Scott Janney Formally Announces Campaign For Pa Senate

From the acoustically challenged rotunda of Northampton County's Courthouse, Republican Scott Janney yesterday formally announced his campaign for the Pa. State Senate seat currently held by Lisa Boscola. Her district (18) includes much of Northampton County plus a small portion of Lehigh County in Bethlehem.

Boscola, a Democrat, has been challenged by former Easton City Council member Taiba Sultana for the Democratic nod. Janney is the sole Republican to announce. 

Janney is particularly proud to be a 14th generation American descended from settlers who arrived in Pennsylvania before William Penn.

Janney said he is no career politician, but has instead been a pastor, author and fundraiser for the Salvation Army. He said Boscola, who has been a state Senator since 1998, has been in office too long. He criticized her for bringing Pa into something called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). He claimed she voted for it. "We got it in 2022 and look at our bills now."

In remarks from the Senate floor on Oct. 22, 2025, Boscola stated, "We are not in RGGI and never have been." She said Pa is an electric energy juggernaut, "but our constituents are being squeezed by rising electric bills. ... We should lower electric bills by helping families invest in their homes and cut wasted energy. We should reform permitting so power plants can get built before we face rolling blackouts. ... RGGI is a relic. It does not reflect today's grid or today's costs." 

Janney said that just as Boscola thinks it's time to move on from RGGI, Pennsylvania should move on from Boscola. 

He said he'd do a better job because he listens to people and what they really care about. 

He would improve the economy by "simplifying" regulations, support middle career workers and strengthen the middle class.

He criticized rising prices of commodities as a result of "Biden's crippling inflation." He slammed the state gas tax, noting Pa is the only state east of Nevada where gas is more than $3 a gallon. He supports taking advantage of the state's abundant fossil fuel reserves to power our economy with responsible common sense energy production and notr be hamstrung by a RGGI. 

He also complained about the sanctuary city policies of Northampton and Lehigh County, noting that citizens are incarcerated while illegal aliens are set free. I frankly have no idea what he is talking about here, but there it is. He laments a "democratic fixation" on promoting illegal immigration, which is news to me. 

In order to win this race, Janney would need to attract at least some Democratic votes. I don't see that happening. 

Jamie Raskin's Takedown of AG Pam Bondi

She called him a "washed up, loser lawyer," but I thought Congressman Jamie Raskin (D. Md.) had a pretty effective takedown of both AG Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice yesterday during his opening statement in a congressional hearing that predictably turned into a circus:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome, Attorney General Bondi.

You’ve got the best lawyer’s job in America. Your mission is justice and your clients are the American people. 

But, to promote justice for the people, you must listen to the victims, like the women seated behind you. They’re some of the hundreds of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s global sex trafficking ring demanding the truth for America and accountability for the abusers who trafficked and raped them. You still haven’t met with these survivors. 

So with their permission, let me introduce to you the survivors and late survivors’ family members who are present today: 

Theresa Helm; Jess Michaels; Lara Blume McGee; Dani Bensky; Liz Stein; Marina Lacerda; Sky and Amanda Roberts, who are the family of the late Virginia Giuffre; Sharlene Lund; Rachel B.; and Lisa Phillips. 

Now, you’re not showing a lot of interest in the victims, Madam Attorney General. 

Whether it’s Epstein’s human trafficking ring or the homicidal governmental violence against citizens in Minneapolis, as Attorney General, you’re siding with the perpetrators and you’re ignoring the victims. That will be your legacy unless you act quickly to change course.

You’re running a massive Epstein cover-up right out of the Justice Department. You’ve been ordered by a subpoena and by Congress to turn over six million documents, photographs and videos in the Epstein files but you’ve turned over only three million. You say you’re not turning over the other 3 million because they’re somehow duplicative. But we know that there are actual memos of victim statements in there. And you also took down the Department of Justice’s prosecution memo from 2019. So it’s clearly not all duplicative. But even if it were, why not release it, just release all the duplicative stuff. 

In the half you did produce, you redacted the names of abusers, enablers, accomplices and coconspirators, apparently to spare them embarrassment and disgrace, which is the exact opposite of what the law ordered you to do.

Even worse, you shockingly failed to redact many of the victims’ names, which is what you were ordered to do by Congress. Some of the victims had come forward publicly, but many had not. Many had kept their torment private, even from family and friends. But you published their names, their identities, their images on thousands of pages for the world to see. So you ignored the law.

And even with over 100,000 employees at your disposal, you acted with some mixture of staggering incompetence, cold indifference, and jaded cruelty towards more than 1,000 victims raped, abused and trafficked. This performance screams cover-up.

