Dennis Roddy, a fixture of Pittsburgh journalism for nearly four decades, is leaving the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and taking a job in the fledgling Corbett Administration.Well, let's take a look at what this reporter HAS said.
"It was time for me, at age 57, to find out if I possess any transferable skills," says Roddy.
Roddy's job will be in communications. And while he says his exact duties have yet to be defined, he won't be a spokesman: "Let's face it -- no one would believe anything a reporter has to say."
The divorce case titled Scaife v. Scaife has wound its way through the courts under a blanket of secrecy as both sides struggle over a storied Pittsburgh fortune surpassing $1.4 billion and a temporary monthly alimony payment bigger than the life savings of most people.Yea, I led with Scaife. Deal with it. By the way, the temporary alimony payments Roddy mentioned? $725,000 per month.
Margaret Ritchie Battle Scaife, 60, and her husband, Mellon banking and oil heir Richard Mellon Scaife, 75, have been unable to agree on support payments, whether one of his newspapers is a hobby or a business investment, and even the date of their separation. She says they split in December 2005, after she caught him in an affair. He says they separated 10 months earlier.
Details of the dispute have remained out of the public eye for more than a year. Lawyers for Mr. Scaife, a reclusive financier of the political right who underwrote much of the campaign against the Clinton administration in the 1990s, asked Allegheny County Judge Alan Hertzberg to seal the record of his divorce. The judge complied.
The single largest donor to Allegheny County candidates this year is a 90-year-old Upper St. Clair widow who hasn't voted for seven years and says she never agreed to give $10,000 each to four Republican candidates, including one for Superior Court and three for Allegheny County Council.And:
Shirley H. Jordan, whose late husband, attorney Fred Jordan, pioneered workers' compensation law and invested widely, is on record with contributions of $10,000 each to Cheryl Allen, who is seeking the GOP nomination for Superior Court, and County Council candidates Vince Gastgeb, Jan Rea and Susan Caldwell. The checks were drawn from the Shirley Jordan Trust, housed at Northwest Savings Bank, and signed by a bank trustee.
She blamed the donation on her attorney, Charles McCullough, himself a candidate for County Council. Mr. McCullough took control of Mrs. Jordan's affairs following a court dispute that began after she was taken in 2005 to St. Clair Hospital, where a doctor diagnosed her with moderate dementia. A Common Pleas Court judge later declared her incapacitated.McCullough's still on County Council - even after being indicted. And although his trial is scheduled to begin in May, he's showing he's got some humongous cojones. From Jim O'Toole at the P-G:
The next few days could clarify the murky Republican picture on the race to succeed Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato.It's amazing that the Allegheny County GOP can include BOTH Mark DeSantis (who's a good guy) and Chuck McCullough (who, if all this reporting is to be believed, just isn't).
So far, no one has declared for the GOP nomination, but three potential candidates -- each of them surprising in different ways -- are reported to be considering the race.
Perhaps most startling is the possibility that county Councilman Chuck McCullough could flout his criminal court indictment by running for the GOP nomination for the county's top job.
Two counts of making false reports to law enforcement. McCullough is charged with falsely reporting to Upper St. Clair police that P-G reporter Dennis Roddy had harassed Jordan when no harassment occurred.Did I say that Chuck's still on County Council?
None of which means City Council shouldn't go forward with its recently ordered study of leasing arranements. Council members need accurate, comprehensive information so that any parking lease they award won't turn out to be full of unpleasant surprises.As for Allegheny County Council, here's an action item courtesy of The Pittsburgh Women's Blogging Society:
On July 21 at 5 p.m. Allegheny County Council will hold a PUBLIC HEARING for “comment regarding Marcellus Shale-related natural gas drilling within Allegheny County.“
We need as many people as possible to attend & comment.
To comment you must register by July 20th.
You can register online or download a registration form: www.alleghenycounty.us/council/meetings/comment.aspx
Potter of the CP has some details:Basking in the afterglow of the G-20 summit, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato gave a hometown kickoff to his bid for governor last night before crowd of several hundred supporters and a smattering of vocal opponents.
