Day: April 7, 2010

Casino-Connected Dem DA Indicts Supreme’s Senator Sis And Other Sis

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala, today, filed criminal charges against state Sen. Republican Whip Jane Orie (R-40) and Janine Orie, an aide to state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin, who is their sister. 

Jane is accused of letting her staff do non-legislative work during business hours for political campaigns for herself and Joan between 2001 and 2009.  Joan was elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court last November.

Assistance included  creating campaign materials for Joan on the senator’s district office equipment,including scanners, computers and photocopiers.

Janine is accused of masterminding the operation along with Jane’s chief of staff Jamie Pavlot, who appears to be cooperating with Zappala.

The actual charges are theft of services, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence,criminal conspiracy and violations of the state office and employee ethics act.

Feds Foil Fast Eddie’s Plot To Toll I-80

The U.S. Department of Transportation, yesterday, kiboshed Gov. Rendell’s plan to turn I-80 into a toll road saying that the law only allows
tolls on an interstate highway to be used for maintenance of that highway.

Rendell said he wanted to use the money for SEPTA projects and maintenance of other roads although forgive me if I suspect that he saw it as a fungible stash to be used for pension fund bailouts, raises for state workers and rewarding connected types with jobs.

Today’s Philadelphia Inquirer is whining on the front page about the fed action and describing all the wonderful things that will now not happen such as new smart-card fare system for SEPTA and the reconstruction of the City
Hall station.

Poor babies.

You think maybe they could have pointed out that travel time up north won’t be unnecessarily extended and the cost of delivery of things like food to supermarkets wouldn’t be artificially inflated.

Or you think that maybe they might have pointed out that some money for things it thinks are so wonderful could be found by simply ending prevailing wage requirements for municipal projects or  the right to strike for all government workers like those at SEPTA.