http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/pa-news/ en-us Sun, 3 Jan 2010 21:14:30 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2420186/posts The Republican aiming to derail Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta's latest run for Congress is a recently converted Democrat who contributed to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign last year. Christopher Paige registered in Monroe County as a Democrat in September 2006 and did not switch to the Republican Party until March 30, 2009, according to county records. All told, he contributed almost $5,000 to state and federal Democratic candidates since 2004, according to a review of records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics and the Pennsylvania Department of State. Mr. Paige contributed $2,300 to Mrs. Clinton's campaign last year; $250 to... The Times-Tribune (Scranton PA) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2420186/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 21:14:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419787/posts New Year's Eve and morning were like most other days for the doctors, nurses, and other staff members at the obstetrics programs at area hospitals: busy. Fifteen hospitals in the eight-county Philadelphia region have closed their labor and delivery units since 1999 ---snip--- In 1999, one in four newborns in the eight-county region was delivered by C-section. By 2008, one in three babies born here was by C-section. "Hospitals are being squeezed by low insurance payments, especially from Medicaid; the high cost of medical liability insurance; and a shortage of obstetricians Philadelphia Inquirer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419787/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 02:19:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419449/posts Central Pennsylvania school districts received millions of dollars in federal stimulus funding and were advised to use the money for one-time expenses, since it will last for only two years. But with the tight economy, many districts are using the money to fill gaps that otherwise may have had to be handled by cuts or tax increases. In addition to using the money for operating expenses, Harris said many districts are using the funding for small purchases rather than large-scale projects. Though districts were advised by federal officials on how to use the money, they were not restricted in its... The Patriot-News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419449/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 13:37:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418952/posts Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Carney said Tuesday he never did anything to encourage a national Republican committee's overtures last week to get him to switch parties. "No, not at all," Carney said. "Certainly not." The request was all the Republicans' idea, Carney said. The overtures included phone calls to Carney two days before Christmas by Arizona Sen. John McCain, the office of Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and close friend of McCain, and Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. The NRCC supports the party's House candidates. "I'm definitely not switching," Carney... The Times-Tribune (Scranton PA) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418952/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 15:09:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418217/posts (CNN) -- Investigators recovered the remains of more than 500 animals after executing a search warrant Wednesday at a home in the Feltonville section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to the city's chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The animals included "dozens of sheep, goats ... every type of farm animal you can think of," the Philadelphia SPCA's law enforcement director, George Bengal, said. The SPCA believes two sets of remains are those of small primates, possibly monkeys. CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418217/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:04:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418135/posts A White Haven man and his parents believe he, too, was sentenced unjustly as a youth several years ago in the alleged “kids for cash” scandal. They filed on Monday a lawsuit against a slew of familiar defendants. Raul Clark, now 21, was a 14-year-old Coughlin High School freshman in 2002 when he was arrested on misdemeanor charges of violating curfew and drug-paraphernalia possession. He was sentenced by former county Judge Mark Ciavarella to six months’ detention and was forced to face several other hardships of the legal system unjustly, the lawsuit contends. The lawsuit contends Clark’s rights under the... Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre PA) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418135/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:04:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417825/posts Ford City, Pa. -- Rep. John P. Murtha's record of bringing home money from Washington -- at a current rate of $100 million a year -- has become the envy of Capitol Hill colleagues and a subject of grateful awe in a stretch of Pennsylvania desperate for new jobs. In Congress, Murtha beats everybody in loading legislation with earmarks, federal funds steered to chosen contractors without the usual reviews. But after two decades of Murtha-directed federal investment here, a look at the results shows the congressman's promises of jobs often fall short. In some cases, the federal government has spent... