Comment Archives: stories: News+Features: News
Re: “Broken Down: Passed in 2010, a city tow-truck licensing ordinance faces a long haul”
City Council and Bruce Kraus as well as others are full of folly. But, they are only out done by the mayor's office.
Thanks for the news coverage City Paper. Keep it up.
Re: “Fighting Fitzgerald: County exec steamrolls through first year in office”
here is the Rich Lord “The Network" story. Like Wall Street bankers, nothing was ever done to stop it. http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/…
Re: “Fighting Fitzgerald: County exec steamrolls through first year in office”
The first I had ever heard of Mr. Fitzgerald is when the P-G ran the “Slime Campaign” story (I think the day before the Coyne/Cohen congressional primary election). As I read the story, I learned he was Dan Cohen’s campaign treasurer for six years. I thought “I don’t know who this Fitzgerald fellow is but remind me never to get into a foxhole with him.” I had to laugh upon reading Congressman Doyle’s opposite “foxhole” assessment.
I, too, supported Mr. Fitzgerald for County Executive after he solicited my support. I asked him to start to clean up the corruption in the “pay-to-play” system in government here. He said he would. My concern was that his opponent’s campaign was populated with the “Network” types (see the Rich Lord’s 2010 “The Network" series in the P-G).
At the time, I did not know about his money demand letter to Katy Klaber, President of the industry front group, the Marcellus Shale Coalition. In that now infamous letter, he falsely stated (lied) that my wife, Briget, was marshaling support for his opponent from anti-drilling activists. I am sure katy laughed about that one as she knew it wasn’t true and her people were behind his opponent.
The letter was sent in January, after he asked me for my endorsement. It was leaked 3 weeks before the election. Katy Klaber says she does’t know anything about how it got out there. Yeah, right. (See: http://www.politicspa.com/breaking-marcell…)
My wife was terribly upset and called Rich twice and left messages that she wanted to speak to him about this falsehood. No call back. She ran into him on election day at a polling place and told him that they needed to talk. He said they would and he turned on his heel and left. He has yet to discuss his “misstatement” with my wife.
County Council Member Danko states that, "I think Rich likes loyalty.” Well, so do I. But loyalty is a two-way street. Rich sees it as a one-way street. Just ask Dan Cohen, Cyril Wecht, Briget and I, and others who have been “mislead" by him or, as Dr. Wecht says, “bullshitting us all along.”
Now, Rich Fitzgerald is “bullshitting" us about how safe shale gas extraction is in his quest for drilling campaign money from the energy sector. I challenge to him to stand before the public and debate the “safety” of shale gas drilling at the airport or anywhere else.
Were this yet another Gov. Tom Corbett wrong-headed scheme, local Democrat officials and party types would be howling. On this issue of drilling the airport they remain silent and fearful of retribution from Mr. Fitzgerald.
Despots are feared, statesmen are followed. Suffice to say I do not view Mr. Fitzgerald as a statesman.
Doug Shields
Re: “On the Record with Rustbelt Radio reporter Don Carpenter”
Don Carpenter is a liar. i have a screen shot of him posting my 1 yr old daughter's pic and address on The FaceBook. He has also posted (doxed) my personal information on Twitter and HS Connect (Steubenville Herald Star's web page). He and his group were so confrontational and threatening, that WTOV 9 finally stopped allowing any comments on its The FaceBook page. Don isn't talented enough to find work, so he creates his own stories. He is a lead activist and spokesperson for the Occupy Pittsburgh "movement." Just a moron with a camera his daddy bought him.
Re: “Fighting Fitzgerald: County exec steamrolls through first year in office”
Love the lead . . .
Re: “Fighting Fitzgerald: County exec steamrolls through first year in office”
Um, besides Port Authority, which is still a mess, what has he actually DONE? Nothing. Not. A. Thing....but inserted himself everywhere. Long on ego, short on accomplishments.
Re: “Fighting Fitzgerald: County exec steamrolls through first year in office”
Such great profile writing! Thanks Lauren.
Re: “Fighting Fitzgerald: County exec steamrolls through first year in office”
This is the red-headed step child who said he'd go to jail before he'd let this sham assessment go through. He's a one-term liar.
Re: “LGBT Issues: Transgender Pennsylvanians say 2009 crucial for equal rights”
from the desk of www.strongwomen.info:
should i ask my congresswoman about what should happen to a vet's office with a staff consisting of 13 men?
i am writing because, in this day and age, sexism should not be a part of any doctor's office. i am violated every time i walk into my doctor's office (it is actually a doctors' office), and even if i were to find and get services from another office which embraced diversity and tolerance, i'd know that there is one set of doctors who do not. i can't just ignore gender-based intolerance, and therefore am writing to as many equality advocates as i can. i wouldn't mind seeing this place put out of business.
there is a veterinary hospital in new brighton (pennsylvania) called "green valley veterinary hospital". it is a very sexist organization, seen from their website (http://greenvalleyvet.vetstreet.com/our_st…) or from a simple entry into the place. NEWSFLASH: it is now 2013 and doctors no longer are of one specific gender - i don't assume anything regarding fetus-wide hips or broad/protective shoulders when i hear the word "doctor" - so i feel that maureen a. mcelhinny (who owns the business) only employs 12 other members OF HER OWN GENDER because she has sexist ideals and because she is spiteful that females must wear high-heeled shoes and shoulderpads to appear as relevant as men are. oh, she's probably spiteful that females must use chainsaws in lumberjack competitions, as well, but that's not saying anything about the "coney island hot dog-eating competition" having to add a "ladies' division" in order for the smaller (lesser) stomachs to triumph.
