Every morning for the past five years, someone would drive by my house and throw a copy of the local newspaper in my driveway. I never saw this person, because I’m not one to get up much before 9am.

Most of the time, the paper would make its way from the driveway to the garage where it was deposited into the receptacle that goes out to the curb every Monday night. Somedays, it would actually make it inside the house – usually a Sunday when I would be looking for fifty-cents off Charmin.

While reading the newspaper rarely became a part of my daily routine, I suddenly found myself missing it when it finally stopped coming.

How did I get it in the first place. I never subscribed. None of my friends or relatives would ever give me a gift, yet alone the gift of a newspaper subscription. And most importantly, why did it stop?

I thought that maybe the publisher put me on the gratis list in exchange for that steak dinner he owes me. After all, a five year newspaper subscription probably costs less than taking me out for dinner. But no, that would be pretty cheap, right?

Maybe I’ve been getting the neighbor’s paper all along, but that just doesn’t seem realistic. I’d much rather get misdirected QVC boxes every now and then, than a newspaper.

Ever since the paper stopped coming it was like losing a friend – albeit one you never talk to, but you know is there. The Monday night can is a little lighter, especially with the absence of the 10 pound Sunday edition, so I can assume the trash men are happy.

But in my world I’ll have to keep getting my news online unless that paper starts coming again. But even if it does, it won’t really matter much now will it?

Readers of this morning’s Wilkes-Barre, PA Times Leader and Citizens Voice newspapers, were shocked to learn that an elephant killed his groomer in between shows at the Irem Shrine Circus that is currently playing at the Kingston Armory. According to published reports, “Dumbo” the African elephant, fatally injured the groomer after being startled in the holding area backstage.

Times Leader File Photo

For most of us, having the opportunity to get up close and see a majestic Asian elephant just a few feet in front of us only happens when the circus comes to town or we visit a zoo. A few years ago when I was doing my pet talk radio program, I had the opportunity to interview one of the elephant trainers for the Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus when they were performing in Wilkes-Barre. I learned a lot about how the animals are treated when traveling on the train, when they’re in their stables at the various venues they perform at and the continual care they receive.

The people who work with these remarkable animals form an amazing bond with them. The groomer who cared for Dumbo was reported to sleep on an air mattress next to her. Like any profession, I’m sure there are a few bad apples who tarnish the reputation of those who truly care for the animals and are constantly looking out for their well being. Those are the ones we hear about when the animal rights groups protest. You don’t hear much about the good work that’s done everyday behind the scenes, especially at Ringling’s Center for Elephant Conservation in Polk County, Florida.

No matter what side of the issue of animal rights you’re on, you have to admit that the death that occurred yesterday was an accident caused by a frightened animal. It was not brought on by neglect or abuse as some may want you to think. The groomer woke up every morning knowing full well the risks involved with working with Dumbo but he chose to continue out of the love and bond he had for her, and nobody should be faulted for that. Not even the elephant.

One of the things I enjoy on the Palm Beach Post‘s website is the “Booking Blotter” – mugshots of the latest scallywags booked into the Palm Beach County Jail. It’s here where drug dealers, prostitutes, trespassers and wife beaters have their photos published for the world to see. While the purpose is not for humor, you can’t help but get a chuckle when looking at some and wondering, “did he/she really leave the house looking like that this morning?”

While no such “Booking Blotter” exists online in Luzerne County, after seeing Wednesday’s Times Leader I think we could use one. An article ran about a Laceyville, PA woman who was looking to hire a hit-man. Unfortunately the prospective hit-man she was looking to hire was an undercover state trooper. Michelle Lee Parkhurst was charged with criminal solicitation to commit homicide and two counts of criminal conspiracy to solicit the commission of homicide. While being booked into the Wyoming County Correctional Facility, the prison’s staff took the obligatory mugshot which you see below:

Photos have the ability to capture nature at it’s most sensational moments or humans at their weakest points. I always carry a camera with me wherever I go, and not just the one built into my iPhone. I always manage to see something along the highway, up in the sky, or right next to me which deserves to be saved in digital form for viewing later on. I’m not a professional photographer by any nature, but collecting interesting images is a hobby of mine. Like one from today:

I couldn’t help but notice the door handles for an old McCrory’s Five and Dime proclaiming “Self Service.” I started thinking about how many people over the years pushed those doors open to gain entrance into a menagerie of housewares. It’s a history lesson in itself coupled with a trip down memory lane.