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417825/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:30:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417711/posts Michael T. Toole walked into the federal courthouse a judge on Tuesday morning. He walked out four-and-a-half hours later an admitted case-fixer and tax cheat facing more than three years in prison. * * * Toole was suspended from judicial duties, but still eligible to receive his $161,850 annual salary, under an order issued by the state Supreme Court after the charges against him were announced Dec. 2. Toole, 49, is the third county judge among 23 people charged this year in a wide-ranging federal corruption probe. He faces a maximum penalty of 23 years in prison and a $350,000... Citizens Voice http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417711/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:44:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417702/posts Christopher Coates, the man who approved the civil rights complaint against New Black Panther Party for its behavior at a Philadelphia polling place in the November 2008 election, has been removed from his post as chief of the Voting Section of the Justice Department. Reportedly he is being transferred to the U.S. attorney's office in South Carolina. BillLawrenceOnline.Com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417702/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:32:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417609/posts A Pittsburgh ordinance designed to protect janitors from losing their jobs in Downtown office buildings violates Home Rule law. [snip] City Council enacted an ordinance in 2004 governing building complexes with more than 100,000 square feet of floor space. If the owner switches security, janitorial, maintenance, stationary engineering or window-washing contractors, the new firm has to hire the old firm's workers. Pittsburgh Post Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417609/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:36:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417429/posts "The veteran Justice Department voting rights section chief who recommended going forward on a civil complaint against members of the New Black Panther Party after they disrupted a Pennsylvania polling place in last year's elections has been removed from his post and transferred to the U.S. attorney's office in South Carolina. The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417429/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:50:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416994/posts The veteran Justice Department voting rights section chief who recommended going forward on a civil complaint against members of the New Black Panther Party after they disrupted a Pennsylvania polling place in last year's elections has been removed from his post and transferred to the U.S. attorney's office in South Carolina. Justice Department officials confirmed Monday that Christopher Coates, who signed off on the complaint's filing in federal court in Philadelphia in January accusing the party and three of its members of civil rights violations, would begin his new assignment next month. Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416994/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:21:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416029/posts New population figures give a boost to the GOP By: Chris StirewaltPolitical EditorDecember 28, 2009 The 2010 census is sure to be controversial.Republicans will thunder about the community organizers who get hired to do the counting, and Democrats will wail that the homeless and migrant workers are undercounted.But in the final pre-count estimate just released by the Census Bureau, we already have a broad idea of where the results are headed and what they will mean politically.The numbers are cause for alarm for Democrats.Of the states gaining House seats -- Texas (three) and Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah... Washington Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416029/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:44:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416322/posts Second of two parts. The pending federal effort to lessen carbon emissions, especially from coal-fired power plants – called the “cap-and-trade program” – has one single goal: To improve air quality and slow down global warming – if, that is, global warming actually exists. As environmentalists favor cap-and-trade as an incentive to decrease harmful emissions, while the bill moves from the House of Representatives to the U.S. Senate, opponents say it will cause nothing but an economic disaster, especially for Pennsylvania’s coal industries. And there are two extreme views on global warming. From the National Geographic: “Glaciers are melting. “Sea... The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416322/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:36:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416319/posts JOHNSTOWN — First of a two-part series. There are the two extreme views of federal “cap-and-trade” legislation, formally known as the Waxman-Mark energy bill, that aims to reduce global-warming emissions. • Without it, the planet and future generations will warm, wither and eventually die. • With it, utility bills will soar, coal mining will die, food will become scarce and utilities be forced into brownouts. The truth may be somewhere in between. But to Dennis Simmers at the Colver Power Project outside of Ebensburg, cap-and-trade could have dire consequences. “There are power plants that won’t be able to meet the... The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416319/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:33:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416027/posts Veteran Civil Rights Division attorney Christopher Coates is no longer chief of the Voting Section, according to the division’s Web site. There was no official announcement of the personnel change in the long-troubled section, which most recently has been embroiled in the controversy over the New Black Panther Party voter intimidation case. Main Justice noticed the change on the Voting Section Web site. Taking over for Coates in an acting role is Chris Herren, a deputy chief of the section, according to the Web site. Alejandro Miyar, a spokesman for the Civil Rights Division, wasn’t available for comment Sunday. Coates... MainJustice.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416027/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:42:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416221/posts Philadelphia hosted its first Tea Party way back in December 27th, 1773. 