A Measles Outbreak in Pa.

In 2024, Pennsylvania reported six cases of measles. In 2025, there were 16. This year, there have been 216 cases through August 10, according to the CDC. (The state places the number at 258). Of these cases, 145 are in Lancaster County. So far, there are 2 cases in Lehigh and 0 in Northampton County. 

This outbreak has prompted Governor Josh Shapiro to launch a measles dashboard, which contains data about the ages of those infected and where it has hit hardest. 

Surprisingly, those between 18 and 49 have been targeted the most. 

People born before 1957 are presumptively immune.

MAHA Warrior RFK,Jr., who has spent most of his adult career disparaging vaccines (including the measles vaccine), is now telling people to have their children vaccinated, noting it is 97% effective (in two doses). In Lancaster County, where Pa.'s outbreak is most severe, RFK, Jr. told 1,500 people at an annual farming fair, warned the Amish about agencies encouraging people to get vaccinated. "[T]hey cannot stand the fact that you're healthy," he said. 

Now they're not. 

A Guided Tour of Portland

Last night, I was provided a guided tour of Portland and Delaware Water Gap by none other than His Eminence, the Right Rev. Ron Angle. We went pass the Indian head mountain, which I think really does look like an Indian head. We passed stone walls constructing along Route 611 during the depression, and although some have crumbled, large stretches are still in good repair. We drove through the now shuttered businesses of what was once a busy little borough. Many of the older Victorian homes are breathtaking., We also shot through the Delaware Water Gap, where Ron p[rovidided vivid descriptions of each of the businesses, including a Japanese Ramen shop that offers pies and, from time to time, lobster rolls. We finished off the tour at Pho Saigon II in Bartonsville, which has the best pho in a 50-mile radius next to Bethlehem's Pho Bowl. 

If you'd like a guided tour, complete with stories of gangsters that used to frequent the foothills of these mountains and other entertaining stories, I'm sure Ron could be persuaded to give a guided tour for the modest fee of $1,000 per person (cash only, nonrefundable). Let me know. 

Concerned Dems Want Brooks to Step Aside

Monday was the last day for party nominees to withdraw their candidacies. Now a court order is required. Some of you were apparently hoping that Bob Brooks, the Dem nominee for Pa. 7's Congressional District, would pull the plug on his race. I think that's highly unlikely. 

As you can see above, a group calling itself "Concerned Democrats Against Bob Brooks" formally requested the state committee to request Brooks to withdraw from the campaign., based on (1) pending fraud litigation (which a court recently determined to have merit); 2) His public denigration of volunteer firefighters (who also serve as firefighters in communities with paid fire departments); 3) His alleged violation of a state labor law requiring him to carry workers' comp insurance; and 4) racially charged social media posts that Brooks has since deleted.

These concerned Democrats, whose identities I do not know, claim that Brooks presents "an unacceptable risk of handing this seat and potentially the House Majority to Ryan Mackenzie."

I personally have no intention for voting for any of the three candidates. Blogger Michale Molovinsky succinctly observes that the choice between Mackenzie and Brooks is a "Wizard of Oz choice ... one candidate needs a brain, the other a spine." As for Tupone, whom I suspect will survive the ballot challenges if he hires a lawyer instead of thinking he can represent himself, he's an ethical oil slick.  

Pa. 07 Voter Registration Data Shows a Very Purple District

As of August 10, the Department of State reports the following registration statistics for the Pa. 7 Congressional District: Democrats - 224,184; Republicans - 205,146; Libertarians - 3,137; Greens - 782; Unaffiliated - 92,619; Other - 15,325.

The total number of registered voters is 541,193. 

Democrats have a 19,038-voter advantage over Republicans, but the rising number of third party and independent voters makes it difficult to predict anything other than a growing disenchantment with the major parties. 

According to PoliticsPa, Democrats have added and Republicans have lost voters since their last check in April. But 46,000 voters throughout the state have abandoned the major parties to become independents. 

The Congressional race in Pa. 7 will likely be decided by approximately 96,000 voters who belong to neither of the main parties. 

UPDATED: Two Challenges Filed Against Pa. 7 "Green Party" Candidate Andrew Tupone

Two challenges have been filed against the nomination petition filed by Andrew Tupone as the Green Party candidate in the Pa. 07th Congressional district. Tupone claims to be the choice of 10,000 voters. 