Mr. Onorato, 48, cited a litany of environmental and development achievements from his two terms as county executive and said they offered a preview of the leadership he would provide for Pennsylvania.
He said the recent economic summit had given an international showcase to those accomplishments.
But the G-20 giveth and the G-20 taketh away.
The North Side native's speech was repeatedly interrupted by demonstrators loudly protesting the actions of police officers confronting crowds in Oakland and elsewhere during the event two weeks ago. As he began to speak in the IBEW hall on the South Side, one activist leapt to the stage brandishing a banner protesting the police actions. At several subsequent points, other demonstrators emerged amid a riser full of union supporters on the candidate's right. Some chanted; some held signs while duct tape covered their mouths.
"What happened at Pitt?'' read one of the banners, which was then wrestled away during the recurring episodes. Police removed the demonstrators from the hall. A smiling Mr. Onorato soldiered on through the interruptions, repeating the announcement speech he had delivered earlier at events in Philadelphia and Harrisburg.
"It's free speech," he said afterwards. "God bless them. It's America."
As the crowd filtered in, I noticed at least a half dozen faces familiar from protests in the wake of the G-20 summit. Several had appeared at a recent protest at the University of Pittsburgh. There, they denounced police tactics on Sept. 24 and 25 as heavy-headed. Among them was Naomi Archer, a veteran protester involved with the Three Rivers Climate Convergence.And looks like Potter got some face-time:"Are you here to support Dan?" I asked.
"Oh yes," she said. And then added, with heavy irony, "The leadership Dan has shown has really been inspiring. And one thing I like about him is he really knows how to put boots on the ground."
Not long after, Onorato took the podium. And so did Archer. Just as Onorato was beginning his remarks, she leapt to the stage, and gave him a hug. Onorato gestured to security off-stage as Archer said into the microphone, "I just wanted to let you know that the G-20 protesters ..." She was dragged away before she finished the thought, to applause from the crowd.
But it wasn't over. Moments later a group of Pitt students, standing on a riser to the side of the podium with duct tape over their mouths, unveiled a banner reading "What Happened at Pitt?"
One of them, Jonathan LaTorulle, was soon clapped in handcuffs because he refused to leave. (The IBEW hall is, after all, private property.)
I caught up with Onorato briefly after his speech.Potter, again:"The protesters wanted to know what happened at Pitt," I said. "What do you think happened?"
"I'm not even going to comment on that," Onorato said. "We can talk about that some other time, but not tonight."
I asked if he had any concerns about the G-20 summit, or if he'd watched Youtube video of the events in Oakland. "No," he said. "I'm not going to comment."
Protesters saw the event as PR coup. "The message is going out," local gadfly Albert Petrarca told me. "Right here in his hometown, Onorato is having trouble. And that's going to be the message. This was a public-relations disaster for him, because this is going to be the lead story tonight."O'Toole may be right: The G-20 giveth and the G-20 taketh away.Some seemed worried that Petrarca was right. One Onorato supporter urged media not to focus on the arrests. "The real story is inside" where Onorato was speaking, he said. The protest, he added, "is just poor manners."
"So is imposing a police state," Petrarca shot back.
I wanted you to be among the first to know that I am going to officially announce my candidacy for Governor with a three-day tour across Pennsylvania beginning Tuesday, October 6th.
[snip]
I believe that Pittsburgh's renaissance can be replicated across Pennsylvania. We can stimulate our economy by investing in green technology. We can put Pennsylvanians back to work by creating next-generation jobs in innovative fields. We can provide every child with a quality education by making college more affordable.
But I can only do this with your support. I hope you can join me at one of my eight stops.
