Of course, the usual aholes are in the comments, with Jock Strap and DiMaggio leading the charge.
Joe Paterno bigger 'villain' than Robert E. Lee in New York Times poll
Updated on August 31, 2017 at 1:09 PMPosted on August 31, 2017 at 12:39 PM
File photo(PennLive archives )
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By David Wenner
dwenner@pennlive.com
Joe Paterno ranks near the top of the kind of poll in which it's best to be at the bottom.
The New York Times polled readers on whether statues of 16 Americans such as Paterno, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Strom Thurmond should be taken down. At the Times framed it: "The line between history's heroes and villains is hard to draw. Where would you put it?"
Eighty-one percent of respondents voted for Paterno's statue to come down. That tied him with Confederacy president Jefferson Davis. The only person who garnered more votes in favor of removing his statue was Nathan Bedford Forrest, the Confederate general who became a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
Seventy-five percent supported removal of the statue of Lee, the Confederate general and lighting rod in the debate over whether Americans with tarnished histories deserve statues.
The list of 16 also included former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo, known for his aggressive police approach toward African-Americans, with 55 percent of respondents saying his statue could come down.
Of course, Paterno's statue, which long occupied a place of honor in front of Beaver Stadium, was taken down in the midst of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal. But there has been talk by people including some Penn State trustees of resurrecting the statue, which reportedly has been in storage at a secret location.
Slump-shouldered Joe Paterno statue? HBO film appears to alter history
The controversial statue of Joe Paterno that was removed from Penn State's campus in July 2012, at the height of the backlash over the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, appears to have been altered for the upcoming HBO movie on the football coach, now shooting in New York.
Crash closes portion of Pa. Turnpike in Lancaster County
Updated on September 1, 2017 at 7:01 AMPosted on September 1, 2017 at 6:50 AM
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By Joe Elias
jelias@pennlive.com
The westbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike have been shut down following a crash involving two tractor-trailers earlier Friday morning in Lancaster County.
The crash was reported at about 4:10 a.m. at mile marker 270.8 in Penn Township, according to Lancaster County 911.
The turnpike has been shut down between the Reading Interchange, Exit 286, and the Lebanon-Lancaster Interchange, Exit 266, according to the Pa. Turnpike Commission.
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The @PA_Turnpike is now closed westbound at the Reading Exit due to a crash with injuries at milepost 270.8 involving two tractor-trailers.
6:48 AM - Sep 1, 2017
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Harrisburg City Council boots decision on new member to next week
Updated on September 1, 2017 at 7:21 AMPosted on September 1, 2017 at 6:15 AM
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By Teresa Bonner
tbonner@pennlive.com
Unable to reach a consensus on which of two men should be chosen to fill a vacant seat on Harrisburg City Council, council members postponed a decision until next week.
The decision came Thursday after the six candidates to fill former Councilman Jeffrey Baltimore's seat were whittled down to four, and then two, as council members decided whom to interview, then nominate, for the position.
Brian Ostella, a Midtown resident and IT project manager, and Dave Madsen, a state employee who ran for council in the spring, were the two finalists.
Although only five out of the six current council members were present -- Councilwoman Destini Hodges was absent -- a candidate still needed to get four votes to win the seat. Council President Wanda Williams moved for the meeting to recess until next week after the five present members voted 3-2 on Madsen and Ostella, respectively, several times.
Williams, who voted for Madsen, said she didn't expect the meeting to play out as it did.
"It has to be a consensus, and it wasn't," she said, noting Hodges will attend next week's meeting.
This follows the resignation of Baltimore earlier this month. In his resignation letter, Baltimore said it was a difficult decision, but provided no reason for his unexpected departure. Baltimore himself had been chosen by the council in 2014, during a tense selection process that included nine contested rounds of voting and a tie-breaker from Mayor Eric Papenfuse.
Baltimore replaced Eugenia Smith, who had died of a heart attack in 2014, and was the chair of the Community and Economic Development committee. Williams said whoever is chosen to replace Baltimore will also chair that committee.
Baltimore's vacated seat will be on the November 2017 ballot for a two-year term, starting in January 2018. The winner of the two-year seat in November will fill the rest of Baltimore's term.
The field of candidates included former Harrisburg police officer Jennie Jenkins, who ran for the for mayor in this year's primary, and Josh Burkholder, who ran unsuccessfully against U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, in the November elections. Harrisburg residents Christopher Conroy and Pat Stringer also put in their names for the seat.
