the 18-year-old son of Representative Mike Sturla, being arrested in a story below on this site:
     Who steals a doorknob?
     That’s what LNP printed in their police log and that’s all I know. Some of his friends came on here with interesting comments and perhaps they could fill us in?
     Apparently neither of his parents have put up his small bail amount because as of 2:30 pm today, he is still showing up as an inmate in the Lancaster County Prison in the Mental Heath Unit. And since Mike Sturla was and is a huge backer of the convention center/hotel, it looks as if the Lancaster Newspapers will not report on this legitimate story.
     This in from barryinwinnipeg:
     There’s a big difference between horse sense and horse sh*t, but it seems that the latter describes Lancaster City’s crime fighting stats. I live in a city of half-a-million people with some pretty violent gangs, but the bad guys usually do get put away, so spare us the poems and bust the perps!
     Well said, Barry!
     And this in, also about the poem:

     Jesus H. Christ. How the hell much are they paying for this????
     Couldn’t they afford to at least get a goddamn proof reader???
     UNKOWN ????
     WTF word is that?????
     That is a hoot and a half! Add to that this morning’s New Era editorial praising the poem and idea (see my comment from this morning and they must be embarrassed because I still can’t find it online). But they do handily provide an email address to contact the Musser Park Civic Association with suggestions, so perhaps we should all email them about “UNKOWN“ – information@musserpark.org.
     Finally, I asked “kmb” about the five unsolved murders under Mayor Gray, who was sworn into office on January 3, 2006, but before Keith Sadler became the Police Chief on April 23, 2008. He sent in this comment and I double checked him today and he nails it:
     Well there are the nine you have listed above with the addition of Allan Wayne Hess and Danny Montes takes us up to 11. From Gray’s inauguration to Sadler’s hiring you have Keenan W Dudley gunned down March 10 2006 in an alley off West Orange Street. Second, Daniel Hollman was gunned down in his home on the 100 block of Howard Avenue on October 17, 2006. Third was Baby Anne’s body which was discovered in a dumpster in back of the YMCA on September 24, 2007. This baby was a new born and smothered and tossed in a dumpster and likely not born in a hospital. Fourth was the murder of Juan Lopez in his downtown business on December 5, 2007. This was a broad daylight robbery gone wrong. He was shot to death in his business which is J&R Check Cashing on East King Street. Fifth was Juan Marquez who was gunned down on the 200 block of West King Street on March 16, 2008. So the nine you have at the top of your site plus the two this year and the five I mentioned takes us to sixteen unsolved homicides since we were blessed with Gray’s uncanny mayoral abilities. I will say there should be 18 with the Lydia Colon-Torres and Sanaya Colon murders which for election favors were never named as homicides officially but come on. So I say there is 18 with a couple other “suspicious deaths” the last few years which need another look.
     There will be more tomorrow.

*UPDATED – TODAY’S PRISON BOARD MEETING

TIME FOR CHANGE?

REFLECTING SOCIETY?
LNP photo by Marty Heisey

    This photo ran today on page B-1 of the print edition and was on the home page of Lancaster Online all day. It accompanies the story, “Local fugitive sweep targets lawbreakers,” (click here).
    I count eleven faces and the arm of a twelfth person. Can anyone tell me what’s wrong in this photo?
MOMENT TO MOMENT?
    “But it’s about time because basically every…every facility, every institution or every organization, when you come down to it, needs to be refreshed from moment to moment… okay… and that is just a part of our society. It’s a part of nature… in other words, we have seasons… okay… we have seasons where when we’re in the fall things start dying off. In the winter they’re cold or whatever. But they all come back to life. There’s no one person.”
    Prison Warden Vincent Guarini discussing his retirement today in a press conference (click here).
    What a fruitcake! Is he on drugs or what?
    Your season should have come and gone long ago, Guarini! We’ve had 31 years of you! Good riddance!
MEMORIAL SERVICE
    There is a memorial service for Isabel Catherine Deering Bortree this evening in Honesdale, Pa (click here). Ms. Bortree was the second woman found hanging from a tree within a week in Lancaster County.
    My condolences to her family. There will be more on this story tomorrow.

LIAR, LIAR!