Images are powerful. They can summon tears, instill fear, inspire awe or simply illicit a chuckle. Photographers have the ability to call upon these emotions with every click of the shutter. Even if it’s a dimly lit photo of the neighborhood mugger.

C. Joseph Rehkamp, left, is sworn in as senior judge by Nancy Lebkicker, register and recorder, Friday at the Juniata County Courthouse. Sentinel photo by BUFFIE BOYER

I can’t even muster up enough words to express my angst for the justice system in Luzerne County.

Shortly after 6pm this evening, The Times Leader and Citizens Voice newspapers broke yet another store of a judge gone bad. This time it’s Senior Judge C. Joseph Rehkamp who was brought in from Perry and Juniata counties to handle some of the cases that were assigned to gangster and former judge Michael Toole.

Rehkamp has been charged with simple assault after he allegedly had it out with his wife and tried to choke her. Pardon me, but just what the hell is going on here? The 66 year old jurist batters his wife and is now in custody. I hope the one phone call the police gave him was to Gov. Ed Rendell to submit his resignation from the bench.

This dirt bag cannot be allowed to continue to don the black robe of justice. Especially since he is the one scheduled to preside over the murder trial of Donnell Buckner who shot his wife while their three kids stood by watching.

Something tells me this is going to be interesting….. very interesting.

Checking In On The Judge
The plot thickens in the accident investigation surrounding former Luzerne County President Judge, Chester Muroski. The man in the black robe slid off a slippery Route 115 in Bear Creek Township earlier this week damaging his car and taking out a mailbox.

He vehemently denies that he was intoxicated but the media has been all over him since he declared that he had “one, maybe two” drinks at a Kingston bistro shortly before the accident.

In a bizarre twist of events, a second accident occurred today just 100 feet from where Chester had his. Only this time it was fatal. A 39 year old Bear Creek Township woman was killed when she lost control of her SUV and slid into the path of an oncoming car. She died and two people in the other car, one of which was a first grader, is suffering from severe injuries. This proves that winter weather and Route 115 are not a good mix.

WNEP-TV reported earlier today that the judge may be charged with failure to notify police and the owner of “unattended property” that damage was done to such property. The property in this instance was the mailbox that Muroski’s car slid into. According to the report, Chet could face 90 days in jail or a $300 fine.

When I lived on Route 115, PennDot took out my mailbox at least once each winter during snow plowing and I never received a dime from them, and they never told me they smashed my mailbox. If you use reverse logic here, could PennDot fall under this same “unattended property” law?

I don’t think the judge will see jail tame or receive a fine. Everyone should just be thankful that there were no serious injuries and move on.

Jesus Buys Only The Best
On another note, in a story appearing in Friday’s Times Leader, reporter Jerry Lynott has a story on the recent opening of Tony Stella’s Good Fellos in the the former Mayfair Supper Club / Bella Vino / Stultz’s Buffet.

Big Tony closed his long-time establishment in Exeter and moved into the larger space on Route 315 in Pittston late last year. Known for meals running around a C-Note a head, Tony’s got a hell of a lot more tables to fill at his new location than his old, and with prices that high in this economy it will be interesting to see if it was worth the risk of moving. Reviews that I’ve heard so far have been mixed. Those who dined at his Exeter location say this new place “just isn’t the same” while others are thrilled.

I dine at some of the finest restaurants from Palm Beach to Miami every night of the week alongside celebrities and some of America’s wealthiest individuals and I don’t pay a hundred bucks a head for a meal. (My bar bill on the other hand is another story.) I would never expect to pay that kind of money to eat at a place in Pittston, Pennsylvania!

Tony gives some of the credit for his longevity in the restaurant biz to none other than Jesus himself. “I believe in Christ. I buy the best products money can buy and give the best service with a great crew.” Will agnostics like myself be welcome at Good Fellos? Absolutely, after all Tony takes American Express.

Another Goes Down
Finally, word is out that the next indictment has been handed down in the ongoing corruption probe in Luzerne County. Shortly before 3pm today, I received word from several high placed, credible sources that a prominent attorney, who will remain nameless, resigned from his firm and signed a plea deal with Uncle Sam.

The dapper dude often seen in his high priced luxury car sporting a George Hamilton-like tan while a young blonde with fake breasts hangs off his side, is ready to face stark reality. His next court appearance will be not as the one defending, but the one looking to be defended.

