INVESTIGATING NEPA JUNE 11, 2017



INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING THIS WEEK


          Like most states, Pennsylvania is aggressively pursuing its tax collections.  But where should the agencies collecting on behalf of the state draw the line between getting tough and backing off.  This week, our investigative reporting showed a case where collection efforts appear to be going too far.

 

Image result for wnep katchur
 
        93-year-old Martha Katchur of St. Clair in Schuylkill County is the type of person people in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania point to with pride.   She has always been a hard-working woman beginning with her teenaged years, when she made dynamite and blasting caps at a plant near Tamaqua.  Shortly after the war she married, had kids, and to help with the family finances, she opened a funnel cake business.  Martha was a regular at the Hometown Farmers Market, and a few other local fairs in the area.  Her husband handled the family finances.  And by all accounts, the couple paid their state taxes every year since the late 1940s. 
 
 
          Except 1987.  Possibly.  In a letter from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue and with the letterhead from the Pioneer Collection Agency of Sayre, which collects back taxes from those who owe.  The letter claims Margaret’s business failed to file a corporate tax return 30 years ago.  The news came as a shock to Margaret.  She was mortified, as someone who actually took pride in the fact that she had always paid her taxes.  And she didn’t believe it.  But what could she do?
          Her husband, who always paid the bills died 21 years ago.  She didn’t have a copy of her 1987 tax return.  For the record, I don’t have a record of my 1987 Federal or State (North Carolina) tax return.  I don’t know anyone who does.   Luckily, she had a ledger from 1987, and it shows the family business likely lost money that year, largely because the business bought a new trailer for the funnel cake vending. 
          After a review of the case, and after WNEP had two days of powerful promos, the Department of Revenue decided to close Margaret’s case.  And the 93-year-old does not owe corporate taxes.  But her story raises more questions that we will be following this week.
·         Why did it take 30-years for the state to point out a problem?  Shouldn’t tax collectors have approached her and her husband shortly after the couple failed to file a return IF they really failed to file?
·         Is it fair to pursue back taxes long after people have tossed their records aside, and cannot defend themselves?
·         How many others are being pursued for back taxes unfairly?  Our story left more messages on my answering machine than any other story I have pursued in the past five years.
·         And most importantly, how many people who are elderly and get frightened when they get notices like this, leaving them to pay taxes that they likely do not owe?
We have a follow up on this coming next week. 
MY PAST IS CATCHING UP WITH ME
The last two people to join the Newswatch 16 Team are people I’ve have a lot in common with.





Meteorologist John Hickey comes to NEPA from WPTZ-TV, in Plattsburgh, NY where I worked from 1980 to 1986 as the Burlington, VT Bureau Chief and Weekend Anchor.  To this day, Burlington remains the best city I have ever worked in, and the long-shot election of Bernie Sanders as Mayor back in 1981 remains the best political story I ever covered.  John has a lot of respect for Vermont and the part of New York State locals call, “The North Country.”  And when it comes to predicting the weather, he is as accurate as they come.  He reminds me a little of Tom Clark in the way he has passion for the nitty-gritty science details of forecasting.


Reporter Jessica Albert worked at WCTI-TV in New Bern, where I was the weekend anchor from 1987-1990.  We can already talk about the world’s best barbecued pork which is a part of the culture there.  I don't know her well, but she strikes me as being someone who will soon be among the top reporters in NE and Central PA.  You will see Jessica reporting regularly this week.  Everyone in the newsroom is already impressed with her professionalism, and her sense of humor.


MOST OVERLOOKED BIG NEWS STORY OF THE WEEK


 


        The story that did not get as much coverage as it should have was the someone complex pension reform passed by the Pennsylvania State Legislature this week.   It doesn’t solve our state’s pension red-ink problems, but it showed for the first time that there just might be a bipartisan solution to solve one of the stickiest problems. 
These editorials from the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily News are well-written and are worth a read.

SONG OF THE WEEK

While working out Friday morning, this Warren Zevon classic played.  He may always be known for "Werewolves of London," but for my money, "Lawyers, Guns, and Money" is the classic Zevon tune.  I miss Warren Zevon, and hopefully this song performed on Night Music with David Sanborn in 1989 brings a smile.

 
MY WEEKEND

 The Newswatch 16 Golf Team of Jim Coles, Dave Bohman, Kurt Aaron, and his son Josh finished third at the annual Little Sisters of the Poor Tournament at Scranton Municipal Golf Course Saturday.  We are lucky enough at Newswatch 16 to have a forum to make our corner of America a little better, and I believe spending some of my time helping good causes through either a round of golf or 5 or 10-k road race is the best way to give back.  The Little Sisters work tirelessly to help the elderly in our area, through caring, kindness, and Catholic-Christian principles.  

As for the golf, it was my first outing of the year. The swing looks rusty, but I am staying in shape through diet and exercise, and look forward to a summer of golf in Pennsylvania and on Cape Cod.
 
TV SPORTS
       
    
 
I am a huge fan of ESPN.  Sports Center at night, “Mike and Mike” in the morning are a part of my daily routine.   But this month, I have been one unhappy customer.  The Worldwide Leader in Sports treats hockey and the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs with little more attention than it gives Harness Racing and Greco-Roman Wrestling. 
          The lion’s share of attention from ESPN recently goes to the NBA finals.  This where the basketball games have been largely dull, and the same two teams are in the finals for the third year in a row.  Meantime, the Stanley Cup Playoffs have been exciting, full of upsets and well-played games, and Carrie Underwood is at all the home games in Nashville.


          There are two reasons I think ESPN is doing this:  Viewership ratings and polls show pro basketball garnes drawmore viewers than pro hockey, and ESPN spent a lot of money for its share of the NBA contract.   I'm not asking for equal time, just a little balance, ESPN.  Respect your viewers and the game of hockey, and close the basketball-hockey coverage gap.
 
 

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