SCHOOL THIS!
    I wish a photo would have accompanied the story clearly showing the two needles, 39 bags of coke and pills. I still find it hard to believe that quantity can be concealed in someone’s hand.
Posted on the Lancaster Online Trashback forum under today’s, “Warden addresses inmate’s drug smuggling,” (click here). 
    You have to understand that Warden Guarini is a liar – plain and simple.  This story has had several headlines on the internet since it went up yesterday afternoon.  The front page, bold headline in this morning’s print edition is “Warden schools prison board.”  What a bunch of baloney.  The Warden couldn’t school a five-year-old.
    And good for Commission Lehman who is finally calling this liar out. From the story:
    But Lancaster County Commissioner and prison board member Craig Lehman was not impressed by Guarini’s demonstration.
    “I gotta be honest,” Lehman said, “when you showed the size, it makes me feel that it was even more unacceptable that it was allowed to slide by.”
    Lehman said the prison’s communication to the board about the incident also was unacceptable.
    Overall, he said, “The fact that it was allowed to go by and not caught was unacceptable.”
    Totally unacceptable! The Warden is costing the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. Run this liar out of town – or better yet – put him behind bars.
There will be more on the death of Scott McQuilkin later this afternoon.

2011 IN REVIEW!

THE BEST!

1. Randolph Carney
2. Charlie Crystle
3. Lancaster County Detective Joseph P. Geesey retiring. There is not one good thing about this man and any of his prosecutions must be questioned.
4. Lady Gaga. Maybe she can clean up this town.
5. The contributors and commenters to this site and other Lancaster forums. You are the best!
6. My Facebook friends and special friends – Jodi, Barb and Patty. And to Jeffrey and Carl Cooper – I am sorry I have lost touch and will correct that in the upcoming year. To Bob and Bob – friends from college that I have reconnected with – you were and remain the best! I had really good taste many years ago.
7. My son and my sister.
    Well, unfortunately, that about sums up the good. The Penn State scandal, of course, tops both lists. I feel such empathy for the victims – but they were incredibly brave – and it has been a watershed story for victims of sexual abuse everywhere.

THE WORST!

1. The Lancaster City Police Department. Multiple unsolved murders, racism – and thus a community that rightfully doesn’t respect or trust them – a man dying in a police holding cell, a man shot in the back twice and mug shots of suspects who have been obviously beaten. They need to be investigated by the U.S. Justice Department.
2. Prison Warden Vincent Guarini. In any other town, with any other news organization in that town, he would have been gone years ago. He’s a liar. He lied directly to me. He is costing the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars and bringing heartbreak to multiple families. He must go!
3. The Lancaster Newspapers. Because of their journalistic failures, the above two travesties of justice have been allowed to continue. And they are the main contributors to the next two on the list.
4. The Convention Center brought to you by the Lancaster Newspapers. Go to Plan B and do it now! Is there a Plan B? Start working on it now and run LNP out of town and replace them with a legitimate news organization.
5. The survelliance cameras – also brought to you by the Lancaster Newspapers. No one knows who owns them, who is monitoring them or what is being done with the tapes. And taxpayer money is being used to fund them. This is unacceptable – plain and simple.
6. Blatant racism in hiring by the Lancaster Newspapers. The city is now more than 50% “minority” and they have one on their editorial staff of more than 100 people. Those responsible should be fined and jailed. They are breaking a 40 year old federal law and it’s time they were held accountable.
7. Mayor Rick Gray.
8. Commissioner Scott Martin.
9. Sunday News editor “Marvelous” Marv Adams.
10. Lancaster County Judges – President Judge Joseph Madenspacher, Dennis Reinaker and David Ashworth to name three. And let’s not forget District Judges Isaac Stoltzfus and Kelly Ballentine.

    I will go into much more detail on some of the items in the good and bad list tomorrow – I am rushing today to catch the Eagles game! No – I’m not – that’s a bad joke. But I do have some pork to eat.
    Have a great New Year’s Day and please check back tomorrow.

CRITICAL CONDITIONS!

NOTHING TO REPORT?   

    Beyond the girl’s condition, police declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
    “There is nothing to report yet,” Umstead [Lancaster police Lt. Todd Umstead] said Thursday afternoon.
From today’s article, “Police: Shooting victim, 7, improving,” (click here).
    This is a total outrage! Fire the police chief and all the detectives and bring in outside help now!
    Discontent over the leadership at Lancaster County Prison has been simmering in the wake of three inmate suicides in six months.
    It erupted Thursday at a county prison board meeting when a citizens’ group and an activist publicly called for the dismissal of prison Warden Vincent Guarini.
From today’s article, ‘Some suggest Lancaster County Prison warden be fired,” (click here).
    Guarini should have been fired years ago!
Please check back later today.