Let your fingers do the walking through the yellow pages under “Attorneys At Law” and draw your own conclusion as to who the latest gangster is from the description above – or wait till the story hits the news.

Just remember you heard it here first and if you followed me on Twitter or Facebook you would have heard about it even sooner!

Maybe Tony Stella could put a good word in for Mr. Attorney with Jesus. He’s gonna need all the help he can get.

He almost made it.

“He” is former Luzerne County President Judge and now Senior Judge, Chester Muroski and he almost made it into retirement without making headlines. But slick roads and “one, maybe two” drinks did him in.

I was going to let Chester’s moment in the spotlight pass by. After all, this is the guy who was left to clean up the mess after former judges turned scumbag gangsters, Mark Ciaverella and Michael Conahan, joined the ranks of criminals and were thrown off the bench in what the media calls the “Kids for Cash Scandal.” But the reporters and talk show hosts in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton are having a field day with this one, and in my opinion are going overboard. It’s almost like they haven’t had any courthouse arrests to report and talk on, so they manufacture a news story where one doesn’t exist.

Here’s the story in a nutshell. Chet got done swearing in the Courtdale mayor. After taking the oath, the judge heads over to Bistro on the Ave in Kingston to celebrate with what he said was “one, maybe two” drinks. On the way home his car slides off the road on an icy Route 115 in Bear Creek and takes out a mailbox. A passer-by spots the car off the road, calls 911 and after 15 or so minutes takes the judge to his home leaving the car there. In the mean time the police come, write their report and the car is taken to a garage for repair. (For the exact timeline of events, see this article.)

Having lived in Bear Creek for a few years I experienced many a harrowing drive up and down the mountain in the winter. I once did a complete 360 in an all-wheel-drive BMW sedan with just a thin cover of snow on the road. It’s a dangerous stretch of pavement that is steep, windy and not taken care of very well in the winter, but for those who live up there it’s the only way in and out of Dodge.

I believe Chester’s story, and for the record, I don’t know him, never met him and I doubt he knows me. If I thought there was any special treatment given to him by any law enforcement agency, I’d be all over it like stink on a monkey (where did that expression come from?), but I just don’t get all the attention that’s focused on a simple weather related auto accident..

I don’t buy the accusations that he was drunk behind the wheel. If he’s telling the truth, and I sincerely believe he is, “one, maybe two” drinks isn’t enough to make one so impaired that they can’t drive. One or two martini’s doesn’t impair me, but six or more, and I’ll hand over the keys.

I remember one sunny summer afternoon, I’m sitting in my house in Bear Creek when out of the blue I hear a loud bang and look out front and my mailbox was gone and a car was wrapped around a tree in my neighbor’s front yard. The driver was killed, suicide if I remember correctly, and the story never made it past an obituary in the paper two days later. I also recall many, and I mean MANY, cars landing in my front yard on a snowy morning and not one made headlines. Muroski slides off an icy road and we’ve got panic in the streets.

Maybe something else will come out later, but I doubt it. Like I said earlier, with the lack of arrests in the courthouse the past couple weeks, the news outlets are looking for stories of politicos that they can trump up to get people to listen to their talk show, watch their newscast and buy their papers.

He almost made it.

If the snow didn’t come and the roads weren’t slick, Chester Muroski would have slid into history as the judge credited with righting the ship right before the M.S. Luzerne County Justice was getting ready to sink below the horizon. Instead he slid into a mailbox and the village idiots lit their torches and stormed the streets hunting for a witch who just isn’t there.

January 7, 2010 – As an update to this story, the Times Leader reports:

BEAR CREEK TWP. – A woman was killed in a two vehicle crash on state Route 115 Thursday morning, state police at Wyoming said.

The name of the woman has not been released pending notification of family.

Trooper Tom Kelly said two vehicles, a Subaru and a Ford Escape, collided on Route 115, near Pittston Boulevard at about 8:40 a.m.

Kelly said the Subaru was traveling north on Route 115 and slid on black ice into the southbound lane where it collided into the Ford Escape.

A woman and a 7-year old child in the Ford were taken to area hospitals, Kelly said.

Several trucks from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation were seen spreading salt on Route 115.

The fatal accident happened about 100 yards north from where Luzerne County Senior Judge Chester Muroski said he slid off Route 115 and into mailboxes Monday night.

Route 115 in both northbound and southbound lanes of travel between Old East End Boulevard is closed to traffic.

The Big Boy Ain't Smiling Today!