After all six candidates gave brief interviews, council members selected Jenkins, Madsen, Ostella and Burkholder to be interviewed for the position. Ostella and Madsen were both nominated for a vote following the interviews.
Ostella, who ran for state treasurer in 2015, said he decided to vie for the open seat so he could have a say in the city's budget for next year. Ostella has served on the audit committee for the past five years, something he said would serve him well if selected for council.
"Helping the city pass the budget over these next four months is critical," he said.
Ostella said he would also prioritize action on a police review board discussed at a council meeting earlier this week if selected for council.
For his part, Madsen said if selected, his budget approach would be to talk to bureau directors, and their rank-and-file employees for ideas guidance. As a Department of Revenue employee, Madsen said he sometimes thinks of ideas on the state level, and wants to tap into the "institutional knowledge" of longtime city employees.
Madsen, who was a regional field director on Gov. Tom Wolf's campaign, received more than 1,600 votes in this year's council primary.
"I felt I had an obligation to the folks that voted for me to try to get on council," he said after Thursday's meeting.
Council will vote between Madsen and Ostella on Tuesday.
Driving to Penn State's season opener? Expect delays
Updated on September 1, 2017 at 6:22 AMPosted on September 1, 2017 at 5:45 AM
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By Teresa Bonner
tbonner@pennlive.com
The trip to Penn State for Saturday's season opener against Akron could take a bit longer than usual.
That's because construction of a new interchange on U.S. Route 322 in the area of Seven Mountains and Potters Mill Gap has reduced the number of lanes of travel over the mountain from four to two.
That's expected to create a bottleneck as thousands head to Beaver Stadium for the noon kickoff.
The state Department of Transportation is urging motorists to allow extra time for the trip on U.S. Route 322.
The construction zone stretches from the Mifflin County line to Decker Valley Road in Centre County. The eastbound lanes are closed, and eastbound traffic will cross over to use one of the westbound lanes, with westbound traffic using the remaining lane.
The construction, which will create a new local interchange on Route 322 at Sand Mountain Road, just west of "Seven Mountains," is expected to continue through mid-October.
For additional information about the construction and travel restrictions, visit www.penndot.gov. Motorists can stay up-to-date on the latest travel conditions by visiting www.511PA.com.
Heading back to Capitol Hill, Pat Toomey cites Harvey relief and tax reform as priorities
Updated on September 1, 2017 at 6:36 AMPosted on September 1, 2017 at 5:45 AM
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By Ivey DeJesus
idejesus@pennlive.com
BETHLEHEM - Sen. Pat Toomey on Thursday said he was heading back to Capitol Hill next week after the August recess with two overriding "front-burner issues" taking priority: a Congressional relief response for the devastation of Hurricane Harvey and tax reform.
In a much anticipated town hall event held at the local Public Broadcasting Station - PBS39 - the Lehigh Valley Republican fielded a slew of pointed questions ranging from health care, the country's divisive political rhetoric, immigration and Russian election meddling.
Toomey, who in 2013, was one of more than three dozen lawmakers who voted against a relief bill for victims of Hurricane Sandy, reiterated the stance he made earlier in the day to business leaders in Harrisburg that he would support legislation to ease suffering and rebuild in southeast Texas as long as it didn't entail binge spending on the part of lawmakers.
"The criteria is the same," Toomey said. "If we have a responsible piece of legislation that will help people who need help, that will deal with this crisis and deal with it in prudent ways, I will support it. If it becomes a Christmas tree where every member of Congress adds whatever his or her's pork barrel program, then I will fight that. That's what Sandy became."
Toomey stuck to his talking points, not once diverging from his conservative agenda, even as the the event itself, drew scrutiny from audience members - and several dozen protesters outside - for its sanitized and controlled format, which they said discouraged rigorous conversation.
The town hall, broadcast live by the PBS affiliate in Bethlehem, was limited to 54 people, 24 of whom were hand-picked by local Republican and Democratic groups. The remaining 30 tickets were made available to the public.
"The format was flawed," said Erin Bruch, a Bethlehem resident who procured a ticket to the ticketed event. "He quoted in there that he wanted a discussion. A discussion is we get to ask the questions, you give us your answer and we give you a different idea. This didn't have that."