ULTIMATE CONTROL?

BITE ME!   

    City police retired a Rottweiler from K-9 service in 2002 after it bit three police officers in the line of duty.
    Four months later, the dog mauled a woman and the city and the officer caring for the dog paid $67,500 to settle a lawsuit filed by the woman.
    “Anybody can have a dog that’s willing to bite and do cell extractions,” Price said. “But will they stop biting when the officer says? Will they come back when called?
    “If the prisoner gives up, the dog has to stop the attack and listen to the handler.
    “It’s the ultimate control.”
From today’s front page story, “Mismatch: prison dog vs. reporter,” (click here). The online article linked to carries a different headline.
    Has “Intell Five” reporter P. J. Reilly just totally lost him mind? Are the editors smoking crack? This is just truly scary. Too bad that prison dog didn’t put Reilly out of his misery. This is awful on so many levels.
Please check back later today.

TUCK TAIL AND RUN?

LIVE FREE OR DIE?
Word thief – Tom Murse 

    The only reporter for the Lancaster Newspapers I thought had some integrity, some decency, proved me wrong with yesterday’s edition of the Sunday News. Please see the comments under “GUNS N’ ROSES OR…” below. Plagiarize much, Murse?
    This comment in from Kent Kroehler under “THIRD PRISON DEATH THIS YEAR” below:
    Actually, I said that the Prison Board should resign if we had a third suicide “by jumping.” I did not say or mean a third suicide by other means.
    This email in: 
    As you so eloquently state this morning, Scroot Martin is an idiot. I don’t mean to belittle or trivialize the memory of the woman who has been forgotten, abandoned, and disrespected by the Lancaster City Police in their total failing to solve her murder, but I suggest that just below the reference to her case on your site, the words “Scott Martin is an idiot” should appear at ALL times. If we are not careful, that fool will be anointed by the morons that run this County, and pull his strings, to represent us in Harrisburg, or even worse Washington. 
    This comment posted on the TalkPa.net forum as a poster exits: 
    I never understood the drama queen exit. If you don’t like it here, leave. No announcement, just fade out. Tuck tail and run.
    Just remember, they always come back! 
Please check back this afternoon.

GUNS N’ ROSES OR…

THE WEEK IN REVIEW
 

    Yes, it’s been a gun and buggies week! Lancaster County Judges behaved very badly. The prison warden should be in prison. Commissioner Scott Martin is an idiot. The Lancaster Police (surprise!) have made no arrests in multiple unsolved murders from this year alone. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent doing, well, nothing at the Lancaster Train Station. And the list just goes on and on.
    I’ll try to wrap all of this up on Sunday.  We all know the Sunday News will be doing the ultimate guns and buggies story this week – the five year anniversary of the Nickel Mines shooting.  No offense intended – but this site will offer an alternative – the week in review.
    Posting tomorrow will be sporadic at best.
    Have a great Friday!

GUARINI MUST GO!

HORROR SHOW
    “It’s one of those unfortunate situations,” Guarini said. “If we can prevent things, we will prevent things, but you cannot prevent everything.”
Prison Warden Vincent Guarini from today’s story, “Another inmate suicide at prison,” (click here).
    How many men have died on this man‘s watch? How much is this man costing the taxpayers of Lancaster County? Why wasn’t this man fired years ago?
    Guarini must go. Now!

THIRD PRISON DEATH THIS YEAR

FALL ON YOUR SWORDS!
    An inmate apparently committed suicide Wednesday at Lancaster County Prison, the third such incident this year.
    Prison staff found Ronald P. Snyder, 26, of Elizabethtown, hanging in his cell at 5:42 p.m. Wednesday, said Lancaster City Police Lt. Todd Umstead. Efforts to revive him were not successful.
The beginning of today’s online article, “UPDATE: Police investigating death of Lancaster County Prison inmate as suicide,” (click here). 
    Jailed on Tuesday and dead by 5:42 Wednesday eveining. Will the prison warden and the board members resign?
    If there’s another suicide you should all fall on your sword,” Kent Kroehler told the Prison Board this morning.
    “If there’s a third suicide,” he continued, “You should all resign. This whole board should resign.”
From LIP News, “NOT YOUR USUAL BOARD MEETING!“ on August 18th of this year (click here).   

RELEVANT, COMPELLING & FUN TO READ?

