Where I'll be today!!!!

It's not 1985, but it's Villanova vs. Georgetown.

The Voice with 1985 NCAA Tourney MVP Ed Pinckney

Shamokin basketball's time has come!!!

Everyone was probably expecting to see Shikellamy in the final, but once again it is Danville who has been there 6 out of the last 7 years. Should be a good game tonight and no one could take anything for granted. From an inside the numbers perpective both Shikellamy and Danville were under 50% from the charity stripe in Wednesday's semifinal. The Braves were a woeful 5 for 15.

Will the "Purple Ranger" of the Geigle Complex come out of retirement?

Rep. Belfanti

Get well soon.

I have been doing this(blogging) for two years and reached two milestones today. Today is my 43rd birthday. No big deal for the most part, but I did survive cancer at age 36. I am thankful everyday.

Today is also the 500 post on this blog. Hopefully evenyone enjoyed the previous 499.

The Voice.

Don't Give Him a Check, Give Him a Banjo!!!

Steve Martin had a routine where he talks about a banjo and how you cannot be sad when you listen to one being played. He said if someone loses their job, don't give him an unemployment check. Give him a banjo!!!! In these trying times, are there enough banjo's to go around?

Here is Steve Martin and one of his memorable hits.

Shamokin Boys Advance to Finals

Little brother Greg cheering on big brother Joe

Danica Deckard at the foul line

Shamokin split tonight at Shik with the girls losing a close to Selinsgrove by a 51-47 score. Selinsgrove used a big 16-1 run from the third into the fourth quarter as both team combined for double digit turnovers.

Shamokin boys were never in doubt using a balanced attack to easily defeat Milton in what was 2008's marque matchup that never happened.

Fat Tuesday!!!!

Could you believe it has been 8 years since Shamokin's last district title in boys bastketball. Hopefully, Shamokin is too good tomorrow to let this happen:





If you don't have time for basketball and are worried about the first amendment, Ron Jeremy is coming to Bucknell this evening.

Which Idiot Decided to Repeal Glass-Steagall?

Note: In a previous diary on OTC Derivatives (Which Idiot Decided Not to Regulate Credit Default Swaps?) we looked at the legislative history of the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000. Today's topic is the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the repeal of Glass-Steagall—a part of the deregulation story of how our banks got "too big to fail." For

read more | digg story

The Worst Playoff Loss in Lourdes Regional History?

Two technical fouls, five offensive fouls and two quick personal fouls by Chad Varano spelled doom for the Lourdes Regional Red Raiders. With a 71-30 loss tonight at the hand of the Millville Quakers, it may have been Lourdes worst loss in the playoff in school history.

There wasn't any chance tonight similar to when Lourdes shocked state title favorite Loyalsock in the first round back in the early 90's.

Millville would have won this game 10 times out of 10. The question of night in terms of offensive fouls, all five called were called setting screens. Playing their 24th game of the season, are the Red Raiders that bad at setting picks?

Hats off to Millville, they didn't get stung like they did last year. With only really going 6 deep, lets see if the Quakers run into depth problems as the playoffs progess. In a 41-point win, Millville did turn the ball over against pressure from a very average team.

Concerned fan for Lourdes

Assault at the Schuylkill League Playoffs?

Courtesy of the PaWaterCooler.

The Schuylkill League Basketball Playoffs are supposed to be intense, but this is just a tad too over the top. Following a hard fought boy’s championship game between North Schuylkill and Williams Valley on Friday night where one player was ejected and fans heckled the officiating crew for four full quarters, Magisterial District Justice David A. Plachko, a referee in the contest, reportedly attacked a Williams Valley parent outside of Martz Hall.

According to the victim and two eyewitnesses, Plachko allegedly threw Doug Thompson, owner of Thompson’s Service Station in Wiconsico, onto the hood of a parked vehicle and needed to be restrained by a fellow official. The SUV belonged to Pottsville Republican and Herald sports reporter, Dustin Haluska, which reportedly suffered a large dent.

“He slammed on the breaks of his car, jumped out, and came at me screaming profanities,” said Thompson, who admitted to shouting at Plachko as he drove by. “He then put his hands on me, threw me against a vehicle, and snarled ‘you Williams valley fans are all the same, you’re all nuts’. Thank goodness for the other referee who pealed him off of me.”

Thompson said that he did not realize that his attacker was a Schuylkill County magistrate. “It was only after someone said ‘I can’t believe a JP would act like that’ that I found out he was a district justice.”

After the altercation was broke up, Plachko reportedly drove away before police arrived. He was seen by Clarke Report sources at Club 18 shortly after the game. Pottsville Police Corporal Dennis Wiederhold, the investigating officer, arrived at the scene minutes later. After taking Thompson and other eyewitness statements, Plachko reportedly returned to the Martz Hall parking lot.

“Cpl. Wiederhold went over to his [Plachko's] car, talked to him for a bit, and then came back over to me and said that ‘Judge Plachko wants to apologize and leave it at that,” Thompson stated. “But that was unacceptable to me. If I had done the same thing to him, I would be sitting in jail right now.”

Thompson said that he insisted that charges be filed. “I was contacted Sunday by the police, who said that they would be charging him with simple assault and harassment,” said Thompson.

Plachko, a Port Carbon democrat, will be seeking another term in office in November. He is the second Schuylkill County magistrate to find himself in legal trouble recently. Pottsville District Justice James K. Reiley was charged with two counts of DUI in September after he smashed into a parked vehicle and blew a .27% on a breathalyzer. Reiley was admitted to and completed an ARD program and was permitted to remain on the bench.