...that's not saying anything about gender-based sports teams and gender-based military requirements, gender-based poker nights at the casino or gender-based "do it HERself" workshops at the homo depot...
i feel that if there was ANY office which employed 13 men - and employed nobody to represent the gender that is not as tall/wide/strong/able to eat as much - then they'd be put out of business by boycotts or by feminists or by the equality police. it is incomprehensible that, in this day and age, there is such a sexist and bigoted business that is not being boycotted or exposed for the intolerance that their hiring practices spew.
if such blatant anti-man sexism should continue at businesses like green valley veterinary hospital in new brighton, i fear that people will stop regarding wombn as members of the lesser gender - i feel that people will simply ignore the fact that females were designed for motherhood, despite how females bleed eggs from their wombs and spurt milk from their MOMmary glands. this will lead females to think that they are just as able as men are when it comes to their abilities to "protect and serve," when females are really only intended to "protect and serve" lunch. take a look at their backs (http://www.jaggedlittledyl.com/sitepics/pa…"), for crying out loud.
i am writing because, in this day and age, sexism should not be a part of ANY professional office. i am violated every time i walk into the office, and even if i were to find another doctor who embraced diversity and tolerance, i'd know that there is one that does not. that one is green valley veterinary hospital in new brighton, pennsylvania.
i am writing because i feel it is my duty to expose the sexism of green valley veterinary hospital, i am writing so that activists will (through law or through boycotts) put them out of business unless they change their hiring practices.
thank you,
dylan terreri, i
sheldon cooper, ii
--------------------------
"When I'm hungry, I eat. When I'm thirsty, I drink. When I feel like saying something, I say it." - Madonna
www.jaggedlittledyl.com/essays
Re: “Shaky Ground: Farmer fears for future as gas drilling begins near scores of abandoned well sites”
That jobs hype is just that - hype! Or maybe there is some reason I don't know about for Pa drivers to register their autos in Texas and Oklahoma... But then again lots of medical jobs will be need to take care of all the people poisoned by toxic fracking chemicals.
Re: “Numbers Game: Tom Corbett wants to bet on keno; are your wallet and well-being worth the risk?”
That's what the current lottery employees said in their plan submitted to the state yesterday. The extra revenue, they say, comes from expanding the system to include Keno and online instant games -- another potential hazard, that we didn't address here -- so all the state has to do is expand it in the confines of the current management system and they predict higher revenues. Either way, it becomes a discussion about whether expanding gambling and making it even more accessible is in the best interest of the citizenry, not just state coffers.
Re: “Numbers Game: Tom Corbett wants to bet on keno; are your wallet and well-being worth the risk?”
Thank you, Charlie. So therefore, the British company is presumably able to make more than we do, in order to promise a little over one and a half times as much on average per year (without inflation figured in). Not knowing what the program is costing us to administer, I'm just guessing, but it seems that we should be able to improve ourselves to that level, and keep the works in-house.
Re: “Numbers Game: Tom Corbett wants to bet on keno; are your wallet and well-being worth the risk?”
Hi Audrey, good question. From the story:
"Currently the Pennsylvania Lottery is run by a state commission and administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. It is the largest in the country, and last last year contributed about $1 billion to senior programs."
Re: “Numbers Game: Tom Corbett wants to bet on keno; are your wallet and well-being worth the risk?”
The only bidder promises "$34 billion over 20 years," which includes the keno that could provide $150-195 million a year. No mention of what we are netting right now, even though one would think that would be the first thing the state would be touting - now we make X but with this deal we'll make Z. Why does this sound like a rehash of Mayor Ravenstahl selling parking to Wall Street? (Remember that - $450 million now, although the value over those 50 years could be $4 or 5 billion we'd be giving up?) And the proposed outsourcing company may have all sorts of ways to reinvent the wheel, even if we don't know what the consequences of any of them could be. Incoming Auditor General Eugene DePasquale is correct - it needs to be completely vetted - but can we count on re-creating the Governor's numbers being a part of the "legislative process"? The Auditor General should be involved, too. And so should we all. Once an executive comes up with a scheme, it behooves *everybody* to vet it, in every direction.
Re: “Bring the PedalPub to Pittsburgh”
Is that Monster Mike sitting in the middle of the Hops Wagon? I think it is.
Re: “Bring the PedalPub to Pittsburgh”
I'd keep it in the flatter areas, but it would be fun to get around parts of Shadyside--East Liberty or the Strip--Downtown. Maybe the SouthSide on a weeknight.
Re: “Final Thoughts”
All good ideas ... how about we ask the Univ.of Pittsburgh, CMU
and Duquesne to sponsor a contest with their business students to come up with some plans to use the 6th Street Bridge as a park? I wonder what can go wrong because somebody will see something I am not seeing. When PNC Park opened it was planned to have the bridge as a place for kiosks, vendors and fun. Wonder what happened?
Donn Nemchick
Pittsburgh, PA
Re: “Breaking the Cycle: Due to growing pains or growing tensions, 2012 was a dangerous year for the city's cycling community”
Great articles (this and the one by Lauren Daley interviewing the female bike officer, Christine Scalise). I was SO glad to finally hear a (long-overdue in my view) pronouncement, from the highly-unfortunate-but-thankfully-still-alive Colin Albright, about how it often makes no sense for bikers to follow the rules set for cars, such as waiting at a red light in front of a stream of cars even when there's no opposing traffic. I hope officer Scalise and other bike officers take note, because common sense and biker safety occasionally require bicyclists to break laws made for autos.
Re: “Bring the PedalPub to Pittsburgh”
Hell yeah! Lets take that Ho up Negley Ave y'all!
Re: “No Help Wanted: In filing to labor board, UPMC claims it has no employees”
Awesome article! Good investigative work, too!