Chesco Nixes Lloyd Smucker — Lloyd Smucker, the state senator from Lancaster with the surprisingly liberal voting record for the 13th District that he represents, is the man GOP party bosses are trying to anoint to fill the seat of retiring Congressman Joe Pitts.
Pitts has represented Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District since winning the 1996 election. The 16th District consists of most of Lancaster County, along with a chunk of Chester County and a small bit of Berks County.
While the Lancaster Republican committee contingent have given him the green light, 70 percent of those in Chester County went for Chet Beiler, a Lancaster County businessman without connections to the special interests who pluck feathers from the public goose.
Val DiGiorgio, the lobbyist who chairs the Chester County Republican Committee, did not go to bat for his people. In fact, LancasterOnline.com is reporting that the Chesco Party will officially back Smucker.
And that is just one more reason why there is dissension in the ranks.
Question: How will Val strong arm the 70 percent who voted for Beiler to now support Smucker? What tricks will be played by Val at Thursday’s endorsement vote to uphold his promise to his fellow bosses?
Los Angeles STD Boom — Sexually transmitted diseases are booming in Los Angeles County reports the Los Angeles Times and the blame is being placed on dating apps allowing those so inclined to connect for a quickie.
Rather than encouraging a little restraint, however, the local public health hipsters are pushing “technology” namely STD tests that can be ordered online.
In a totally unrelated matter, unhip health officials are reporting that we are on the verge of an “antibiotic apocalypse”. A new class of antibiotics has not been discovered since the 1980s and the existing stuff is rapidly losing its effectiveness due to overuse.
When antibiotics no longer work, things we take as routine such as appendectomies and hip replacements become rather dangerous.
John Gilmore Healing Hands — Old friend Dr. John Gilmore has let us know that he has revamped his website concerning his wholist body-work program.
“In this stressful world today, sometimes it is important to find a way to relax and to heal from all of the intrusions forced into one’s psyche b the events of the day,” he says.
The program involves a combination of Swedish massage, reflexology, shiastsu, tail massage and energy work.
Jace Alexander Child Porn Plea — Jason (Jace) Alexander is a prominent Hollywood guy who is the son of Oscar-nominated actress Jane Alexander and was recently elected second vice president of the Directors Guild of America.
He pleaded guilty, Jan. 15, to promoting a sexual performance by a child and possessing an obscene performance by a child after child porn was found on his home computer.
Alexander, who has been married to the same woman since 1998 and has three children, is best known for directing 32 episodes of the TV show Law and Order that ran for 20 years staring in 1990.
The series was infamous for its use of conservatives and devoutly religious people as villains.
The greatest snowfall on record in a single day in America happened in Silver Lake, Colorado. It started 2:30 p.m., April 14, 1921 and in 24 hours dumped 76 inches which is about 6.3 feet.
But it didn’t end after 24 hours. The white stuff kept coming down until about 11 o’clock the next night for a total accumulation of 95 inches or 8 feet.
Just imagine how the shelves would have looked if Silver Lake had a Walmart back then. Just imagine if it had Wawas and the poor people who had to staff them.
Greatest snowfall — William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 1-22-16
Alex Charlton with his wife, Kira, and their children.
Alex Charlton Tapped By GOP For 165th Race — The Republican Committees of Springfield, Marple, Radnor and Morton, last night, Jan. 21, endorsed Alex Charlton of Springfield to replace Bill Adolph as state representative for the 165th Legislative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Adolph, who has represented the district since 1988, has announced he will not be seeking re-election.
Charlton, a former president of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce currently serves as chief of staff to state Sen. Tom McGarrigle (R-26).
Charlton was nominated by Colleen Caceci, a Springfield Township Republican committee member.
“Alex Charlton was born and raised in Delaware County and has worked extensively with small businesses,” Ms. Caceci said. “His tenure at the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce and his service as Senator McGarrigle’s chief of staff have given him an up-close look at the challenges facing job creators and what can be done in Harrisburg to address them. He knows the importance of low taxes, good schools and protecting our quality of life. It’s my pleasure to nominate him for the committee’s endorsement.”
Charlton says he will make improving public schools a priority.
“Better schools, more jobs, a sound quality of life for our families and a functional state government in Harrisburg — that’s working for the people of Delaware County. These are the things I want for my family and my community,” he said. “I’m grateful for the confidence and support of the Republican committee members, and I’m grateful for their hard work in getting Republicans elected at every level.”
Charlton took a veiled shot at the Keystone Exam, a Common Core-type standardized testing program now being instituted in Pennsylvania schools.
“Our schools here in Delaware County are some of the best in the state, but our teachers and administrators are trapped in a broken system,” Charlton said. “It forces them to ‘teach to the test’ instead of preparing our kids to compete for jobs in a global workforce. Our school boards face one-size-fits-all regulations set by Harrisburg and Washington that drive up costs and stick our homeowners with the bill. My priority in Harrisburg will be to find solutions to fix these challenges and ensure our kids have access to strong public education.”
Charlton also recognized the importance of police and emergency responders.
“We are fortunate that Marple, Springfield, Radnor and Morton enjoy an excellent quality of life. That doesn’t happen by accident. It takes smart, responsible governance at the local and state level. We need to make sure our first responders have the tools they need to combat crime and keep our families safe.”
He also said he understands the importance of preserving parks and open space.
“We need to make sure we’re protecting and expanding parks and open space in a responsible manner so that our communities can enjoy all that they can provide,” he said.
Stan Casacio throwing his hat in the ring in the Pa. 7th congressional race.
Pat Meehan Primaried — Montgomery County businessman Stan Casacio announced tonight, Jan. 21, he will challenge incumbent Pat Meehan for Pennsylvania’s 7th District congressional seat in the April 26 Republican Primary.
Among those with Casacio at the event at his Whitemarsh home where he made the announcement were newly elected Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale and WPHT talk show host Dom Giordano.
Casacio, a local Republican leader, was a big backer of Gale. He said he was motivated to run against Meehan because of his unwillingness to fight to reign in out-of-control spending and illegal immigration, among other things.
He described Meehan as a nice guy but said he felt action was needed.
Meehan was elected to the seat in 2010.
The traditional center of the 7th District has been Delaware County and it has been represented by a Delco resident since 1945. It has been horrifically gerrymandered, though, and now includes large parts of Montgomery, Berks and Chester counties, and, believe it or not, even part of Lancaster County.