Convicted sex trafficker and groomer Ghislaine Maxwell “opened the gates of hell” to Virginia Giuffre and hundreds of other victims, as Virginia recorded in her remarkable book Nobody’s Girl. But when Maxwell was subpoenaed to testify before Congress, you and Todd Blanche quickly moved her from a higher-security prison to a minimum-security camp in Texas where she’s enjoyed five-star treatment, including catered meals, private gym time, and access to a therapy puppy. All because Todd Blanche, who has utterly failed to investigate the monstrous crimes of Epstein and Maxwell’s co-conspirators, spent nine hours with Maxwell to satisfy himself she would have nothing untoward to say about Donald Trump, which is your only real interest in this whole matter. 

But abandoning victims and coddling perpetrators is what you do best. When the FBI opened a criminal investigation into the brutal killing in Minneapolis of Renée Good, a poet and 37-year-old mother of three, by Trump’s masked paramilitary ICE agents, you shut it down. You claim you’re investigating the cold-blooded murder of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at the VA, but how can we trust the Administration when the President and Kristi Noem call Pretti a “domestic terrorist” and Stephen Miller called him a “would-be assassin”?  Not only do you refuse to share evidence with the state and local investigators and prosecutors in Minnesota, but you blocked their access to the crime scene and the evidence. 

How are you seeking justice for Marimar Martinez, the Montessori school teacher in Chicago who was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent who bragged about it over text; or the family of Keith Porter Jr., a father of two shot and killed by an off-duty ICE agent in LA; or the family of Silverio Villegas González, shot and killed in Illinois minutes after dropping his children at school? There’s no sign of any movement at the Department of Justice. You even launched a criminal investigation into Renée Good’s grieving widow.

But it’s even worse. You’ve turned the People’s Department of Justice into Trump’s instrument of revenge.

Donald Trump orders up prosecutions like pizza, and you deliver every time. He tells you to go after James Comey, Letitia James, Lisa Cook, and Jerome Powell, the head of the Federal Reserve Board, and Members of the United States Congress including Adam Schiff, Mark Kelly, Elissa Slotkin, Chrissy Houlahan, Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio and Maggie Goodlander to name just a few. And you snap to it. You replace real prosecutors with counterfeit stooges who robotically do the president’s bidding. Nothing in American history comes close to this complete corruption of the justice function and contamination of federal law enforcement.

The good news is many serious lawyers at DOJ, including your very own political appointees—your own people—have refused your lawless orders.

Danielle Sassoon, your original pick for Acting U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, resigned rather than follow your corrupt order to quash an indictment against Mayor Eric Adams as a political favor from Donald Trump. A Federalist Society member who clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia, U.S. Attorney Sassoon refused to participate in this blatantly corrupt scheme. Her top assistant, Hagan Scotten, an Iraq War veteran and two-time Bronze Star recipient who clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts and then-Judge Kavanaugh, promptly resigned too, writing to your office: “I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me.” 

You and the President nominated Erik Siebert, a fifteen-year career prosecutor, to be your U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. But after five months investigating Letitia James and James Comey, Siebert found no evidence to justify criminal charges. So you forced him out and replaced him with Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s personal lawyer from the Mar-a-Lago documents case, who had zero prosecutorial experience and no qualifications. And then you were humiliated when a federal judge found that this corrupt appointment was blatantly unlawful and threw out Halligan’s indictments entirely. And grand juries of American citizens have repeatedly rejected your vendettas and baseless indictments brought by the hacks left at DOJ now, with two different grand juries in Virginia voting down indictments against Letitia James in a single week. Just yesterday, another grand jury shut down your vendetta factory by rejecting an indictment against the six Members of Congress who had reminded servicemembers that they have a duty to refuse illegal orders.

You tried to get a grand jury to indict six Members of Congress who were veterans of our armed forces, on charges of seditious conspiracy, simply for exercising their First Amendment rights. I hope you will heed the wisdom and the constitutional patriotism of those grand jurors and not try it again by doubling down on that humiliation.

As your best lawyers are sacked for having participated in the January 6 case or just flee for the exits now, your new lawyers keep lying in court. In dozens of cases, your lawyers have been excoriated for lying to federal courts. Chief Judge Boasberg, right here in the District of Columbia, suggested your DOJ presented “a fraud on the court.” Other judges found your DOJ’s statements to be “inexplicably misleading,” “patently incredible,” “totally inconsistent,” and “so disingenuous that the Court is left with little confidence that the [government] can be trusted to tell the truth about anything.”

Now, as Ranking Member, I asked the Chairman to add a few extra rounds of questions today because we each have five hours of questions, not five minutes, but we’re stuck with five minutes. That’s clearly insufficient to give voice to America’s victims and survivors and demand answers about the corruption and cover-ups that have overtaken your Department.