The first set of objections comes from the Green party itself. The second comes from Joyce Moore, Louise Dillensnyder and Susan Baranek. I know that Joyce Moore is a fairly active Democrat, but do not know the others. 

Tupone has called the challenge an attempt by Democrats to silence his voice, but the Green party has filed objections. 

If these challenges succeed, that's very good news for Democratic nominee Bob Brooks. 

UPDATED 1:00 PM: The Green Party's objections can be located here. According to the challenge, Tupone was a Republican who switched to Democrat in February and to Green in April. It claims he is not an "authentic" Green party candidate.

The Greens contend that Tupone misled voters into believing he was a Green, even though he has never received that party's endorsement. 

UPDATED 4:15 PM:  The Commonwealth Court has scheduled a hearing on both challenges, to be heard August 20 at 11 AM in Harrisburg. At this hearing, Objectors will have an opportunity to prove that voters who signed nomination petitions were actually misled. They Green party will also be required to offer legal argument that Tupone's nomination petition is a violation of the free and equal protection clause of the state constitution based on allegations that signatures were obtained as a result of fraud. 

Should Allentown Subsidize State Police Coverage in Upper Mount Bethel ... or Lower Macungie ... or Bath?

Visit Bath ... or Upper Mount Bethel ... or Williams or Lower Macungie ... or any of a number of municipalities in the Lehigh Valley. Some, like Upper Mount Bethel, are very large. Others, like Bath, are small. But they have one thing in common. No local police. They rely on the Pennsylvania State Police to perform the function that would otherwise be performed by local police officers. Pa state law requires every municipality to have a fire department, but no such requirement exists for police. What this means is that taxpayers in economically challenged urban centers like Allentown or Philly are being for cops in the burbs. It also means that people who live in large municipalities like Upper Mount Bethel, second largest in the state, can wait 40 minutes for state police to respond to an emergency call. 

According to Spotlight.Pa, there are 4,200 troopers, with a cap of 4,410. The Shapiro administration proposes the elimination of this cap, but that will just make it easier for local municipalities to shed the unpleasant cost of actually protecting their own citizens. 

What makes more sense, in my view, is to enact legislation that essentially imposes a death penalty on any municipality that is unable to afford the cost of protecting its own citizens. Regional policing of contiguous local governments, which would provide faster response times and actually provide for the public safety, would be permitted. State police protection would be permitted only with an annual assessment based on the estimated work required.

The Lehigh Valley has been balkanized since its inception with far too many municipalities that lead to very weak local governments that fail to provide basic services. Just last week, I say how one rainstorm turned Messinger Street into a river in Bangor. It apparently happens all the time. 

If a local government is unable to serve its own community, it should no longer exist.

Hercules Cement Wants to Hurl More Nitrous Oxide in Our Air

Becky Bartlett worked during Lamont McClure's administration in NorCo as a Deputy Administrator. I think I knew her before then because she volunteered in several state house races here in the Nazareth area. She handled his news releases. I sometimes see her and her husband, walking their dogs, and scared them half to death when I rode by them very early in the morning on a hot summer day. 

Becky also is the publisher of Upper Nazareth Meetings hyperlocal blog, where she keeps a very close eye on what is going on there, and with far fewer opinions than I inject into my stories. But she certainly has them and was at Northampton County Council last week to share her concern that Hercules Cement wants to unleash mor nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. Here's what she had to say:

On August 1, 2026, the Hercules Cement Company (Buzzi Unicem), posted a Public Notice in The Morning Call in regard to lowering the control of its emissions of “nitrogen oxides and/or volatile organic compounds” at their plant in Stockertown./p>

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) describes nitrogen oxides (NO x) as a cause of respiratory irritation, worsened asthma and decreased lung function. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) cause eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, loss of coordination and damage to the liver. Some VOCs are also classified as suspected carcinogens.

The Lehigh Valley is ranked as having one of the highest concentrations of asthma cases. We are 6th in the nation for asthma-related ER visits. The Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America’s “2025 Asthma Capitals Report” ranks Allentown as the 3rd worst location for people with asthma. The American Lung Association’s 2025 “State of the Air” report ranks our area as 50th for particle pollution with Northampton County as the worst county in the region for ground level ozone and short-term particle pollution.