DAY 1 - Tuesday, October 6 - Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh
Philadelphia
Philadelphia City Hall
Second Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
9:30 AM
Harrisburg
Riverfront Park
100 Block of South Front Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
12:00 PM
Pittsburgh
IBEW Local 5 Hall
5 Hot Metal Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Doors open at 5:00 PM
DAY 2 - Wednesday, October 7 - Johnstown, State College and Wilkes-Barre
Johnstown
The Pavilion
Corner of Park Place & Main Street
Johnstown, PA
10:00 AM
State College
Penn State University
HUB-Robeson Center
Room 129A
State College, PA
12:00 PM
Wilkes-Barre
River Common
North Union & North River Streets
Wilkes-Barre, PA
5:00 PM
DAY 3 - Thursday, October 8 - Allentown and Erie
Allentown
Allentown Brew Works
812 W. Hamilton Street
Allentown, PA 18101
12:00 PM
Erie
Perry Square Park
Corner of South Park Row & Peach Street
Erie, PA
4:30 PM
What: Peaceful Rally to Denounce Dan Onorato's candidacy for Governor of Pennsylvania
When: Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
Where: Outside IBEW Hall, 29th and Sydney (one block off Carson Street towards the river on Pittsburgh's Southside
Time: 5:00 PM
County Executive Dan Onorato and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl are the two leaders who presided over and sanctioned the imposition of a police state on the city of Pittsburgh during the G20.
By announcing his candidacy for Governor this coming Tuesday, Mr. Onorato wants to extend his brutal and destructive leadership to all of Pennsylvania. A coalition of student and community groups will peacefully assemble outside the IBEW Hall on Pittsburgh's Southside to declare that Dan Onorato is neither morally nor politically fit to be Governor.
In addition to trampling on our constitutional rights and violently repressing both protesters and non-protestors alike, Mr. Onorato has, in general, been disastrous for the people of Pittsburgh. He supported the costly and unnecessary North Shore tunnel to service the needs of sports franchise and casino owners while simultaneously raising fares and cutting service to city and county residents who depend on public transportation. While on city council, he was the most vocal opponent of the creation of the Citizen Police Review Board. In general, he has placed the interest of Corporate Pittsburgh above the needs of the people of Pittsburgh.
In a democratic society, one of the means available to the people seeking accountability and justice is the electoral process. We are coming together to use this avenue of civic participation to see to it that Dan Onorato does not become Governor of Pennsylvania. Not in our city - Not in our state - Not in our name
The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, which represents reporters, photographers, copy editors and artists at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is deeply disturbed by the indiscriminate and inappropriate arrests of more than 100 protesters, bystanders and journalists on the night of Friday, Sept. 25 in Oakland.
Most disturbing is that many of those arrested were attempting to lawfully exercise their First Amendment rights of peaceful assembly and of press freedom, rights that are essential to the survival of democracy. Others were bystanders who found themselves caught between lines of police ordering them to disperse and then blocking their dispersal until they were arrested.
We recognize that the police, especially in situations such as this, have an extremely difficult job. But that fact does not give anyone the right to disregard the First Amendment.
The Newspaper Guild calls on the City of Pittsburgh to drop all charges against those who were lawfully exercising their rights as citizens and journalists, and those who were nonviolently attempting to comply with police orders but were taken to jail anyway.
Further, we call on the city to launch a full and independent investigation into the events that led to these arrests to ensure that such a debacle does not happen again in the name of law enforcement.
"As a group, the police responded admirably," Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said resisting the urge to identify with people close to his age, but more diminished in power and stature. Mr. Ravenstahl couldn't afford to acknowledge what anyone with access to YouTube can see with their own eyes -- that there was a full-scale breakdown in public order on the part of the cops. The images of the brutal assault on Pitt students and passers-by caught up in an indiscriminate and chaotic police sweep at the University of Pittsburgh on Friday night will surely be a cautionary tale to the next American mayor silly enough to consider hosting a G-20 summitI'll say it again. Luke Ravenstahl owns this.
Further information was received throughout the day that individuals were purchasing numerous BIC lighters and asking if lighter fluid could be purchased. There is nothing to link the purchase of lighters to any activity, however the concerns of the PBP was heightened by the request for lighter fluid.Has there been independent corroboration of this? How many individuals were
Notice that the warning said "near" and not "in." Near would have included the Quad, the great lawn -- and yes -- Schenley Plaza.Pitt students were advised to stay inside last night, and many have received alerts from the university via voicemail or text messages.
Junior Sean Malloy said he received a phone message saying, "conditions may be deteriorating in Oakland. Students are advised to remain near their residences."