226 years later, the organizers of the Independence Hall Tea Party Association hosted a re-enactment of the event. Big Talker 1210 radio personality Dom Giordano represented Dr. Benjamin Rush, leader of the Philadelphia Tea Party, as he read the original resolutions adopted by Philadelphia and Boston. [VIDEO AT SITE] (Excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net ... Flopping Aces http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416221/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:03:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416075/posts Last modified: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 11:19 PM EST Murtha questions al-Qaida’s clout By MICHAEL KUHNEmikek@dailyamerican.comJOHNSTOWN — U.S. Rep. John Murtha told reporters Tuesday that he isn’t convinced al-Qaida is still a threat to national security. Murtha said he visited Kuwait and Afghanistan during Thanksgiving and approves of the military’s strategy, but expressed a need to measure progress in Afghanistan.“I don’t agree there is a threat to national security,” Murtha said, while not ruling out the possibility that he could be wrong about al-Qaida’s influence. “They keep saying they’ve defeated al-Qaida.” President Barack Obama approved sending 30,000 more troops... Daily American http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416075/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:29:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416071/posts The 23 criminal cases filed by federal prosecutors since January fall into three main categories, the courts, the schools and county government. The school and government cases largely involve business owners who paid cash or made gifts to public officials who supported their efforts to secure government contracts awarded without competitive bidding. State law allows no-bid contracts for certain services and under some circumstances. While two former judges accused of taking payoffs for jailing juveniles in for-profit detention centers face trial on 48 counts that carry maximum sentences of decades in prison, most of the other defendants face sentences ranging... Citizens Voice (Wilkes Barre PA) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416071/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:22:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415398/posts The Battle of Trenton (Dec. 26, 1776) was a crucial early victory for the American forces in the American Revolution. On Christmas night 1776, Gen. George Washington and about 2,500 Continental soldiers crossed the ice-clogged Delaware River from Pennsylvania; early the next morning they surprised Hessian mercenaries in the British service encamped at Trenton, N.J.It was a critical time for George Washington. He had just been soundly defeated in New York and morale was very low. His writings to the Continental Congress tell us so. Although there was not much to be gained through a victory here in a territorial... various http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415398/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:51:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415170/posts HARRISBURG - Investigators questioned Sen. Jane Orie's chief of staff for "many hours" and tape-recorded the interview, according to a letter her attorney sent to the Allegheny County district attorney. The letter from attorney Jerry McDevitt to District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. refers to the interview, but doesn't say when it occurred or elaborate on what its focus might have been. McDevitt also filed an open records request for information from Zappala's office. The letters McDevitt released today say Zappala's investigators obtained two boxes of documents from Orie's office — which a staff member carried out — days before... Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415170/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 02:33:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414970/posts Thanks to strong community support, the Annual Christmas Day Crossing will take place (the dress rehearsal for the Crossing will be on December 13). Parties interested in assisting the community efforts should contact the Bucks County Conference and Visitors Bureau. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414970/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 15:54:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414834/posts Senator Bob Casey Jr. (D - PA), who came to office as a pro-life Democrat in 2006 under the banner that he would continue his father's fight in pro-life causes has turned out to be pretty disappointing. When asked by the Washington Times on Tuesday what he thought his father, the late Bob Casey Sr., former governor of Pennsylvania from 1987 to 1995, would think of the abortion issue in the health care bill.: "I have no way of knowing. We’re dealing with something here which is unusual and unprecedented. We’ve had year to year appropriation bills where the Hyde... Water Cooler/Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414834/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 05:08:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414731/posts Rep. Jim Carney, D-Pa., says he’s rebuffed efforts by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to switch over to the GOP. Meanwhile, some seemingly tough Republicans plan to take him on next year. Or as one person told National Review’s Jim Geraghty, “We are more interested in beating Democrats than flipping them.” It’s no surprise that Republicans would prefer a longtime Republican in office in 2011 over Carney or other potential party switchers. And in a normal year that might be the smart play. But right now the GOP needs just a few votes to block the Democratic health care plan, the... IBD's Capital Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414731/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 23:24:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414624/posts HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett said today that his office is conducting a legal analysis of the constitutionality of the provision granting Nebraska a permanent exemption from paying Medicaid expenses that all other states, including Pennsylvania, are required to pay. Corbett said that Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson secured this special provision for Nebraska in exchange for his support of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act. Corbett said, "The result of the Nelson amendment, which the media has dubbed 'The Nebraska Compromise,' could have dire financial consequences for Pennsylvania taxpayers, forcing them to help offset the cost of Nebraska's... PA Office of the Attorney General http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414624/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:28:23 GMT