I am requesting that, in the interest of protecting the health of our residents, County Council files a formal objection to Buzzi Unicem’s request to decrease the control of their emissions of nitrogen oxides and/or volatile organic compounds within the 30-day comment period. Written comments may be submitted to Mark Weikszner, Program Manager, Air Quality Program at 2 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702-1915 or meikszner@pa.gov.

Later in the meeting, Exec Tara Zrinski, a committed environmentalist long before she was ever a politician, made clear that she would file formal objections. This is something we all can do. 

My friends on the right will complain that government regulations can be burdensome and just add red tape. And in many cases, they are right. But there's a difference between that and what really are protections desgned to protect the health and safety of our loved ones.   

Allentown Waterfront Owner Claims Developers John Palumbo and Anthony Maneri Diverted $21 Million

In 2023, developer John Palumbo was in front of Allentown's City Council, smugly playing hardball over zoning changes he was seeking for two parking lots alomg the massive Allentown Waterfront project on Front Street. But Palumbo, along with fellow developer Anthony Maneri, are now themselves on the wrong end of a massive lawsuit, filed in Lehigh County's Orphans Court, alleging that they both diverted millions for their own benefit.

A good chunk of the Allentown Waterfront, including the former Neuweiler Brewery and American Atelier Building, is owned by Urban Residential Properties. The American Atelier, by the way, recently went up in flames. 

Urban Residential Properties is itself mostly owned (89%) by the Irrevocable Ruth Rachel Green Trust established for the benefit of Alex Wright. Green also owns 10% in an individual capacity, with the remaining 1% owned by Wright. 

Palumbo was a Trustee but was removed in March. Maneri was brought in Palumbo, ostensibly to help fund the project. 

According to a very lengthy Accounting Action filed by the Trust, both Palumbo and Maneri are accused of diverting at least $21 million from an open-ended mortgage for other projects. This includes over $12.5 million from the Neuweiler Lofts, $4.5 million in transfers to some outfit called Wonder Q and $5.4 million in unauthorized loans to Maneri. 

In the meantime, the Neuweiler Lofts project was behind schedule, over budget, with shoddy work and stalled construction. 

This action has been brought by Kevin T Fogerty, Esq. It certainly has all the earmarks of fraud.  
 

Zrinski Apologizes Over Cancellation of Elections Comm'n Meeting

On Wednesday, I told you that the NorCo Elections Comm'n was forced to postpone a meeting that was scheduled to take place that day because no agenda had been posted on the county webpage 24 hours in advance, which violates the Sunshine Act. 

At last night's meeting of NorCo Council, Executive Tara Zrinski acknowledged and apologized for this oversight. "[Elections Registrar] Chris Commini neglected to post the agenda as per the Sunshine Law prior to going to his conference. He neither delegated nor completed the task, but has taken full responsibility for the need to postpone the meeting. The administration apologizes for not seeing this error in enough time to remedy it."

Zrinski: Gracedale on Track to Have Regular License Restored in January 2027

At last night's meeting of Northampton County Council, Executive Tara Zrinski reported that Gracedale is on track to have its regular license restored by January 2027. She indicated that the state Department of Health visited the facility on July 30, her birthday, and found no deficiencies.

She specifically recognized the staff at T7 I also want to recognize the staff of T7 "for the difference they're making in residents' daily lives."

Referring to a laudatory email from a resident's family, she said that the home was complimented forthe attention given to personal grooming as well as staff encouragement to get out of bed and socialize. "People are noticing," she added.

She also speciafically recognized a Gracedale staffer who recently has been certified a professional by the American Association of Post Acute Care Nursing.

Parking Garage Project Delayed Because Successful Bidder Fails to Comply with Responsible Contractor Ordinance

On May 21, Northampton County Council approved an $11,525,000 contract with the Mohawk Group to serve as the General Contractor for the replacement of the parking deck at the courthouse complex. Work should have been underway by now, but nothing was happening. Why not?

At last night's meeting of NorCo Council, Executive Tara Zrinski explained that Mohawk failed to provide the necessary documentation to prove that it was complying with the county's responsible contractor ordinance. As a result, the county was forced to reject the bid and go with the second highest bidder, Wilmer R Schultz, Inc. . 

County Council was forced to amend its agenda to approve a contract with Wilmer R Schultz. Unfortunately, the amount of this contract was unstated. Council Solicitor Matt Deschler advised that amended agenda must be posted online within one business day, so the amount should be available sometime today. 