Police used all the nonlethal tools at their disposal to thwart protesters at the Group of 20 summit this week, firing bean bags, hurling canisters of smoke and pepper spray, using flash-bang grenades and batons and deploying a high-tech sound-blasting device meant to push back crowds.This is what happened Friday night:It was all a bit much for civil liberties groups and protesters.
They decried what they called a heavy-handed and unwarranted police response, saying riot officers focused on largely peaceful, if unsanctioned, demonstrations when they should have been paying more attention to small groups of vandals that smashed windows of city businesses.
"It's not just intimidation, it's disruption and in some cases outright prevention of peaceful protesters being able to get their message out," said Witold "Vic" Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. "In a week when we need freedom of speech more than ever, free speech died in Pittsburgh this week."
The story seems to be the same that night:Post-Gazette reporter Sadie Gurman, 24, was among those arrested on the Pitt Cathedral of Learning lawn.
"I was arrested on the cathedral lawn while truly trying to get out of the fray," she said.
Ms. Gurman said she had gone to Schenley Plaza because of news alerts she received on her cell phone. At Schenley Plaza, she was talking with colleagues and others she had met while covering G-20 events. In the plaza, she said there was one person on a loudspeaker. Others were standing around talking, running or playing games, such as duck-duck-goose. She estimated the number of civilians in the plaza at about 200.
Much of the plaza was flanked by police officers.
"There was definitely an energy that was very ominous at that point," she said. Even as police ordered the crowd to disperse, Ms. Gurman said some people in the plaza stayed and chanted, "You're sexy, you're cute, take off your riot suit."
Ms. Gurman said she left the plaza and went onto Forbes Avenue.
"I was trying to move in a way that would not be in their perimeter. I was walking on Forbes toward Craig Street to get out of it. Another police van pulled up. Additional officers in riot gear jumped out and said to 'move back, move back' and were pushing us the opposite direction back toward Bigelow."
She went that direction and ended up having to jump over bushes on the Cathedral lawn to get out of the way of police.
"I thought I was OK there. The cops jumped over the bushes, too," she said.
She said a helicopter was overhead. With the cathedral behind a group of people, the police made a half circle and ordered people to lie down on the ground.
"Some of the girls were hugging each other and crying, saying to the police, 'Tell us how we can get out of here peacefully. We don't want to be here, but you've trapped us.' "
She estimated about 30 people were put into a police vehicle. She was released about 10 hours after her arrest.
Tracy Hickey, an 18-year-old freshman, said she had been arrested while watching the protest as an off-duty ACLU legal observer.And:When she realized that many of those being ordered to disperse had "nowhere to disperse to," she saidheld open the door to a dormitory, ushering a crowd of screaming students into the residence. She said police then arrested her.
Peter Shell, co-chair of the Thomas Merton Center's antiwar committee, said he had gone to Oakland Friday night to celebrate the day's successful and peaceful People's March to the G-20, which his organization had sponsored.Trapped. Tear-gassed. Then arrested.When police made Mr. Shell leave Schenley Plaza, he was forced onto the Cathedral of Learning lawn. When he tried to leave via Fifth Avenue, he was surrounded, trapped and arrested, he said.
"We tried going left, we tried going forward, we tried going right," he said. "We wanted to disperse and they did not let us disperse."
This is all Luke's now.
Hours after his arrival here, he also remains amused -- or bemused -- by the security precautions he witnessed Downtown and the check-in route he experienced while walking and shuttling by bus between the Omni William Penn Hotel Downtown to the Mellon Arena for security screening and back Downtown to the convention center. The only thing he's ever experienced that was more efficient, he said in jest, was a failed coup d'etat in his native country.The Infinonymous blog has a funny take on how other nations may be viewing da Burgh today:
Witold Walczak, the legal director for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said, "It's hard to imagine a situation where a peaceful group that makes food . . . could attract this much firepower and police attention and not be harassment," he said.
But, he continued, "To be clear, we are not here to determine if constitutional violations have occurred," Judge Lancaster said.
Further, he said, that that while the complaint does not warrant injunctive relief, the plaintiffs can still seek monetary damages.
