Investigating NEPA

JUNE IS HERE           I spent the latter half of the week working on two Newswatch 16 investigations in Schuylkill County, which should air in the coming week.   Some of the communities in what we know as “The Skook” are beautiful this time of year and the countryside drives were pleasant.   Some have called these communities “bleak,” and all are reminders of coal’s strong past, and murky future.   But the investigation will be worth your watch, and in these communities people still take pride in where they are from, even if the populations are dwindling.   I did have one story I did in Luzerne county this week I’d like to mention.     I work every year on Memorial Day, partly out of respect for those who fought and died.   Since most of my work involves calling and sometimes confronting people on matters they’d rather not discuss, Memorial Day is the one day of the year where I can truly...

IT’S BEEN AWHILE           Doing a blog takes discipline.   I follow David Yonki’s LuLac Political Letter , and occasionally the blog of my colleague Andy Palumbo.         The hardest part is determining what you want this blog to be.   Truthfully, I’d be happy if I could write about the news stories I do, the people I work with, my family, Syracuse University Sports, the Montreal Canadiens, why Badfinger is the most underappreciated rock band in history, and why Philadelphia and Chicago are among the top five American cities, but Boston (did I really just say that?) and Los Angeles are not.   But we are all unique people and I have always followed the advice of my old News Director in New Bern, North Carolina, the late Bill Knowles who said, “do stories that the people watching are into, not necessarily the ones you are into.”         So with that, ...

                              KIDS FOR CASH TURNS 5   The fifth anniversary of the indictments of the Kids for Cash scandal took place this week, and I was honored to be part of WNEP’s coverage with Jon Meyer, Scott Shaffer, Sarah Buynovsky (who in the last five years did by far the best stories of any TV reporter in the area), Peggy Lee, and Lara Greenberg.   I had a story on the reforms made in the wake of the scandal, and how juvenile courts in Pennsylvania are very different places.   At heart, I’m a numbers guy, and used numbers to show the incredible difference in how many kids were sent to prison when Mark Ciavarella ran juvenile court, versus now.   You can find the story . Kids for Cash: Are Reforms Working? here.   I especially like the comment from US Attorney Peter Smith who supervised the prose...

          Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that the state legislature has done nothing about freezing pensions for those indicted for public corruption crimes.   I bring this up in the wake of the eighth delay in the past three plus years to bring former State Senator Raphael Musto of Luzerne County to trial on Federal corruption charges.   On January 6, US District Court Judge Richard Caputo ruled Musto was physically able to stand trial, but mentally incompetent to do so.   I am not an expert on medical diagnosis, so I don’t have the expertise to question the ruling, or the diagnosis of the expert who testified Musto is confused, dizzy, and unaware of his surroundings and cannot assist in his own defense.   But I can tell you about the numbers, and why the suspicion that the delays sought by Musto’s lawyers is justified.           Musto makes   $10,586.05 per mo...

       HAPPY NEW YEARS !!! LINDA, ANNA, LEXI, AND ME                       My New Years’ resolution is to resurrect this blog and do it bi-monthly.   Some of you have asked me to do it, and it gives me a chance to do without the restrictions of social media.   So I will give you my thoughts of what is going on in the news, sports, and in my world.   2013 was a great year for me.   So let me begin this year end blog with some breaking news and why I think 2014 is a year I am looking forward to. MOOSIC – WNEP Investigative Reporter Dave Bohman has signed a two year contract and will remain as the Investigative Reporter through January 2016.   Terms of the deal were not disclosed.   I am truly excited about this.   About nine months ago, I thought I would be leaving for a couple of reasons.   ...