A BUTT KICKING?
    You know, back in my early years, if I pointed a gun at a cop or even displayed a gun at a cop, I’d be lucky to be alive – I’m betting I’d be “sleeping with the fishes.” If a man pointed a gun at me, this is mild compared to what he’d look like (if I were still young, at the present time I’d be dead or at the doctor’s office looking for strong meds for my back). Looks to me that an ass whipping is just the beginning of his worries. I think he’ll get significant jail time.
    C’mon Becky, think back to the days of old. A butt kicking by cops was not unusual. Why should some dirt bag think it’s okay to behave the way he did? Would you have this guy over for dinner?
    Personally, I look at this photo and just laugh.
This comment in under “CLEARLY BEATEN! – 3” below.
    I would like to think there’s some sarcasm involved here but I’m not so sure. There will be much more on this later.
    PS…My son died drug free May 22nd, 2010…WELL OVER A YEAR AGO at that prison.. I just now find out that the da and coroner are not cooperating with the prison? Again, I repeat…something real fishy is going on in this county…what if I did not show up at the prison board meeting…none of this would have been followed thru…so sad…when is the next election?????
The second half of a comment sent into this site on the story immediately below.
    Fishy isn’t the half of it. I will follow this story. At Thursday’s Prison Board Meeting, every member of that Board had to sit there and watch and listen to Linda Moskal cry in the front row for three hours. She held herself together astonishingly well.
    My friend Jodi and I stopped by the offices of the “Fly” Thursday afternoon. Thanks to the young man who answered numerous questions. The “Fly” was recently purchased by the Lancaster Newspapers and there will be more on that coming…
    Finally, the following ad for the Sunday News was spotted atop a Yellow Cab on Thursday:
SUNDAY NEWS
Relevant. Compelling. Fun to Read.
    Really, Marv? We‘ll find out tomorrow. At $1.75 a pop it should be at least one of those things! It‘s never been relevant, compelling or fun to read before…
Please check back tomorrow.

MORE OF THE BOARD MEETING – AND AN ARREST!

ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS – 2
    Kent Kroehler, one of the four members of the “Root Cause Analysis” team looking into the suicide of John Kruger in March of this year followed James Laughman (see “ELIMINATION OF SECOND TIER PLACEMENT” below) and added four additional recommendations:
1. “The problem was defined carefully. The event was a successful suicide. We got beat by an inmate. ….We were outsmarted. It can’t happen again.”
2. “The new operational goal is to have zero suicides. …This is the most controlled environment in the county. It is unacceptable to have a suicide.”
3. There should have been and should be a root cause analysis done after every suicide.
4. The prison needs to speed up a retro fit of the railing – even if it’s temporary.
    Several additional notes:
    Judge Dennis Reinaker, a member of the Prison Board, said immediately following James Laughman’s presentation, “This is the first report of this nature that I remember seeing.” The Judge indicated he was pleased.
    Kent Kroehler is also a member of the “Have A Heart” group which submitted an excellent white paper to the Board Members. Click here for their site and click on the link for “White Papers and other Resources” to read it. There will be more on this at a later date.
    Many of the details of presentations made at the almost three hour Thursday Board Meeting are available online at the prison website. Click here for the 133 page report from this meeting. There is a tremendous amount of information within this document. You can thank Commissioner Craig Lehman for this as during the April Board Meeting he stated that the Warden’s report and all information provided during these meetings should be posted online and readily available to the public.
    Yesterday, I noted that District Attorney Craig Stedman was texting during the first hour of the meeting. Commissioner Scott Martin also told everyone Stedman had to leave the meeting at about 11:00 am to meet with the coroner. There may have been a very good reason for all that texting and the meeting with the coroner as an arrest was made yesterday afternoon in the murder of Allison Walsh and her unborn child. That, of course, is today’s big story and really gruesome and lurid details are coming out about these tragic murders. Her boyfriend, Matthew Becker. has been charged with first degree murder. It is likely the DA will ask for the death penalty.
Please check back tomorrow.