Zrinski assured County Council that Schultz has the necessary responsible contractor certifications. 

Artsquest Seeks "Main Street Matters" Grant

Main Street Matters is a state program "designed to support our downtown cores and surrounding neighborhoods with tools to create healthy, vibrant, and welcoming communities. Funding is available to support revitalization efforts in planning, business support, aesthetic improvements, and the increase of safety and security."

ArtsQuest would like some of that dough. It will be making a presentation today before County Council's Economic Development Committee, and a few hours later, Council will be asked to approve a resolution to seek the grant on behalf of the biggest non-profit group in the Lehigh Valley, which hosts innumerable free events every year. This seems like a no-brainer.

Last year, Governor Josph Shapiro's DCED approved a $1 million grant for the "Gateway on Fourth," a 120-unit apartment complex that will actually provide affordable housing. But three members of NorCo Council would rather give tax breaks for luxury apartments. 

NorCo Elections Comm'n Cancels Meeting After Failing to Post Agenda

A meeting of NorCo's Elections Comm'n that was supposed to take place at 3:30 pm had to be canceled because the Zrinski administration, which really runs our elections system, failed to post the agenda on the county's website as required by the Sunshine Act.

This error was brought to the attention of an Elections Comm'r by Matthew Flower, a NorCo GOP committee area chair. 

It was canceled just four hours before it was scheduled to start. 

On his Facebook page, he rhetorically asks, "If our county administration cannot competently schedule a public meeting, why should we believe they can take on the complexity of additional pop up voting, satellite election offices and expanded drop box use?"

He also set up the nifty little flyer you can see as part of this blog.

And that's the problem. The administration runs elections when that role should fall to the elections commission under both our Home Rule Charter and state law. 

Despite the clear language of both state statute and our county constitution, all the elections commission really does is act as a rubber stamp for decisions made by the administration. They do serve one useful purpose. These unelected volunteers are usually the whipping boys (and girls) whom voters can yell at when the count administration screws up an election, which is now becoming something of a routine. 

In the county commissioner form of government, the elections board consists of the county commissioners, and this makes sense. It is the county commissioners who both administer the county and pay the bills for election expenses.  

It is time to amend the Charter so that the Elections Comm'n actually does the job it is required to do. Its members should consist of Council members who are not seeking election or re-election and the Executive, with one spot reserved for a member of the minority party. If it is an election year for the Exec, her spot should be replaced by a person appointed by the Courts or Council.  

Then and only then will the elections commission actually be able to fulfill its statutory role. 

And yes, I thin k Council members should weigh in on pop-up elections, which strike me as something far too easy to manipulate by conducting them in areas where you know your preferred party is going to vote. Moreover, given that the county has managed to send out the wrong mail-in ballots in two consecutive elections, it should master that first before branching off into something else. And yes, that decision should come from the Exec AND council, which is, after all, the governing body. 

Fraud Case Against Pa. 07 Congressional Candidate Bob Brooks To Move Forward, Sez Judge

Bob Brooks is the Democratic nominee in the upcoming Pa. 7th Congressional District race against incumbent Ryan Mackenzie. Brooks portrays himself as an Everyman. In a way, he probably is. He presents himself as a woke liberal to the Bernie Sanders and Jamie Raskins of the Democratic left, while simultaneously positioning himself as conservative Democrat to Josh Shapiro and his herd. He tries to be all things to all people. I call him shady. 

A lawsuit filed in Northampton County on February 17 alleges that he and his current wife (who has pretty much the same name as Wife #1), have engaged in what amounts to a fraudulent conveyance to avoid a judgment he owes his former mother-in-law. An attempt to dismiss this lawsuit has been dismissed by Judge Jennifer Sletvold in an 11-page Opinion filed July 27. She has ordered Brooks and his current wife to file an Answer within 20 days. (You can read her Opinion and Order below). 

Let me give you some background. In 2008, Brooks' in-laws transferred a residential property to Brooks and his Wife #1. They even fronted the cost of subdividing the property to the tune of $55,000. Everyman Brooks promised to pay the money back but never did. Eventually, he and Wife #1 signed a promissory note for the money, but he never paid a cent. He was sued, and a $130,000 award was entered against him in 2020. In an effort to string things along, he appealed. He lost in a unanimous Pennsylvania Superior Court ruling. In 2022, judgment was entered against him for $130,000. 