We have just one round, so we ask you politely but firmly, Madam Attorney General: please don’t waste one second of our precious time by evading our questions, changing the subject, randomly reciting statistics to eat up time, or engaging in personal attacks against Members of Congress. We saw your performance in the Senate and we aren’t going to accept that. This isn’t a game. In the Senate, you brought a burn book, a binder of smears, to attack Members personally for doing the people’s work of oversight. Please set the burn book aside and answer our questions. And when you hear us reclaim our time, that means it’s time for you to stop speaking. We only have five minutes, so when we reclaim our time, that means you stop. And if you don’t, we will ask the Chair to stop the clock and let you go on his time.

The quality of justice in America depends on the character of our government. Please do your job and bring the Department of Justice back from the brink. The survivors seated behind you, and the American people watching everywhere, deserve a Department of Justice worthy of its name.

I yield back.

Zrinski Asks Developers to Refuse Selling or Leasing For Immigration Detention

Northampton County Exec Tara Zrinski is calling on developers to refuse to lease any warehouse or industrial space to either the federal government or its contractors for immigration detention. The letter, which I've reproduced below, appears on her Substack page as well as a petition at Change.org that you can endorse as well. 

County government has nothing to do with local zoning, so I see nothing improper about Zrinski's letter and share her sentiments. I added my name. But I would caution municipal officials who review zoning applications against signing Zrinski's missive. Zoning must provide for all legal uses. Refusal to do so is consider exclusionary zoning and pretty much guarantees that the use will have to be allowed. Moreover, if a municipal official has to decide on a zoning request for a federal detention center and has publicly opposed it before it was ever presented, he can be accused of bias.  

To our Partners in Economic Development, Industry, and Real Estate,

As a County built upon the strength, fairness, and perseverance of its people, Northampton County has long prided itself on being a community that values human dignity above all else. I am writing today to ask for your partnership in upholding those values by refusing to sell or lease warehouse or industrial space to the federal government or its contractors for the purpose of immigration detention.

Across the nation, we have seen the devastating effects of detention facilities that treat human beings, many of whom are asylum seekers or long-term residents and, on occasion, U.S. citizens, as commodities in a system more concerned with expansion than with justice or safety. While immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, the moral consequences of enabling the current oppressive version of that system to operate freely in our County will ripple through our communities for years to come. When property in our County is used for immigration detention, it does not happen “elsewhere.” It happens here, in the warehouse developments we drive by every day, in our name, under the shadow of our shared community.

As County Executive, I believe we have a moral obligation to ensure that our economic development strengthens lives rather than diminishes them. We have the power and, therefore, the responsibility to prevent harm when it is within our reach to do so. Leasing or selling property for detention purposes directly supports a practice that separates families, criminalizes poverty, and devalues the basic humanity of our neighbors. That is not the legacy Northampton County intends to build upon and not the way this Administration is determined to govern. 

Furthermore, I refuse to pretend that the quiet acquisition of warehouse or industrial space in Northampton County is a neutral act. It is likely only the beginning of something far more troubling. These facilities could enable ICE and its partners to conduct operations that bring fear and intimidation into the heart of our neighborhoods, changing the character of the place we call home. Imagine driving down the street with your child in the back seat and suddenly finding yourself in the middle of an ICE raid, surrounded by masked and armed officers. Imagine a community where our neighbors, our children’s classmates, co‑workers, and local business owners simply disappear, or remain shut inside because they are afraid to step outside their doors. Imagine detainees—men, women, and children—kept in unhealthy spaces never designed for human habitation, with no real privacy, limited or non‑existent health care, and inadequate food and water. Imagine the Lehigh Valley International Airport, where families begin their vacations, becoming a staging ground for detention and deportation flights, with people in handcuffs, chains, and leg shackles. Imagine a county marked by constant, noisy, and sometimes violent confrontations between protesters and authorities. This is neither the Northampton County I was elected to serve nor the County I wish to imagine. We must recognize how profoundly such a reality would damage our way of life, undermine our economy, and fracture the sense of community and shared humanity that holds us together.

Therefore, I urge every developer, broker, and property owner to reflect on the moral and civic implications of such decisions. Participation in the expansion of immigration detention stands in direct conflict with the principles of justice, compassion, and inclusion that define our County. Beyond potential reputational and economic risks, there is a deeper cost, and that is the erosion of public trust and the betrayal of the ethical standards that have guided generations of Northampton County residents.

Our region’s story has always been one of cooperation and courage, choosing the harder right over the easier wrong. We need to continue that tradition now. In refusing participation in the detention industry, you affirm that Northampton County’s growth will never come at the expense of human dignity. Together, we can ensure that our development policies align not only with sound economics but also with moral clarity and respect for every person who calls our community home.