ELIMINATION OF SECOND TIER PLACEMENT

ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS   

    James Laughman, Human Services Director for the County of Lancaster, reported to the Prison Board yesterday morning regarding the March 22 death of John Kruger. He led a “Root Cause Analysis” team that investigated Kruger’s suicide by leaping from the railing on the second tier of the prison.
    They found the root causes to be:
1. A failure of equipment and device – the railing.
2. The work environment – there were too few staff and a
    man under suicide watch was housed on the second tier.
3. The failure of prison administration to adequately advise the
    staff of Kruger’s state of mind.
   In order to prevent this from happening again, Laughman outlined the following recommendations:
1. Improve the structure of the second tier.
2. Enhance the staffing of the Medical Housing Unit.
3. The elimination of second tier placement for anyone on
    suicide watch.
4. Increase and improve the mental health facilities/treatment
    within the prison.
Please check back later today.

NOT YOUR USUAL BOARD MEETING!

    “If there’s another suicide you should all fall on your sword,” Kent Kroehler told the Prison Board this morning.  “If there’s a third suicide,” he continued, “You should all resign.  This whole board should resign.”
    It was not your usual Prison Board Meeting.  It was actually very good and James Laughman, the Human Services Director of Lancaster County, and Kent Kroehler were simply excellent.
    The “serious” side will come tomorrow.  Today, some side-light highlights:
    District Attorney Craig Stedman took great offense to a remark made early in the meeting, and after ceasing his constant texting and thinking about it for several minutes he arose to address the remark.  As he was stating, “Lancaster County is extemely progressive,”  Linda Moskal, whose son died in the prison, said to me in astonishment, “His nose is going to grow so big!”
    Warden Vincent Guarini told the Board and the public that we have had the hottest weather in 50 years.  He said the prison is doing their best to alleviate the problem by – time out of cells – tubs of ice – fans – the smoke exhaust system being left on all the time – a dress down policy for the inmates and the serving of cold food.
    “I could take him,” Linda told me as the Warden mumbled on.
    It was mentioned by the Warden and a Deputy that this is the Islamic holy month and 35 or 36 inmates are involved.  That number went down to 26 according to a deputy and they both declared it was all going “well” and “running very smoothly,” however what that meant or its signifigance to anything was never mentioned.
    The Warden and several others reported that the women are all excited about video aerobics tapes the prison recently purchased.    A deputy reported that several items have been added to the recreation program – ping pong, blongo ball and of course, those aerobic videos for the women.
    It costs $51.55 per day to house a prisoner.  The daily caloric intake provided by the prison through a contactor is 3,000 calories.  A prison employee said the food was great.  Tom Yeager, the head of Justice & Mercy said, “The food is the crappiest I have ever had.  I’ve been in a lot of prisons and Lancaster has the crappiest food.”
    The meeting ran almost three hours, and again, it was ten times better than any previous Board Meeting I have attended.
    Laughman and Kroehler gave very specific recommendations to prevent suicides.  Commissioner Craig Lehman had very specific comments about the prison.  The group “Have A Heart” made a brief presentation and provided a hand-out that had been mailed to every Board member and there was much more.
That will come tomorrow.

IMPROVE THE CULTURE AT LCP!

HAVE A HEART! 

    The document you linked to is very thoughtful, well-researched and full of good, actionable ideas. What makes you think the prison board will do anything other than stare at the table while it’s presented and then adjourn the meeting?
    Posted on the LancTalk.com forum under this post (click here):
    FYI. Prison Board meets Thursday, Aug 18 at 9 AM.
    The group “Have a Heart for Those in the Criminal Justice System” will be making a presentation to them. I have the particulars of the presentation and location for those who are interested.
    The poster then provides this link for the presentation.
    Yes, the Board meets tomorrow morning at 9:00 am in Room 701 on the seventh floor of the County building at 150 N. Queen Street in Lancaster. The meeting is open to the public.
    LIP News will be there. Will the Board finally do something?
Please check back tomorrow afternoon.

BULLET PROOF WARDEN?

AN ABSENTEE BOARD! 
    Did you catch it in Friday’s paper? There was this article – “Problem prisoner gets 91/2-29 for armed robbery” – click here.
    There is this quote:
    Prison Major Edward Klinovski said Hammond had amassed 35 incidents of misconduct through April. Officials stopped keeping track after that, the major testified.
    Really? They just stopped keeping track? Remember this story from just two weeks ago, “Inspection: County prison ‘perfect,‘” (click here).
    I would think the prison would be required to keep accurate records to obtain a ‘perfect’ rating, don’t you?
    “Citydweller” nailed it with this piece on the LancTalk.com forum under “Taxpayers Getting Screwed? The County Jail Population,” (click here):
    How prisons are run has to do with wardens. Or at least in places like Lancaster County where the prison board has been universally described as a group who sits at meetings staring at the table, say nothing and then leaving at the end of the meeting having continued to say and do nothing.
    In a prison where you have a long-term, seemingly bullet proof warden like Guarini and an essentially absentee prison board, it’s valid to question whether severe overcrowding and sluggish processing through the system isn’t inuring to the benefit of people who service the prison and it’s population. The next logical question along that line would then be – who are the people and businesses that make more money from servicing the prison when there are more prisoners, and what relationships do any of them have with either prison management, employees or members of the prison board.
    Seriously, suggesting that a poorly-run, overcrowded county prison may be embroiled in cronyism and financial incest is hardly a stretch of the imagination.
Please check back later today.