That judgment remains open of record. 

After screwing over his in-laws, he and his wife eventually parted ways, with a divorce being granted in 2018. Then, in the midst of two mortgage foreclosures and lawsuits by two credit card companies, Brooks quitclaimed his interest in the property to a person who I thought was Wife #1 in 2022. But according to the lawsuit filed against Brooks, he actually quitclaimed his interest to Wife #2 in a Quitclaim Deed that both he and Wife #2 executed. 

I've told you that Wives  #1 and #2 have virtually identical names. Wife #1 is Jennifer Lynne Brooks. Wife #2 is Jennifer Lynn Brooks. There is no "e" in "Lynne" in Wife #2's name. The lawsuit avers that the Quitclaim was a fraudulent attempt to obscure the real identity of Wife #2 in order to avoid paying a $130,000 judgment. As a bonus for Brooks, this alleged subterfuge would have and did enable Wife #2 to obtain a $330,000 mortgage. 

According to the lawsuit, the signature in the Quitclaim is different than the Note signed by Wife #1 and Brooks for the cost of subdividing their property.  

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the mother-in-law, now seeks $160,000 from Brooks and from Wife #2. In addition, punitive damages are sought for "outrageous" and "malicious" subterfuge that "shock the conscience"

Instead of just paying the judgment and getting rid of something that paints him in a negative light right before an election. Brooks instead had the hubris to file preliminary objections based on a supposedly expired statute of limitations and the argument that the Complaint against him is legally insufficient. Judge Sletvold has ruled that he's wrong on both counts.

She observed that Brooks' Statute of Limitations argument, which alleges that it's too late to execute on a judgment entered in 2022, to totally misses the point. The suit has been filed as a result of a fraudulent conveyance, not the actual judgment. 

More importantly, Judge Sletvold dismissed Brooks' argument that the Complaint, on its face, is legally insufficient. Not so, according to Judge Sletvold. She observes that Brooks' mother-in law has alleged facts that show fraud was afoot. 

Plaintiff alleges particular facts to claim how Defendants actually intended to defraud Plaintiff, the judgment creditor. The Complaint alleges that the judgement in the 2018 lawsuit was entered on January 10, 2022, and the quitclaim deed, transferring ownership of the Property from Mr. Brooks and Second Wife to solely Second Wife, occurred in close proximity, approximately two months. The quitclaim deed was a transfer to an insider, Second Wife. The debtor, Mr. Brooks, still resides in the Property and uses it as his primary residence. The transfer of the property was for $10.00 when the value of the property was $413,200.00 at the time of transfer. Second Wife immediately encumbered the property with a $330,000 mortgage, and the loan proceeds were not used to pay the debt owed to Plaintiff by Mr. Brooks. See Compl. ¶¶ 21-31. We find these allegations to be pled with particularity and are legally sufficient to sustain causes of action under 12 Pa. C.S.A. § 5104. Accordingly, this preliminary objection is overruled.

Brooks is no working-class hero. He's shady. While there might be an innocent explanation to these allegations of forgery, there's no denying that Brooks has adamantly refused to pay a family loan, not just a bank loan, for the home in which he lives.  

He's no everyman. He's shady. He was actually soliciting campaign contributions for fellow Democrat Lamont McClure. Before stabbing McClure in the back, Brooks called McClure a "strong Democrat with a proven track record of putting out fires and a long history of standing up to corruption." 

He's no Bernie Sanders or Josh Shapiro. He's shady.

Brooks' mother-in-law is represented by David Dunn, Esq., who said he's looking forward to moving ahead with the case. Brooks is represented by GREENBERG TRAURIG LLP, a nationally known law firm with offices in Pjiladelphia.