Audience members were prohibited from clapping or speaking out. One ticketed participant asked a question regarding immigration but was ushered out of the studio by security. The sound quality in the studio was so poor, even the media pool at the back of the room had difficulty following the evening's discussion.
Immediately after the town hall, Toomey addressed the criticism, saying:
"I am engaging in two-way conversation with constituents every single day many of whom strongly disagree with me. There are some people who are not interested in constructive discussion. I 'm not interested in creating a forum for that."
During the question-and-answer town hall event, Toomey sailed through a litany of questions that reflected most of the major concerns out of Washington.
That included questions regarding Toomey's views on how the president handled the deadly white supremacists rally earlier this month in Charlottesville.
Toomey said he would give Trump credit when due but would not hold back criticism. He praised the president's plans regarding Obamacare and tax reform, but criticized him for suggesting there were good people on both sides of the protest.
"The president missed a really important moment," Toomey said during the town hall. "It's important for the president to demonstrate moral clarity. .. He should have been much more clear. It's completely unacceptable. It's outrageous."
Toomey reiterated his stance that the Affordable Care Act was a failure and that he would continue to work to repeal it.
In pushing for tax reform, Toomey said the tax code should be designed to generate as much money as the government needs while encouraging as much economic growth as possible.
"We shouldn't tolerate a tax code that discourages business and growth," said Toomey, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which has oversight over taxes.
About two dozen protesters organized by Power Northeast, a coalition of social justice groups, staged outside of the TV station.
"This is a travesty," said John Paul Marosy, a member of Power Northeast. "Town halls are supposed to give the public the ability to come here and have a dialogue. This is contrived and controlled. The public has no say. We regard this as a clamping down of free speech."
Protesters blasted Toomey for a variety of topics, including his stances on immigration and universal health care.
Protesters at one point chanted in unison, "Fake town hall, fake town hall."
In generally short answers, Toomey fielded more than a dozen questions, including one on his view of Russian election meddling.
"We've got to get to the bottom of exactly what happened," he said.
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Joe Paterno bigger 'villain' than Robert E. Lee in New York Times poll
Updated on August 31, 2017 at 1:09 PMPosted on August 31, 2017 at 12:39 PM
File photo(PennLive archives )
0shares
By David Wenner
dwenner@pennlive.com
Joe Paterno ranks near the top of the kind of poll in which it's best to be at the bottom.
The New York Times polled readers on whether statues of 16 Americans such as Paterno, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Strom Thurmond should be taken down. At the Times framed it: "The line between history's heroes and villains is hard to draw. Where would you put it?"
Eighty-one percent of respondents voted for Paterno's statue to come down. That tied him with Confederacy president Jefferson Davis. The only person who garnered more votes in favor of removing his statue was Nathan Bedford Forrest, the Confederate general who became a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
Seventy-five percent supported removal of the statue of Lee, the Confederate general and lighting rod in the debate over whether Americans with tarnished histories deserve statues.
The list of 16 also included former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo, known for his aggressive police approach toward African-Americans, with 55 percent of respondents saying his statue could come down.
Of course, Paterno's statue, which long occupied a place of honor in front of Beaver Stadium, was taken down in the midst of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal. But there has been talk by people including some Penn State trustees of resurrecting the statue, which reportedly has been in storage at a secret location.
Slump-shouldered Joe Paterno statue? HBO film appears to alter history
The controversial statue of Joe Paterno that was removed from Penn State's campus in July 2012, at the height of the backlash over the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, appears to have been altered for the upcoming HBO movie on the football coach, now shooting in New York.
Crash closes portion of Pa. Turnpike in Lancaster County
Updated on September 1, 2017 at 7:01 AMPosted on September 1, 2017 at 6:50 AM
11shares
By Joe Elias
jelias@pennlive.com
The westbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike have been shut down following a crash involving two tractor-trailers earlier Friday morning in Lancaster County.
The crash was reported at about 4:10 a.m. at mile marker 270.8 in Penn Township, according to Lancaster County 911.
The turnpike has been shut down between the Reading Interchange, Exit 286, and the Lebanon-Lancaster Interchange, Exit 266, according to the Pa. Turnpike Commission.
Follow
Carl DeFebo @cdefeboThe @PA_Turnpike is now closed westbound at the Reading Exit due to a crash with injuries at milepost 270.8 involving two tractor-trailers.