According to the criminal complaint, Skrep took five-grand in return for supporting the creation of a tax increment district that benefited the developer building a project in Jenkins Township. Who is that developers? Well, the Citizens Voice says it’s none other than Anthony Trombetta. The same guy Skrep bought his townhome from and the same guy who built the development Skrep is living in. Hmmm, very convenient ain’t it?

Trombetta has been a key figure in this corruption probe for a while now. Contracts that his technology company, Intellacom, Inc., have had with school districts have suddenly been put under the microscope by the feds. So far Tony T hasn’t been charged with anything, but it certainly appears as if the walls are closing in on him.

You may remember a few weeks ago, Trombetta’s short order cook at his failed Portofino Restaurant, Jeff Piazza, pled guilty to corruption. That plea came in connection with technology contracts that were doctored up so that Jeffie could get a good kickback to feather his nest. Anyone care to guess who those contracts were with? (Read about Jeff’s plea in this blog post from December 4th.)

Skrepenak expresses remorse for failing.

He now calls upon God for forgiveness.

He said he didn’t think what he did was wrong.

Typical reactions from a loser.

Lets just hope they have an orange jumpsuit that fits him.

Judge Muroski held a press conference a few minutes ago to explain the procedure for selecting a replacement commissioner to fill the seat which is now empty after Greg Skrepenak resigned. Seems luck had run out for Skrep. Skrep’s close associates already signed plea deals and it was only a matter of time before Uncle Sam nabbed him as well.

The next few days will prove to be interesting as more details emerge on what exactly the dumb jock did besides never show up for work. Judge Muroski gave those interested in applying for the commissioner seat until Monday at 4pm to apply. Filling this seat is important as the county hasn’t passed a budget and time is running out. Without a third commissioner, the key vote to approve the budget can’t be approved.

The Times Leader provided a great service by streaming the press conference live on their site this afternoon. It’s exciting to see them embrace technology. While watching the press conference, I couldn’t help but notice the smile on Commissioner Steve Urban’s face:

That smile just says “sweet, sweet justice!”

I also happened to see WILK’s own Sue Henry packing up a microphone before heading out of the courthouse, or “ding dome” as she calls it. Nice to see ya Sue!

The Times Leader is reporting what I referred to as “The Christmas Present” that I spoke about in my November 11, 2009 blog post. I was tipped off by a source deep within the county that today’s event was coming and that it was going to be “the Christmas present Luzerne County was waiting for.”

Ladies and gentlemen, Greg Skrepenak has plead GUILTY to accepting a bribe in the ongoing corruption probe in Luzerne County. While the details on this story are still emerging, many have to wonder if this has to do with the construction of the juveline center or something else.

One thing that we can all be happy is that the biggest bozo in the history of Luzerne County government is out. And if that’s not a Christmas present we can all be thankful for, I don’t know what is.

Dirty Dougie of Reliance Drive in Wilkes-Barre. #22 on the Federal Government's Hit Parade.

Thursday, that number rose to 22 with the former director of Human Resources, Doug Richards admitting that he took a bribe from an unnamed contractor in order to get a contract with the county. If you recall Richards is the snake who just a few weeks ago tried to slither out of the courthouse under the guise that he was “taking a job in the private sector.”

That was until Maryanne Petrilla started asking questions.

Dirty Dougie seems to have a connection with contracts awarded to Continental Consultants Group, Inc. and B & M Investigations, Inc of New York. Continental landed a no-bid contract to oversee payments made to former county employees who remained on as consultants for the county for some type of flood cleanup project. B & M was hired to do background checks on employees and also prepare a $35,000 report that outlined pre-employment procedures the county should follow. The report however has been written with invisible ink and transparent paper, because nobody has seen it.

When Petrilla started questioning Dirty Dougie over these contracts, he suddenly got a case of the quiets and refused to talk. Maryanne then showed him the door and canned his ass. Once Elvis left the building the feds came in and started digging through his office finding all kinds of interesting dirt that obviously led to his arrest.

I’m going to start referring to the 22 people nabbed so far, as whores. Because that’s just what they are. You’ve got a school board member whoring himself out for free carpet. Bill Brace whored himself out for a custom tailored suit. Three judges and a whole bunch of other criminals whored themselves out for cash. I’m going to suggest that the county Building & Grounds department leaves the red lights that are shining on the courthouse for the holidays left on year round. It only seems fitting!

But who should be the madam?