Judge Rules That Fraud Case Against Pa. 07 Congressional Candidate Can Move Forward by BernieOHare

Trump and TR

In 1901, just two weeks before the assassination of President William McKinley, Vice President Theodore R Roosevelt delivered an hour-long speech at the Minnesota State Fair. The rough-rider and pugilist who was also an intellectual who read one book a day and had a photographic memory, had this to say about foreign policy: 

A good many of you are probably acquainted with the old proverb, "Speak softly and carry a big stick – you will go far." If a man continually blusters, if he lacks civility, a big stick will not save him from trouble, and neither will speaking softly avail, if back of the softness there does not lie strength, power. In private life there are few beings more obnoxious than the man who is always loudly boasting, and if the boaster is not prepared to back up his words, his position becomes absolutely contemptible. So it is with the nation. It is both foolish and undignified to indulge in undue self-glorification, and, above all, in loose-tongued denunciation of other peoples. Whenever on any point we come in contact with a foreign power, I hope that we shall always strive to speak courteously and respectfully of that foreign power.

President Donald Trump is the very kind of "obnoxious man" that Roosevelt described 125 years ago. He is always "loudly boasting," engages repeatedly in "undue self-gratification" and the "loose-tongued denunciation of other peoples."  But he always backs away and his position has become "absolutely contemptible." 

Unlike most of my readers and the country as a whole, I completely supported the attack on Iran. But not a half-assed attack that has put us in a worse position than we were in before we did anything.   

On Friday, Trump brayed, "“The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II.” But as he has done too many times now, he has backed away, claiming that the perimeters of a "deal" exist."

This is news to Iran, which is now claiming that he has backed away from hollow threats "and presented his retreat to the world as a favor."

He has made himself and this country a joke. 

"Green Party" Candidate Andrew Tupone Files Nomination Petition in Pa. 07 Congressional Race

Move over, Ryan Mackezie! You, too, Bob Brooks! A third candidate is entering the campaign for Pa. 07's Congressional District. Andrew Tupone, a certified EMT from Bethlehem Township, has filed a nomination petition to run for the Pa. 07 Congressional District as a member of the Green Party.  His petition has been accepted by the Department of State, but it is subject to challenge. (The nomination petition was not available online as of last night, but Tupone has claimed on Facebook that he has more than double the number of signatures needed). 

Before I make a few of my own observations, let me share his campaign announcement, which I received yesterday

Tupone's Campaign Announcement: Today, Andrew Tupone announced that he has filed more than double the required number ct of signatures to qualify for the November ballot as the Green Party candidate for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. He received an outpouring of community support, especially from progressive Democrats who are looking for real change.

Tupone said he decided to enter the race because he believes both parties have failed to truly speak for the people of PA-7 and that voters deserve a true progressive alternative.

"Congressman Mackenzie has been in lock step with Trump and he must be stopped. The national Democratic Party failed to nominate a candidate who speaks to the progressive voters," Tupone said. "After the Democratic National Party put their thumbs on the scale in the primary for Bob Brooks as the nominee, I believe local grassroots voters deserve another choice and that's why so many are backing my candidacy”. That's why I'm running—to offer an independent progressive voice focused on the issues that matter most to the people of Pennsylvania's 7th District - affordability and ending corruption, but also stopping the fascist in the White House, fighting climate change, ending the genocide in Gaza and elsewhere.

Tupone concluded, "There was a major outpouring of support from Democrat voters who are tired of the National Democratic party telling us how to vote, so they put on a flawed candidate in Bob Brooks, who has refused to pay back his own family, and violated state law and did not give his employees workers comp and has made racist statements online and stood against minorities as Hecktown Bar Manager. We need someone who will be more focused on standing up against Donald Trump than running from personal baggage. The stakes in this election are incredibly high" Tupone concluded.

Tupone’s background:

Andrew Tupone grew up in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, in Bethlehem Township, Northampton County. He brings experience across local government - in Northampton County under Lamont McClure - state and federal government, as well as the private sector, where he has worked for small and large businesses.

Andrew’s education includes Freedom High School, Northampton Community College, where he earned an associate degree in Business Administration and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the Pennsylvania State Police Academy, and Pennsylvania State University, where he studied Business Management.

He is a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in Pennsylvania and has volunteered his time serving the local community. Andrew has also held membership in several labor unions, including SEIU and the Teamsters.

His stated values include grassroots democracy, community-based economics, decentralization, non-violence, respect for diversity, and personal and global responsibility. A focus on stopping corruption and ending the genocide in Gaza.