6:48 AM - Sep 1, 2017
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Harrisburg City Council boots decision on new member to next week
Updated on September 1, 2017 at 7:21 AMPosted on September 1, 2017 at 6:15 AM
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By Teresa Bonner
tbonner@pennlive.com
Unable to reach a consensus on which of two men should be chosen to fill a vacant seat on Harrisburg City Council, council members postponed a decision until next week.
The decision came Thursday after the six candidates to fill former Councilman Jeffrey Baltimore's seat were whittled down to four, and then two, as council members decided whom to interview, then nominate, for the position.
Brian Ostella, a Midtown resident and IT project manager, and Dave Madsen, a state employee who ran for council in the spring, were the two finalists.
Although only five out of the six current council members were present -- Councilwoman Destini Hodges was absent -- a candidate still needed to get four votes to win the seat. Council President Wanda Williams moved for the meeting to recess until next week after the five present members voted 3-2 on Madsen and Ostella, respectively, several times.
Williams, who voted for Madsen, said she didn't expect the meeting to play out as it did.
"It has to be a consensus, and it wasn't," she said, noting Hodges will attend next week's meeting.
This follows the resignation of Baltimore earlier this month. In his resignation letter, Baltimore said it was a difficult decision, but provided no reason for his unexpected departure. Baltimore himself had been chosen by the council in 2014, during a tense selection process that included nine contested rounds of voting and a tie-breaker from Mayor Eric Papenfuse.
Baltimore replaced Eugenia Smith, who had died of a heart attack in 2014, and was the chair of the Community and Economic Development committee. Williams said whoever is chosen to replace Baltimore will also chair that committee.
Baltimore's vacated seat will be on the November 2017 ballot for a two-year term, starting in January 2018. The winner of the two-year seat in November will fill the rest of Baltimore's term.
The field of candidates included former Harrisburg police officer Jennie Jenkins, who ran for the for mayor in this year's primary, and Josh Burkholder, who ran unsuccessfully against U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, in the November elections. Harrisburg residents Christopher Conroy and Pat Stringer also put in their names for the seat.
After all six candidates gave brief interviews, council members selected Jenkins, Madsen, Ostella and Burkholder to be interviewed for the position. Ostella and Madsen were both nominated for a vote following the interviews.
Ostella, who ran for state treasurer in 2015, said he decided to vie for the open seat so he could have a say in the city's budget for next year. Ostella has served on the audit committee for the past five years, something he said would serve him well if selected for council.
"Helping the city pass the budget over these next four months is critical," he said.
Ostella said he would also prioritize action on a police review board discussed at a council meeting earlier this week if selected for council.
For his part, Madsen said if selected, his budget approach would be to talk to bureau directors, and their rank-and-file employees for ideas guidance. As a Department of Revenue employee, Madsen said he sometimes thinks of ideas on the state level, and wants to tap into the "institutional knowledge" of longtime city employees.
Madsen, who was a regional field director on Gov. Tom Wolf's campaign, received more than 1,600 votes in this year's council primary.
"I felt I had an obligation to the folks that voted for me to try to get on council," he said after Thursday's meeting.
Council will vote between Madsen and Ostella on Tuesday.
Driving to Penn State's season opener? Expect delays
Updated on September 1, 2017 at 6:22 AMPosted on September 1, 2017 at 5:45 AM
2shares
By Teresa Bonner
tbonner@pennlive.com
The trip to Penn State for Saturday's season opener against Akron could take a bit longer than usual.
That's because construction of a new interchange on U.S. Route 322 in the area of Seven Mountains and Potters Mill Gap has reduced the number of lanes of travel over the mountain from four to two.
That's expected to create a bottleneck as thousands head to Beaver Stadium for the noon kickoff.
The state Department of Transportation is urging motorists to allow extra time for the trip on U.S. Route 322.
The construction zone stretches from the Mifflin County line to Decker Valley Road in Centre County. The eastbound lanes are closed, and eastbound traffic will cross over to use one of the westbound lanes, with westbound traffic using the remaining lane.
The construction, which will create a new local interchange on Route 322 at Sand Mountain Road, just west of "Seven Mountains," is expected to continue through mid-October.
For additional information about the construction and travel restrictions, visit www.penndot.gov. Motorists can stay up-to-date on the latest travel conditions by visiting www.511PA.com.
