Good Tuesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Remember how your parents always told you to read the fine print on any agreement?
Everything these days -- from the years-long contract you signed with Comcast to the privacy agreement that actually gives Google access to your genetic code -- comes with some kind of fine print.
And if you're former Senate Minority Leader Bob Mellow, and you're facing jail time for corruption charges, and your mult-gazillion-dollar state pension is on the line, then the fine print becomes very important indeed.
A legal memo circulating among state senators analyzes how the state's pension forfeiture law applies to Mellow's $138,958 annual taxpayer-funded state pension, the Times-Tribune of Scranton reports this morning.
For those of you playing along at home, that's more than twice the the size of the state's median household income.
Mellow pleaded guilty last week to federal conspiracy and fraud charges for using taxpayer-funded staffers for political purposes and for filing a false tax return in 2008. He faces a maximum of five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000, the newspaper reported.
According to the Times-Tribune, the legal memo explores the issue of whether a conspiracy charge triggers a pension forfeit. It doesn't state a definitive conclusion on the matter, the newspaper reports. Mellow's guilty plea will trigger a review by the State Employees Retirement System to see if his crimes require him to give up his pension.
The rest of today's news starts after the jump.
An Allegheny Court Judge ...
... has put off state Sen. Jane Orie's href="http://triblive.com/state/1791227-74/orie-sentencing-senate-brien-conrad-costs-judge-legal-restitution-attorney">sentencing on corruption charges until June,the Tribune-Review reports this morning.
The delay will give attorneys on both sides a chance to argue how much they think the suburban Pittsburgh Republican owes in restitution for legal costs, the newspaper reports.
In an order issued Monday, Judge Jeffrey A. Manning said he was delaying Orie's sentencing until June 4 ""in order to provide the parties with sufficient time to prepare" for a restitution hearing.
Orie's sentencing on charges she used (c'mon say it with us now) public employees for political purposes had been scheduled for May 21.
OK, So Here's Something ...
... we didn't see coming -- a protracted legal battle over Pennsylvania's new Voter ID law.
Eight Pennsylvania residents, led by state Rep. Thomas Killion, R-Chester, have filed a petition in state Commonwealth Court arguing that their rights as voters will be violated if the new law doesn't take effect on schedule in November, the Inky reports this morning.
If only lawmakers were as busy on the House and Senate floor as they were in courtrooms -- imagine how much they'd actually get done.
From The Self-Evident Files:
The state's Child Abuse Task Force, set up in the wake of the Sandusky Scandal at Penn State, was told yesterday that lawmakers need to beef up the penalties for failing to report abuse.
Right now, it's a third-degree misdemeanor -- the legal equivalent of a slap on the wrist, the panel was told during a public hearing.
The Patriot-News Looks Ahead ...
... to budget negotiations and concludes that the talks will likely be "heated" this spring and early summer.
Let's be honest -- the negotiations are never really any fun anyway until someone starts throwing their toys out of the pram.
The Obama Campaign's First Attack Ad ...
... is hitting home in the Lehigh Valley, our Washington colleague Colby Itkowitz reports this morning.
The spot takes the MittBOT3000 to task for the shutdown of a steel plant in Kansas City, MO., overseen by Romney's old cohorts at Bain Capital.
Here's the clip:
What Goes On.
The House Labor & Industry Committee holds a 10 a.m. session at the HQ of the (love this one) International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees on Swanson Ave., to talk about contractor and subcontractor payments. We're also hoping that Chairman Ron Miller, R-York, does that thing with his hands where it looks like he's trapped inside a box.
What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition).
Senate Majority Whip Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, holds an 11:30 a.m. luncheon at the Firehouse Restaurant on Second Street in Harrisburg. Admission runs a flat $500.
You Say It's Your Birthday Dept.
Best wishes go out to Allentown City Councilman Mike Schlossberg this morning. Congratulations.
On The Capitol Ideas iPod This Morning.
Yesterday's Miranda Lambert clip "The House that Built Me," got us to thinking about what tunes we most closely associate with our ancestral lands in New England. Here's a song by former Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg that never fails to conjure up the golden light of a Connecticut autumn. It's called "First Glimmer."
Tuesday's Gratuitous Baseball Link.
Our beloved New York Yankees bested the Baltimore Orioles last night in an 8-5 decision that kept us on the edge of the couch well into the late innings. A Mark Texeira homer gave the Yanks the go-ahead in the rain-delayed game.
Ok. That's it for now. We'll be back a bit later this morning with more news and updates. See you all in a bit.
hiroki kuroda kuroda nfl scores nfl scores gene hackman pineda john edwards heart condition
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.