Socials:

AndrewforPA.com

Facebook.com/AndrewforPA

instagram.com/andrewforpa

x.com/electandrew

My observations: 

1) If Tupone is able to stay on the ballot, this is going to hurt Brooks and help Mackenzie. Some Democrats are unhappy at the way that Washington and Governor Josh Shapiro inserted themselves into a local race, putting their fingers on the scale. Brooks a won a plurality, but not a majority of Democratic votes.  Although there is less enthusiasm for Brooks than there would be for a candidate who really was selected by a majority of Democrats, I figured Brooks would win anyway. in what should be a November blue wave. A third-party candidate, and one who leans to the left, changes that prediction. Tupone will draw votes from the left end of the spectrum, and it could be enough to defeat Brooks in a purple district. 

2) Is Tupone a put-up? - I have yet to check elections records, but Topne was a Republican. When he ran for Magisterial District Judge in 2015, he was promoted by the Bethlehem Tp GOP Committee.  He lost to Pat Broscius, who swept both sides of the ticket. He managed to win the Republican nomination in 2021, but fell short to Sandra McClure in the general election. According to The Keystone, Tupone was a Republican as recently as 2025  

3) He claims to have worked for Lamont McClure in Northampton County. Actually, before he ever worked in NorCo, Tupone was part of the Panto Parking Police. At the county, he bounced around from 911 dispatcher to elections clerk to an assessor. He tried to get himself appointed as Controller. His employment was terminated in 2021, although the county may have brought him back.

4) Many of Tupone's claims about Brooks have been documented here, by Rich Wilkins and various news outlets. I was aware that he was a bar manager at the Hecktown Fire Company in the early 2000s. That's a private social club. I never heard that he "stood against minorities" while he processed memberships. I would like to know more about this claim, which I find disturbing. 

5) This is an election that cries out for a third candidate. But not Tupone. 

Now We Need Ukraine's Help

Not long ago, President Donald Trump, joined by VP JD Vance, bullied Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy during a White House sit-down in which the latter was being bullied into caving on Russian demands. "You don't have the cards," roared Trump while a Trump-allied reporter made fun of Zelenskyy's military attire. 

It turns out that Trump was wrong. Zelenskyy does have the cards and has been playing them with great effectiveness. His drones have wreaked havoc on maritime shipping in the Caspian Sea and at Russian Wildberries outlets, which is their Amazon equivalent. This hurts both Russia's military and its economy. 

That's only part of the story. In addition to ramping up its offensive use of drones, Ukraine has been manufacturing cheap and very effective drone interceptors at costs of between $2,000-10,000 per unit, depending on whether the drone being intercepted is powered by a jet engine. 

Gulf states are quickly turning to Ukraine to acquire both interceptors and drone defense technology. This makes sense. Drones can be intercepted by SAMs or our own drones, but at a much higher cost than the drones themselves. I would hope that we are seeking some help from Ukraine as well. 

I know that one or two Navy warships are equipped with lasers than could take down a drone at a cost of about a nickel. But we've been far too slow in adjusting to a changing battlefield landscape. 

What's Next For Lamont McClure?

After falling short in his bid for the Democratic nomination to the Pa. 07 Congressional District, what has NorCo's former Exec been doing? He likes to take pictures of flowers and rocks and that kind of goofy stuff, but what does he want to do? He might want to run for DA next year, but I doubt he'd primary Steve Baratta. He might want to run for judge but will have to wait a bit if he does. He still has money in his state account, so he's obviously keeping his options open.

Here's what he says on Facebook, next to a picture of a flower: Many Friends have been asking me what I’m doing next. I think some people just might be tired of me posting pictures of flowers all the time. 😂 Over the last 30 years, I’ve had two very intense, successful careers that sometimes ran on parallel tracks. Like LeBron this is likely to be my last “Decision”, and therefore, I’m taking my time. 😀 I’m trusting the process too. 😂"

I personally think he's planning to open a flower shop.

Blue Wave in November? Don't Be So Sure

That's what CNN Data Chief Harry Enten tells PennLive, insisting that Democrats have a number of red flags. 

1) The GOP has more cash on hand because Democrats suffer from lackluster enthusiasm.

2) As bad as the GOP may be, the Democrats have a -24 net favorability. 

3) Democratic socialists have a new platform calling for noncitizen voting, a unicameral legislature, limits on Supreme Court judicial review and an end to deportations. This is completely out of touch with what most voters believe, including Democrats. But that does not matter because that is how all Democrats will be portrayed. 