INDEPENDENT MONITOR OF POWER!

CITIZENS RELY ON IT! 
    Shocked by what is going on in Lancaster and LNP’s failure to cover it, I once again had to remind myself of the purpose of the media in this country:
5. It must serve as an independent monitor of power
    Journalism has an unusual capacity to serve as watchdog over those whose power and position most affect citizens. The Founders recognized this to be a rampart against despotism when they ensured an independent press; courts have affirmed it; citizens rely on it. As journalists, we have an obligation to protect this watchdog freedom by not demeaning it in frivolous use or exploiting it for commercial gain.
Principles of Journalism (click here).

MAD AS HATTERS?

HEAT-STROKE?
   Okay, since no one else will say it.
  Amish SUCK!!!
    Posted on the LancTalk.com forum under the article, “Horses suffered in parking lot,” (click here).
    There’s been another prison suicide, District Judge Kelly Ballentine is apparently still sitting on the bench after fixing her own tickets, Lancaster city is on the brink of financial disaster even though the $170 million dollar publicly funded convention center was built to save us, a commission did a 108 page in-depth report on how to improve the Lancaster Court system which fell off the radar in about two minutes, there are multiple recent murders that have gone unsolved with killers on the loose – and what has grabbed the attention of the good folks of Lancaster?
    Two horses who suffered in the heat. A woman has posted on several forums that she emailed Costco asking them to provide shade and water for the horses the Amish tether in their lot. And on the LancTalk.com forum the conversation now borders on the absurd with talk of air conditioned barns and all kinds of foolishness. And, of course, the determination that the “Amish SUCK!”
    I’m not a big fan of the Amish, but has this heat made everyone quite literally mad?
Please check back later today.

HEATING UP!

SNOW IN JULY?
 
    Are things heating up in Lancaster or what? What a week it has been in this lawless county! To cool things off, this comment in under “PERFECT?” below:
    Maybe Marvelous Marv will turn into Dudley Do-Right and launch an intensive follow-up investigation of the apparent corruption and mismanagement in ALL levels/aspects of the Lancaster County judicial system…….then again, it will probably snow between now and Sunday, and the Sunday News will focus their efforts on what daughter Abigail did with the snowflakes.
    I believe some of that “snow” may find its way up Marv’s nose! 
    This comment in under, “YOU’RE SO BAD!”:
    By his statement, Steadman is encouraging the abuse and neglect to continue. I mean, according to the Dungeons and Dragons master, only the worst of society are in prison. They aren’t entitled to anything but the lowest form of treatment. Too bad about those that are there for minor offenses, or who have been wrongly charged (something that happens in Lancaster County alarmingly often).
    And this comment in under “SHOOT OUT IN DOWNTOWN LANCASTER? – 2”:
    In all seriousness: there has been an IMMENSE effort by the local media to portray the area around the downtown Lancaster taxpayer-financed hotel and convention center as being extremely safe for visitors. If it got out that there have been shootings so close to the city-owned hotel building, it could create a noticable drop in business.
    Perhaps someone from the ownership of the hotel business “requested” that the article be removed???????
    Have you kept track of the number of recent murders with no one being arrested/charged? Is lawbreaker Judge Kelly Ballentine still hearing cases? How did the Lancaster County Prison earn a “perfect” score on its latest state inspection? Who is the inmate who is in grave condition after an apparent jump from the second tier of that prison yesterday?
Stay cool and please check back later today.

“PERFECT?”

SOMETHING STINKS! 
   

    A Lancaster County Prison inmate was in grave condition Thursday after he leaped off a second-tier structure inside the prison, officials said.
The beginning of today’s online preliminary article, “Inmate in grave condition after leaping from 2nd-tier structure at County Prison,” (click here).
    This is simply unbelievable! Please see the two articles on the prison immediately below. I was thinking about this today – and the Lancaster County Prison getting a “perfect” inspection is like me acing a Chinese language test – it just isn’t going to happen. Something smells extremely foul.
    My condolences to the family and friends of this inmate. There will be much more tomorrow.