With gratitude and resolve,

Tara M Zrinski  

County Executive  

Northampton County, Pennsylvania

Pa Nursing Home Facility Locator Shows Gracedale Had Most Deficiencies, Lowest Nursing Care, Among County Homes in 2025

Pa's Department of Health (DOH) maintains a nursing home facility locator. You can search for homes by county, zip code, city or do a radius search. You can search just county-owned homes, state-owned home, nonprofiit or for-profit homes. Once you find a home, you can click on patient care surveys and see them for yourself. But as NorCo Council member Dave Holland observed at the most recent County Council meeting, there is a 41-day lag between when a deficiency is observed and when it appears on the DOH website. 

During 2025, Gracedale was cited for eight deficiencies on 4/16 (bedsores), 6/25 (abuse), 8/11 (staffing), 9/19 (elopement), 9/23 (elopement), 10/2 (elopement), 10/17 (abuse) and 11/18 (staffing). (I have previously detailed these deficiencies both here and here.)  Gracedale is a 688-bed facility with a provisional license and provides residents with 3.23 hours of nursing care each day. It has a one-star (much below average) CMS rating and is red-flagged for abuse. It has the lowest CMS rating of all county-owned nursing homes. Gracedale is the only home that was cited for elopement. 

How does this stack home against other county-owned nursing homes? Of 14 county-owned nursing homes. Gracedale provided residents with the least amount of nursing care. It is the only facility whose license is provisional. It was cited more than the other nursing homes. It is one of four county-owned homes that have been red-flagged for abuse. 

Berks Heim (Berks County) was cited twice, on 12/3 and 10/10, over its use of chemical restraints. This is a 420-bed facility with a regular license and provides residents with 3.47 hours of nursing care each day. It has a four-star (above average) CMS rating. 

Cedarbrook (Lehigh County) was cited once, on 5/9, over privacy curtains in one nursing unit. This is a 670-bed facility with a regular license and provides residents with 3.83 hours of nursing care each day. It has a five-star (much above average) CMS rating.

Indian Haven (Indiana County) was cited three times, on 2/5 (menus inaccurate), 3/5 (abuse - nurse removed call bell from resident) and 12/30 (staffing). This is a 108-bed facility with a regular license and provides residents with 3.46 hours of nursing care each day. It has a two-star (below) average CMS rating and has been red-flagged for abuse. 

Fair Acres (Delaware County) was cited twice, on 7/18 (resident grievance forms missing) and 1/24 (medication irregularities). This is a 778-bed facility with a regular license and provides residents with 3.89 hours of nursing care each day. It has a five-star (much above average) CMS rating. 

John J Kane (Glen Hazel - Allegheny County) was cited twice on 11/25 (physical restraints on resident always falling) and 6/6 (food safety). During 2025, John J Kane (Pittsburgh - Allegheny County). This is a 255-bed facility with a regular license and provides residents with 4.18 hours of nursing care each day. It has a three-star (average) CMS rating. 

John J Kane (McKeesport - Allegheny County) was cited twice on 11/20 (failure to notify medical provider of abnormal vital signs) and 5/29 (wheelchair accident). This is a 360-bed facility with a regular license and provides residents with 3.67 hours of nursing care each day. It has a four-star (above average) CMS rating

John J Kane (Ross Tp - Allegheny County) was cited seven times on 1/14 (infection control), 2/3 (medication control), 2/26 (food safety), 4/11 (accident hazards), 8/6 (refusal to readmit) and 12/11 (skin tear from urine bag removal). This is a 240-bed facility with a regular license and provides residents with 4.21 hours of nursing care each day. It has a two-star (below average) CMS rating. 

John J Kane (Scott Tp - Allegheny County) was cited twice on 7/17 (magnetic doors disengaged during power outage) and 9/5 (improper food storage. This is a 311-bed facility with a regular license and provides residents with 4.65 hours of nursing care each day. It has a three-star (average) CMS rating and is still red-flagged for abuse as a result of a 2024 incident in which a resident being provided with incontinence care slid off her bed and broke her leg. 

Neshaminy Manor (Bucks County) was cited for no deficiencies over four visits. This is a 360-bed facility with a regular license and provides residents with 3.41 hours of nursing care each day. It has a five-star (much above average) CMS rating.

Pleasant Ridge Manor-West (Erie County) was cited twice on 6/26 (failure to provide oxygen and maintain oxygen equipment) and on 6/16 (delay in reporting allegations of abuse). This is a 300-bed facility with a regular license and provides residents with 3.8 hours of nursing care each day. It has a three-star (average) CMS rating. 

Pocopson Nursing Home (Chester County) was cited once on 2/13 for staffing deficiencies. This is a 275-bed facility with a regular license and provides residents with 3.54 hours of nursing care each day. It has a five-star (much above average) CMS rating. 