UMBT Conducts "Special" Meeting To Discuss Those Evil Data Centers

About a year ago, warehouses were the bogeymen. Politicians loved to rail against them, and we all lapped it up as we continued ordering toilet paper through Amazon. But there's now an evil more evil monster lurking around every corner - the Data Center. Never mind that they've been with us for decades. Never mind that they are a critical national infrastructure to support both our economy and yes, our national security. They're bad, I tell you. 1,000,000 Facebook groups can't be wrong. 

On Friday night, I could have stayed home to watch President Donald Trump and our betters in the Washingtom press corps insult each other. I opted instead to travel to Angle country, where Upper Mount Bethel Tp was hosting a hastily called "special" meeting in an effort to put the brakes on yet another potential and very evil data center located on Pektor property by both the river and a power plant. 

I arrived a little late, so I missed the remarks made by His Eminence, the Right Reverend Ron Angle. But that's ok. Though Supervisors have limited Angle to three minutes, he manages to inject himself after nearly every speaker anyway, So I got the drift. He thinks a lot of the kneejerk opposition to data centers is misguided. But he's wrong. They're evil, I tell you, the stuff of nightmares and science fiction movies where the noise they emit are really some sort of radio frequenct that turns us into pods. 

I pulled into the parking lot of what is actually the public works garage because the second largest municipality in the goddamn state of Pennsylvania is unable to afford a frickin' municipal building. And that's pretty much because the people who live there - at least the ones with money - don't want anything that could actually help people who are working two or three jobs to make ends meet. The ruling class has decided that data centers are bad, and they know best. A year ago, they thought they were great, much preferable to an evil warehouse, but that was then. 

Before I walked into the garage, I looked over the packed parking lot. It was full of big-ass SUVs and those massive trucks with V-8 engines. Not an ebike in sight. These folks are very environmentally conscious, except when it comes to themselves. 

The reason for the rushed meeting was because the evil data center was just far too willing to work with the township. Supervisor David Friedman, who has previously botched up several negotiating sessions with Tam Pektor, was again spearheading the back-room meetings with Talen Energy. Talen Energy had offered a community benefits agreement of $25 million. Friedman reportedly said, "Make it $50 million and we have a deal," thinking this would be enough to send Talen away with its tail between its legs. Instead, after telephone calls with several Tallen execs, their ambassador came back and agreed.

What little is left of Friedman's head must have exploded. He was sure he had scared them off, but instead, they agreed. now, Friedman would have to break his word again, which obviously doesn't mean much to him as he also once promised to resign and then refused to keep his word. Friedman huddled with John "Voice of (some of) the People" Bermingham and came up with a plan that would scare away that evil data center for good. They decided to propose an amendment to the zoning ordinance that would impose all kinds of conditions on when and where they could be placed.

Good idea, but bad timing. Very bad timing. The evil data center, which I've told you is very bad, filed what is known as a "validity objection." In layman's terms, that is a giant FU to the township. It means that Talen can build a data center wherever the hell it wants and there's not a damn thing the township can do about it. It means that instead of a $50 million community benefits agreement, the township gets zero.

Great job, guys. 

But there was nevertheless a procession of NIMBY speakers who basically are unreservedly opposed to data centers no matter what the benefits might be.  They're bad, I tell you.

One heavy fellow wearing a "Jesus is King" T-shirt and who may have been thinking that Jesus is Burger King, claimed they are "out of control" and "poisoning the water supply." I've got news for Burger King. The people who live in Upper Mount Bethel are already poisoning our water supply with their own shit. Water tests done along the creeks on 611 show unusually high amounts of chemicals that come from residents' refusal to actually build a proper sewer. 

These are the same people who incidentally complain about sludge. 

Now I don't want to leave you with the impression that everyone in Upper Mount Bethel hates data centers. There were a few who said we should at least have an open mind and take a tour or two. 

But when I hear these phonies raise environmental concerns, I have to laugh. Though they are the new bogeyman, consider these facts: You could give up a lifetime of reliance on data centers and AI, and the amount of energy saved would be negligible compared to canceling just one trans-Atlantic flight or switching to a hybrid car; A request to ChatGPT consumes as much energy as one second of a clothes dryer; our 14,000 golf courses consume 550 billion gallons of water a year; we use 3 trillion gallons of water a year just to water our lawns.

But don't let facts get in the way. Data centers are very bad,