Heading back to Capitol Hill, Pat Toomey cites Harvey relief and tax reform as priorities
Updated on September 1, 2017 at 6:36 AMPosted on September 1, 2017 at 5:45 AM
12shares
By Ivey DeJesus
idejesus@pennlive.com
BETHLEHEM - Sen. Pat Toomey on Thursday said he was heading back to Capitol Hill next week after the August recess with two overriding "front-burner issues" taking priority: a Congressional relief response for the devastation of Hurricane Harvey and tax reform.
In a much anticipated town hall event held at the local Public Broadcasting Station - PBS39 - the Lehigh Valley Republican fielded a slew of pointed questions ranging from health care, the country's divisive political rhetoric, immigration and Russian election meddling.
Toomey, who in 2013, was one of more than three dozen lawmakers who voted against a relief bill for victims of Hurricane Sandy, reiterated the stance he made earlier in the day to business leaders in Harrisburg that he would support legislation to ease suffering and rebuild in southeast Texas as long as it didn't entail binge spending on the part of lawmakers.
"The criteria is the same," Toomey said. "If we have a responsible piece of legislation that will help people who need help, that will deal with this crisis and deal with it in prudent ways, I will support it. If it becomes a Christmas tree where every member of Congress adds whatever his or her's pork barrel program, then I will fight that. That's what Sandy became."
Toomey stuck to his talking points, not once diverging from his conservative agenda, even as the the event itself, drew scrutiny from audience members - and several dozen protesters outside - for its sanitized and controlled format, which they said discouraged rigorous conversation.
The town hall, broadcast live by the PBS affiliate in Bethlehem, was limited to 54 people, 24 of whom were hand-picked by local Republican and Democratic groups. The remaining 30 tickets were made available to the public.
"The format was flawed," said Erin Bruch, a Bethlehem resident who procured a ticket to the ticketed event. "He quoted in there that he wanted a discussion. A discussion is we get to ask the questions, you give us your answer and we give you a different idea. This didn't have that."
Audience members were prohibited from clapping or speaking out. One ticketed participant asked a question regarding immigration but was ushered out of the studio by security. The sound quality in the studio was so poor, even the media pool at the back of the room had difficulty following the evening's discussion.
Immediately after the town hall, Toomey addressed the criticism, saying:
"I am engaging in two-way conversation with constituents every single day many of whom strongly disagree with me. There are some people who are not interested in constructive discussion. I 'm not interested in creating a forum for that."
During the question-and-answer town hall event, Toomey sailed through a litany of questions that reflected most of the major concerns out of Washington.
That included questions regarding Toomey's views on how the president handled the deadly white supremacists rally earlier this month in Charlottesville.
Toomey said he would give Trump credit when due but would not hold back criticism. He praised the president's plans regarding Obamacare and tax reform, but criticized him for suggesting there were good people on both sides of the protest.
"The president missed a really important moment," Toomey said during the town hall. "It's important for the president to demonstrate moral clarity. .. He should have been much more clear. It's completely unacceptable. It's outrageous."
Toomey reiterated his stance that the Affordable Care Act was a failure and that he would continue to work to repeal it.
In pushing for tax reform, Toomey said the tax code should be designed to generate as much money as the government needs while encouraging as much economic growth as possible.
"We shouldn't tolerate a tax code that discourages business and growth," said Toomey, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which has oversight over taxes.
About two dozen protesters organized by Power Northeast, a coalition of social justice groups, staged outside of the TV station.
"This is a travesty," said John Paul Marosy, a member of Power Northeast. "Town halls are supposed to give the public the ability to come here and have a dialogue. This is contrived and controlled. The public has no say. We regard this as a clamping down of free speech."
Protesters blasted Toomey for a variety of topics, including his stances on immigration and universal health care.
Protesters at one point chanted in unison, "Fake town hall, fake town hall."
In generally short answers, Toomey fielded more than a dozen questions, including one on his view of Russian election meddling.
"We've got to get to the bottom of exactly what happened," he said.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
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Is Joe Paterno's legacy really worse than that of Robert E. Lee?PennLive.com
Got Dark Spots? (Do This Every Day)Gundry MD
Penn State's James Franklin impresses father of 4-star recruit; more on Al Pacino as Joe Paterno, and morePennLive.com
Doctor: How To End Your Stomach Problems (Do This Every Day)Digest MD
Don't let the shame of our past become the shame of our future: Nancy EshelmanPennLive.com
by Taboola
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