Rouse-Warren County Home (Warren County) was cited twice on 7/3 (poor housekeeping in two units) and 8/21 (failure to maintain respiratory care equipment). This is a 176-bed facility with a regular license and provides residents with 3.75 hours of nursing care each day. It has a three-star (average) CMS rating. 

Westmoreland Manor (Westmoreland County) was cited twice on 5/8 (hot coffee spilled on resident) and 5/29 (resident fractured hip from abuse by another resident). This is a 408-bed facility with a regular license and provides residents with 3.63 hours of nursing care each day. It has a two-star CMS rating and is red-flagged for abuse

SpotlightPA Chastises Congressional Candidate Brooks For Hypocrisy Regarding Stocks

In January, I wrote about the personal finances of the candidates who are seeking the Democratic nod in this year's Pa.7 Congressional race. I was really puzzled by the financial disclosure that candidate Robert Brooks filed, and said this: 

Robert Brooks. -  reports assets and unearned income of at least $963,000. This includes a residential rental property valued at between $250,000 and $500,000 and the stocks in multiple mutual funds.  He reports salaries of $20,000 from Bethlehem and $50,000 from the Pa Professional Firefighter's Ass'n, as well as business income of $15,000 from his lawn care business. 

He reports debt of between $380,000 and $850,000 based on a residential mortgage, an investment property mortgage, and outstanding debt to Darrell and Linda Crook. He failed to list a $130,000 judgment owed to Carol Wiley, his former mother-in-law, since 2022. 

A title search of Northampton County records reveal that Brooks owns no real estate under his own name, nor is there any recorded mortgage in which he is listed. 

Something is very fishy about Brooks' disclosure.

I am not the only one confused.  SpotlightPa has published a story that notes that, while Brooks likes to portray himself as a "working-class fighter" who is sick of Congressmen getting rich by trading stocks. But his disclosure reveals that he and his current wife have quite the portfolio. Here's an excerpt:

Of U.S. immigration law enforcement, Brooks writes in his campaign platform: “In America, we don’t send masked men to kidnap people off the street and throw them into unmarked cars. It’s bullshit and un-American.” Brooks’ wife owns up to $1,000 worth of stock in government contractor Palantir, a company co-founded by Republican megadonor Peter Thiel that provides technology to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to find and deport undocumented immigrants.

Regarding Americans staying healthy, Brooks writes: “No more lining the pockets of insurance and drug company bosses. Healthcare should work for people.” Brooks or his wife owns stock in several pharmaceutical and health insurance companies, including drugmaker AbbVie (up to $1,000), pharmaceuticals and medical products distributor Cardinal Health (up to $15,000), insurance company Elevance Health (up to $15,000) and insurance company Humana (up to $1,000), according to his financial disclosure.

In a statement to NOTUS, Brooks’ campaign manager Jenna Kaufman said Brooks has never personally traded stocks — the couple uses a professional investment management firm to steer their stock holdings, according to Brooks’ financial disclosure.

“Once in Congress, neither he nor his wife will own individual stocks,” said Kaufman, who did not answer questions about the couple’s personal investment philosophy or indicate whether Brooks and his wife would divest of their individual stock holdings in the meantime.

Among other stocks owned by Brooks or his wife: shares of Chevron, Meta, Nvidia and Tesla. Brooks and his wife together also own between $2,000 and $30,000 worth of stock in Amazon.com, which has faced accusations of illegal union busting and formal complaints alleging as much.

Brooks’ exact net worth is unclear, as congressional candidates are only required by law to list the values of their assets and liabilities in broad ranges, such as “$1,001 to $15,000” or “$50,001 to $100,000.”

Taken together, Brooks and his wife could be worth as little as about $148,000 and as much as $3.89 million, according to a NOTUS analysis of more than 220 individual assets and liabilities Brooks disclosed on Jan. 28.

Brooks' campaign refused to make him available for a SpotlghtPA interview.

There are three candidates who appear to have no stocks. One is Ryan Croswell, a Republican-turned-Democrat who moved into the Lehigh Valley for the express purpose of running for Congress. A second is Aiden Gonzalez. The third is incumbent Republican Ryan Mackenzie. 

Holland: Provisional License Result of Elopements at Gracedale

At Thursday night's meeting of NorCo Council, Human Services Director Sue Wandalowski suggested that the Gracedale's provisional license might be because the state Department of Health is still considering the facility's "plan of correction" for inadequate nursing care. And it's true that Gracedale does have the lowest nursing care rating of all 14 county-owned homes. But that's not why it has a provisional license. Newly elected Council member Dave Holland, who once was part of the Gracedale management team, had a couple of "clarifications", as he politely termed it, to what Wandalowski said. 

