They're Baaaaaack! Can you say NEPOTISM?!

Like that little girl from the film, POLTERGEIST, exclaimed, the FBI has returned to Luzerne County.
Well, with all the corruption here, I doubt if they truly left in the first place.

Remember my post last Sat. about the Corruption at the Luzerne County Courthouse? Remember what I said about the widespread NEPOTISM in ALL segments of public work(the state paid employees-including judicial, courthouse administration, probation, police, prison & public schools)that goes to the core of the problems with this area I live in?

Well it seems that more canaries in the system are starting to sing, this time within the Public Schools.
Look at the lastest headline from our newspaper....

FBI seizes W-B Area, career center records/ The Citizens' Voice

BY DAVE JANOSKI, ERIN MOODY AND MICHAEL R. SISAKSTAFF WRITERS
Published: Friday, April 3, 2009 8:54 AM EDT
A federal grand jury has subpoenaed documents from the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, the district superintendent said Thursday, and one school board member said the federal probe appears focused on the district’s hiring practices.Federal agents also visited the Plains Township campus of the Wilkes-Barre Area Career and Technical Center on Thursday, seeking the names of all board members of that school since 2005. Five of Wilkes-Barre Area’s board members also serve on the Career and Technical Center’s board.
View stories, documents and videos related to the court corruption probe
U.S. Attorney Martin C. Carlson declined comment on the subpoenas Thursday and would not address how they might relate to the ongoing federal corruption probe at the Luzerne County Courthouse, which has led to guilty pleas from four high-ranking former court officials, including two judges.

For the Full Story, go HERE.
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Do ya'll think I am just hallucinating now?

As a glimpse inside our world in Luzerne County, here is an interesting tidbit that came to my attention via a local talk radio program-The Steve Corbett Show.

The Disgraced EX-Judge Mark Ciavarella has a grown daughter. Teeny Tiny Town(where I live)has 1 of the 2 best School Districts in the County to work in. Guess who got a plum teacher's job here, right out of school?

Yup, Ciavarella's daughter. New hires in our public school district make WAY OVER the median average salary for workers in our county. High starting salaries with good raises AND a Benefits Package not available anywhere else on the planet for most people(hardly ANY copays on health coverage, reimbursement for tuition spending,etc.) Add in 2+ months off a year paid and it's a very SWEET DEAL!

And guess what happened when Ciavarella's daughter married a couple of years ago? Her new hubsband was hired as a Probation Officer in the county's Probation Dept.
Even though his degree in school had nothing to do with law enforcement or social work.
Even though he had NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE in the probation field.
He lands a plum job over scads of applicants who were alot more qualified.

Looks to me like he married well.....until the "you-know-what" starting hitting the fan. I wonder if he was one of those 11 out of 80 probation officers laid off after the FBI started nosing around in the county?

There were often tales coming out of the Elementary School my kids attended. Tales of teachers who were hired as substitutes when the district was in need. And when fulltime positions opened up(a RARE occurence), these substitutes(with their experience & qualifications)were bypassed to hire unskilled new teachers.....unskilled new teachers with the RIGHT last names. Names of or related to school board and high-ranking school administrators or county politicos. Tales of applicants, extrememly qualified ones from outside this area, who were never even called for interviews for jobs that were given to local connected relatives with far less credentials(if they even HAD ANY credentials).
Another tale that The principal of my kids elementary school(now retired) got his sister(someone famous for throwing desks and screaming at the kids)a teaching position in his facility.

And how about the Ex-Major League NFL Player who grew up in Luzerne County, down the road from Teeny Tiny Town and attended a local High School. His career goes south in the NFL and he returns here and is immediately hired as the Football Coach in Teeny Tiny Town. Nevermind we have a fine Coach already. Nevermind he has NO experience as a Coach....he's marginally famous(at least in the minds of people from around here) and as important, he has the RIGHT NAME to get a plum job in this County. FYI-marginally famous ex NFLer quits the coaching job after a couple of years(after leading the team to a couple of losing seasons)and runs for a County Commisioner position, and wins. Yes, he was just using the Coaching position as a stop-gap on his way to a highly placed government job, with highly placed salary & perks.

Speaking of County Commisioners, some day maybe I'll tell you all about the LUZERNE COUNTY DEBIT CARD FIASCO. That's yet another BLACK EYE on the face of Luzerne County Politics.

I'm sure there are more Tales I am not aware of, as I never went out of my way to involve myself in the pseudo-politcal hub-bub revolving around the school district here.

I am glad to hear this news story and sincerely hope that people keep talking about the nepotism & other shady dealings that went down so we can have some HONEST and WORTHY people hired in this district.

Sluggy