YOU’RE SO BAD!

MARTIN WILL PAY $75,000 – AGAIN & AGAIN?

NOTHING MORE
THAN A SMEAR?

Scott Martin 

    Flanked by some of his fellow Prison Board members as well as by prison staff, Martin [County Commissioner Scott Martin] announced the perfect score this morning before lashing out at recent media reports that he said accused the prison of fostering a culture of inmate abuse by prison officials.
    “My personal belief is it’s nothing more than a smear of the good men and women that happen to work at that facility in what happens to be one of the most dangerous jobs that people can do,” Martin said. “There seems to be an infatuation with writing…an insinuation that abuse of inmates at the prison is tolerated, when that’s exactly not the case.”
From today’s preliminary LNP article online, “County prison earns perfect score at state inspection,” (click here).
    We’ve asked this question before, most recently in the wake of a Sunday News story in March reporting that in the last 3-1/2 years, the county has settled eight lawsuits charging prison guards or medical personnel with abuse and neglect, at a cost of $1.88 million. The prison’s insurance company also raised the county’s deductible from $25,000 to $100,000 in 2009, apparently making a statement about the number of claims it had to pay out.
From this week’s Sunday News editorial, “Held prisoner,” (click here).
    Mr. Martin, of course you will pay the additional $75,000.00 cost to the public for each and every lawsuit out of your own pocket, won‘t you? We really appreciate it as times are tough! Thank you!
    There is so much news going on – both reported and unreported it is hard to keep pace. I placed a call this afternoon to Joseph Massa, Chief Counsel for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board regarding District Judge Kelly Ballentine (see the stories below). There will be much more tomorrow.

PRISON DEATHS & THE DEATH OF TALK?

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
 
    The two big stories from this weekend: the Lancaster County Prison and the apparent death of Trashback.
    Jack Brubaker continued his prison reporting with Sunday’s front page long and detailed “Investigative report: Where danger lives – county prison,” (click here).
    So when is something finally going to be done? When is Warden Vincent Guarini going to get the boot? I have been to two prison board meetings – each one after the suicide of an inmate – and the board just sits there. District Attorney Craig Stedman, County Judge Dennis Reinaker, and in the earlier meeting Judge Joseph Madenspacher, the sheriff and the three County Commissioners, with the exception of Craig Lehman, just sit there. They just sit there as time after time the Warden reads his absurd report.    
    From the minutes of the April 21, 2011 board meeting which I attended there is this (click here):
    Warden Guarini reported that on March 22, John Kruger, an inmate in the Medical Housing Unit, came out of his cell at the evening meal, climbed the railing in front of his cell, and dove to the floor of the dayroom.
    And the Warden and the District Attorney tried to keep this a secret from the public. In fact, it was this site that broke the news (click here and here).
    Enough is enough. If these public officials won’t step in and do the right thing they need to be voted out of office or forced to resign.
    The second story – the apparent death of Lancaster Online’s Trashback forum. This Sunday the newspaper also reported the addition of 17 localized websites by school district. Each one of the sites that is currently “up” has a link to the “Talkback Forum,” but no new articles have been posted on that forum for comment in days. Is it an unbelievable glitch or has LNP decided to put the lid on talk? With their paywall and the lack of ability to comment, LNP seems determined to commit suicide (click here).
    LIP News will not publish this afternoon. Please check back tomorrow. Comments will remain open.

MA, I WANT TO BE DA WHEN I GROW UP!

SPIN THOSE SCALES!

    LNP changes their headline from “District attorney: Prison officials not culpable in inmate’s suicide,” to today’s “Coroner: Inmate at county prison committed suicide,” (click here).  The suicide was never in question!  The question is why and how.  LNP decides once again to “help” the local officials out and run a meaningless headline.
    In further help, LNP moves that story off the front page to make room for, “Prisoner abuse lawsuit rejected,” (click here).
    And Michael Stewart and Hayward Stewart go from being on trial for second or third degree murder in the killing of Heather Marie Nunn to 8 to 23 months in Lancaster County Prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery (click here for “DA makes plea deals with suspects in killing”).
    Another stunning day of justice in Lancaster County and LNP spin.  Oh, my!
Please check back later today.