Holland, who had the documents in front of him, said that the provisional license was issued because of "one of the elopements. That ended up in the J, which is the highest level of deficiency, when there was the elopement from the facility and the things that, you know, that were related to that ... ."

Elopement, as the word is used in nursing home jargon, refers to a situation when a resident leaves a nursing home unsupervised and under circumstances that can pose significant risks to his safety. It happens when a home lacks the proper protocols or sufficient staff. It falls under the "immediate jeopardy" (IJ) category, and when it exists, state regulators will increase their scrutiny of the home because it could result in very serious consequences. 

Holland also noted that though information about nursing homes is readily available online, there is a lag. There is a lag of 90 days on the CMS nursing home compare webpage. The DOH website is a little better, but it has a 41-day lag.

This means that the public will be unaware of a serious deficiency until 41 days after it occurred. He requested that Gracedale notify County Council in real time whenever a deficiency is found at the home. 

Wandalowski said she'd make them available. 

Mr. Bigglesworth Is Coming To Gracedale

Last week, I told you that Gracedale is getting a cat. Some of you scoffed at the notion of a feline solution at a nursing home plagued with so many problems. Others commended the idea, noting that cats can provide comfort to many residents. You's both wrong. You see, Gracedale's cat is Mr. Bigglesworth. When things go wrong at Gracedale, "Mr. Biggleseworth gets upset. And when Mr. Bigglesworth gets upset, people DIE! ... Why must I be surrounded by frickin' idiots?"  

Human Services Director Wandalowski Defensive and Inaccurate About Gracedale

When NorCo Exec Taa Zrinski spoke to County Council last week concerning the one-star rating and provisional license at Gracedale, one of her suggestions was a quasi-cabinet position for the nursing home that reported directly to her as opposed to Human Services Director Sue Wandalowski. Removing Gracedale from Wandalowski's portfolio would enable her to devote more time to many other aspects of Human Services, from CYF to Drug and Alcohol to Crisis Intervention.

After listening to Wandalowski speak to County Council about Gracedale last week, it's pretty clear that she's in over her head when it comes to nursing homes. Objectively it is a real problem, evidenced by a one-star rating and abuse flag from CMS and a provisional license from the state Department of Health. Financially, it's a problem, as evidenced by a Budget Amendment introduced Thursday that allocates $7 million in taxpayer funds to the home.  Despite these poor evaluations from regulatory agencies and declining revenue at the home, Wandalowski did her best to minimize the problems. She also was inaccurate at times.   

She started by noting that Gracedale was visited 21 times over the past 10 months (it was actually 22 times over 2025) by the state Department of Health and observed that some homes are lucky to get one visit. She went on to say that the DOH found deficiencies in only 8 of those visits. 

Let's set the record straight about DOH visits at Gracedale and at other county-owned nursing homes. There were 22 DOH visits in 2025, during which time seven deficiencies were found. I've written about them here. Wandalowski was essentially complaining that many of these visits were unnecessary. To the contrary, once a deficiency is found, DOH must return to ensure that it no longer exists. 

Wandalowski complained that many other nursing homes get no attention from DOH and are "lucky" if visited just once. That's untrue. DOH visited an Allegheny County-owned nursing home 18 times in 2025

DOH visited Lehigh County's Cedarbrook 8 times in 2025. That's less than half the visits at Gracedale, but that's because it only had one minor deficiency, a dirty unit. DOH visited Berksheim 11 times in 2025. There were fewer visits to these homes because there were fewer deficiencies. 

Wandalowski also implied that many of the visits to Gracedale are based on unsubstantiated complaints. That's true, but it's also true of other publicly owned nursing homes. Gracedale is by no means the only nursing home victimized by false reports. 

The deficiency found at Cedarbrook, a dirty unit, pales in comparison to a recurring problem of three (not two, as Wandalowski incorrectly claimed) residents who just wander off and are found a mile or two away. It is nothing in comparison to a mentally ill agency nurse who performed an exorcism on a resident for over two hours before anyone notices. Wandalowski made no mention at all of a resident who never should have been admitted because he is physically violent with staff and other residents. Then there's repeated staffing shortages, which has given Gracedale the lowest nursing home care rating among county-owned long-term care facilities in the state. 

While Wandalowski said, "We take every incident seriously and complete thorough investigations," she mischaracterized them in her County Council presentation.

While criticizing DOH for follow-up visits, she did concede that's how the state ensures Gracedale is in full compliance. Given what was going on at the home, it's a miracle that DOH was there only 22 times in 2025. 

Wandalowski also implied that Gracedale's provisional license was related to the agency nurse who performing an exorcism unnoticed for two hours. That might explain the one-star rating. It might explain the red flag, But the provisional license was actually the result of multiple elopements, a point that Council member Dave Holland later clarified. 