Remembering Richard Wheeler on the 64th Anniversary of Iwo Jima

Richard Wheeler

1922-2008

"As for Death, I had come face to face with that old ogre
and noticed he was mostly a sham.
I'd enjoy the truce he granted me,
but would live with the feeling that when he renewed his fight in earnest,
I'd be able to make my surrender without begging for terms."


The above quote was taken from Wheeler's book, The Bloody Battle for Suribachi. Wheeler passed away this past October 21st at the VA Medical Center in Lebanon. I had met Wheeler on a quest to find any surviving member of my grandfather's army unit who fought in Guam during World War II. Wheeler was very helpful, although I was only able to find men who had served in the army unit before or after my grandfather.

Here is Wheeler's obituary written by his sister, Margery Wheeler Mattox. Wheeler sent me an autographed copy of his 2006 update on the The Bloody Battler for Suribachi. As of November of 2006, 9 survivors remained of Easy Company's 3rd Platoon. Chuck Lindberg the last survivor of either flag raising passed in June of 2007.

Here is a copy of what I wrote about Wheeler on the 60th Anniversary of Iwo and and updated two years later.

Jack Lucas the youngest ever winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor at age 17 passed away on June 5th of 2008.

In a strange twist, Wheeler sent me a copy of his annual Death Rhyme, written when he was 70 years old just three weeks before his death.

ETERNITY IS LOOMING

My years are nearing 87.
I'm mighty close to Hell or Heaven.

Though Heaven's touted as very nice,
I plan to spurn this Paradise.

Whenever I ponder its effort-free quiet,
I'm moved to dismal boredom by it.

Iver lived as and active kind of guy
Who rated creative endeavors high.

Perhaps I can wangle a deal with Satan
To spend Eternity busy matin'.

Here's remembering Dick. A man who went to hell some 64 years on a small island in the Pacific and came out of it a better human being on the other side.

Shamokin goes undefeated in the Heartland

Shamokin Area ran the table in the inaugural Heartland Conference season. Here is some pictures and video from final league game of the season at Mifflinburg.

Shamokin with a chance to run the table

Asst. Joe Gubernot sets the defense

Shamokin Area Indian Boys will have a chance to win the inaugural Heartland Athletic Conference Division 1 basketball championship with a win over Mifflinburg tonight at Mifflinburg. A win by Shamokin will make them undefeated in league play and will be the second straight league championship winning the Schuylkill League last year in a final against North Schuylkill. Mifflinburg was eliminated from post-season earlier in month with a loss to Danville.

A side note on tonight's game. Shamokin assistant coach Joe Gubernot was attacked by a female fan from Mifflinburg. The fan thought Gubernot was singling out Wildcat players to be attacked physically by the Indians. Coach Gubernot has been flashing defensive signal cards for close to 20 years.

This comes after an incident during the football season involving a local media outlet.

Gone in 60 Seconds???

Rep. Kanjorski: $550 Billion Disappeared in "Electronic Run On the Banks"

Basketball regular season winding up

Shamokin Area is two wins away from running the table in the Heartland Conference. The Indians will have to be satisfied beating Mifflinburg on Saturday night to clinch an undefeated season. What's missing? Unlike the Schuylkill League who begin playoffs this week at Martz Hall in Pottsville, there is no such thing right now in the Heartland Conference.

Lourdes Regional Boys

Although I haven't heard a score on tonight's Lourdes-Mount Carmel game, one just has to look at the first Lourdes-MCA game played in the K of C Christmas Tournament. Lourdes was winning by five in OT with the ball. MCA came back to force a second OT to pull out the win. Lourdes were miserable down the stretch at the foul line that night and it has plagued them throughout the season. If Lourdes are sitting home for districts, you don't have to look further than the foul line.

MCA Football

Within a fortnight as they say across the pond, we should know who will lead the Red Tornadoes in 2009. Once again, it will be the first time since 1993 when both Shamokin and Mount Carmel had new coaches. The coaches back then were Dave "Whitey" Williams and Sam Sciccatano.

Coming to an End

President Ronald Reagan

Today marks the 98th birthday of former President Ronald Reagan. Reagan served as President in an interesting time in my life. I went through my high school and college years with President Reagan as the leader of the free world.

His policies of the supply-side economics tax cuts for the wealthy to trickle down to the bottom of the ladder are now coming home to roost in Katrina like fashion.

What is scary as we move foward from the deep recession of the early 80's and depression of the 1930's is that we have no industry our lack the manufacturing base to export. Stay tuned.

Northumberland County Row Office and Commissioners Not Playing Nice

Vintage footage of Northumberland Budget Meeting.






County treasurer: Clausi has vendetta against me

Earlier this week, Northumberland County Sheriff Chad Reiner said he got an offer from the commissioners he couldn't refuse.

40,000 dollars are still missing.

World Series Trophy Comes to Susquehanna Valley

The 2008 World Series Championship Trophy came to the Susquehanna Valley Mall on Tuesday afternoon. A big shout out goes to Peggy Chamberlain of Big Country Radio for holding my sons' coats. Everything went so fast.

I feld like Ralphie from A Christmas Story trying to ask Santa for his Red Rider BB Gun of course with the carbine action.

The Day the Music Died, 50 Years Gone By

Today marks the 50th anniversary when a small plane crashed on take off on a frigid night in Clear Lake, Iowa killing rock and roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and "The Big Bopper", J.P. Richardson.

Rock n' Roll has undergone many changes in the last 50 years. I believe the biggest change for both the artist and the listener is music distribution on the internet. That is another topic for debate.

Don McLean immortalized that night in Clear Lake with the song "American Pie". Remember when a new song came out it ushered in a new dance move. We actually danced to the music and it was fun. Local blogger David Yonki on his site 590 Forever offers his explanation of the lyrics from "American Pie".

There is a football game today?

Not to over analyze this, but the Steelers win big today. And no, I'm not a Steelers fan.