Wandalowski wrapped up her presentation by reading some voice mails and an obituary from residents who were happy with the care received. Exec Zrinski praised Gracedale later for the care provided to her mother in '22 or '23. And Council member Kelly Keegan praised the home for care to her grandmother 12 years ago. 

Those anecdotes demonstrate the noble purpose the home serves. But CMS and the DOH relies on facts, not anecdotes, and the quality of care provided is clearly subpar. The census at the home is below where it needs to be to break even for the year as well. And maybe it should stay there until the quality is demonstrably better. 

Zrinski Continues Trend of Detailed Reports of Just What Is Happening in NorCo Government

In her first report to NorCo Council as County Exec, Tara Zrinksi gave a detailed and informative account, department-by department, of what is happening. Some might call it boring, but we have forgotten that most of what is called "news" should be boring. We need to be informed, not titillated. Zrinski continued a trend of providing the nuts and bolts of county government in her second report at last week's Thursday night's Council meeting. She's been on the job for five weeks. I really appreciate these detailed reports.   

Communications Manager - has been onboarded and communication applications within the county are being reviewed. 

Governor's State of the State Address -  Was invited to Harrisburg for the address. The County Facebook and Substack pages provide Zrinski's breakdown of Governor Shapiro's vision. "I think it's very positive, and I look forward to the legislature passing a budget on time in 2026."

Department of Community and Economic Development - met with Director Tina Smith to discuss various grants and future endeavors in the department as well as implementation of fiscal year 2026 grant award contracts across multiple county funding programs. Staff is monitoring compliance with federal and state grant projects. "I'm especially excited about the possibility of including a run-walk to highlight the recreational opportunities that we have in our park, with our county festival that will now be held in the spring." (Louise Moore Park has an excellent walking path on the western side of the park.

Sheriff's Department - currently conducting crisis intervention training for all in collaboration with the Northampton County Crisis Intervention Team. This training enhances deputy capacity to respond effectively to individuals in crises. Deputies are also completing their annual mandatory update training.

Court services - Register of Wills (that's where you get a marriage license) continues to have that uptick of seasonal marriage licenses ahead of Valentine's Day. There's also an increase a real ID requests as the Pennsylvania deadline years. Archives has experienced an increase in requests for historical research, and that may be due in part to the anticipation of the American 250 celebration. The criminal and civil departments are actively conducting interviews to fill vacant positions.

Administration. - The county's proposal redistricting plan, consolidating small precincts, and dividing larger ones for our upcoming elections, was approved by President Judge Craig Dally, and after approved by the Department of State, will be made available. The Pennsylvania Department of State has authorized updates for the county's Express Vote XL voting machines, which will be installed.

EMS - Director Todd Weaver has retired. Michael Leonard has been appointed acting director and the position has been posted for internal applications.

County Fire Chiefs Association - Administration has met with executive board to discuss the relationship between 911 and first responders, as well as the progress of the P 25 program.

Safety committee - has met to review county risk management policies, liability insurance, and will address building safe communities arising from the forthcoming parking deck.

Public Works - received a permit for the new parking garage. A contract has been awarded for the precast concrete, which will be presented to council in the 2nd meeting of February. 

 An emergency order was issued to authorize procurement and installation of a replacement rooftop HVA system at the juvenile detention center. Work is expected to start in two weeks is expected to begin within 2 weeks.

Parks and Recreation - responded rapidly to the recent snowstorm. "I'm sure we're all just loving the piles of snow and navigating through the streets of Easton and Bethlehem, and all throughout the Lehigh Valley. But keeping county operations on schedule and reopening facilities was a part of a rapid response, and we were able to open on Tuesday, although we did not open on Monday, and I think employees were grateful for that."

The parks division also secured a $150,000 DEP growing greener grant for streaming restoration projects at Wayne Grube Park

Farmland preservation - Zrinski commended Director Ryan Shaw (sp?)  as well as Parks Director Bryan Cope for streamlining the process to allow for rolling applications throughout the year. This has enabled them to clear the list and add more properties.

Coroner - Zrinksi explained that the Coroner is unable to release the details of some of his work because it is confidential.  She explained that, unlike most other counties, the corner is an appointed position under NorCo's Home Rule. In counties that elect their coroner, certification of the appointment is needed from the governor after election.  [My opinion here: NorCo' Home Rule Charter eliminates most row offices as elected positions. Elected row offices tend to lead to the creation of petty fiefdoms. For example, in Washington County, the elected coroner insisted on charging the DA for autopsy reports, and he responded by serving a search warrant for them]/ 

Department of Human Services. - "God love those people in human services. They are working so hard to keep their heads above water. You know what I mean?" She noted that DHS continues providing essential services, in mental health, drug and alcohol, on children and youth family programs. Developmental programs is planning a celebration for its 20th anniversary at DeSales U on March 25. Area Agency on Aging will host its Outstanding Senior Award ceremony on April 23, 1 pm, at the Chrin Center.  Drug and Alcohol Services completed 2 narcan trainings sessions in January. Upcoming training sessions will be held April 23rd, July 23rd, and October 22nd at DHS. Additional events are planned at Lehigh University and other community venues.

Zrinski is currently evaluating the previous administration's use of the opioid settlement funds and is including contracts for education outreach.

The DHS mobile unit has scheduled outreach visits throughout February and March at Bethlehem's homeless shelter, the Greater Shiloh Church and the Bethlehem Public Library.

Veterans Affairs is preparing to implement the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale in 2026.

Northampton County Jail - the new Corrections Academy begins February 16. 

On January 16, inmates were placed directly into inpatient treatment facilities, saving the county both 580 bed days and approximately $18,000. in operating costs.

Director Lawrence is reviewing operations, morale, and procedures to enhance the efficiency and security within the prison. "We're certainly fortunate to have her on our team, and she is really hit the ground running." 

There was a lockdown at the jail on February 4 at 4 p.m following the discovery of two makeshift weapons on unit B4. Searches were conducted, and the lockdown was lifted the following morning. Director Lawrence also personally toward the unit and continues to implement measures to ameliorate these situations and ensure timely reporting.

All About Gracedale

Tara Zrinski is in her fifth week as NorCo Executive and is already dealing with a full-blown crisis aka Gracedale. She had barely taken office when she learned that the nursing home's license had been reduced from regular to provisional. That's when she also learned of federal fines amounting to $80,550. At last night's meeting of Northampton County Council, she went into great detail on steps she is taking to improve what was once hailed as the "jewel of the county." It has since become a millstone around the necks of county executives. She also advised Council that, at least in the short term, "it is likely that the county is going to have to support Gracedale out of the general fund."

Here's what she's doing in the short term.

First, she is meeting on a regular basis with the Director of Human Services and Gracedale's Administrator, and will receive a written report every two weeks about what is happening. To the extent that she can supply Council with copies of these reports without violating privacy laws, she will do so. 

Second, the Administrator will be required to attend quality assurance committee meetings to ensure that it is held accountable for plans of correction that address deficiencies found by the state Department of Health and to exercise oversight before quality issues become deficiencies. 

 

Third, she is evaluating whether the right people are in the right positions. She will delve deeper into the vetting of nurse services, contractors, and their staff as well as on-site training and the scheduling of nurse staff. 

Fourth, both she and representatives of her office will make unannounced visits to Gracedale. 

Fifth, she wants Gracedale's Human Resource representative to provide a report on the frequency, quality, and utilization of staff evaluations. "This is something that I did in the controller's office. I believe that you have to evaluate staff. I believe that if they are not performing the duties that they are obligated to do in their contracts, that we will be putting people on performance improvement plans. We will be holding people accountable for the actions at Gracedal. "

Sixth, she will begin the process of retraining new and existing employees. 

Seventh, "we're getting a cat, right?"

She has three long-range goals. She wants to make the home financially sustainable, provide a higher quality of care and make it more attractive to residents, families and referral sources. 

To accomplish these goals, she wants to do the following. 

First, she wants to create a quasi cabinet level position just for Gracedale and take the home out of the hands of Director of Human Services Sue Wandalowski, who has enough on her plate

Second, she wants to convert Gracedale's advisory board into an actual task force. It's unclear what they would actually be tasked to do, other than raising money via grants and donations to a 501c3.

Third, she thinks the home can be reimagined to provide more health services like the dialysis it currently offers. She thinks that could be accomplished by partnering with other health networks.

Fourth, she believes the aging home is in dire need of capital improvements, noting that the practice of housing four residents in one room is outdated and needs to change. 

Fifth, Gracedale needs its own financial overseer..

Sixth, she like to make the daycare at the home available to other count employees.

She also would like County Council to do the following:

First, tour the home.

Second, adopt a resolution against cuts to Medicare and medical assistance payments to nursing homes and for increases in Medicare and medical assistance reimbursement to nursing homes, especially county run homes, whose census is almost all medical assistance. 

Third, pass a resolution to state and federal officials for capital improvement funds, similar to the capital improvement funds established for school districts, for county owned nursing homes. 

Following her presentation, she asked for an executive session to discuss personnel measures taken to address some of the eight citations that have plagued the home since March. 

I will have more about Gracedale on Monday to explain why its license is provisional, which was explained by Council member Dave Holland.