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Steve Flood: A Hero

WILK News Personality Steve Corbett discusses NEPAtism with David Yonki, political pundit.

WILK News Personatalities at WVIA: NEPAtism

"See that guy with the ponytail? He's my hero."

A local woman said the above to her teenaged daughter after spotting WILK's Steve Corbett onstage at the WVIA studios.

The occasion was a televised discussing of the pervasive nepotism (NEPAtism) in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. The woman is a regular listener of Corbett's 3 to 6PM talk show on the 103.1 FM NEPA radio station. And she is not alone. Almost EVERYONE in NEPA has heard of Corbett. And, most likely, you either love the guy or you hate him - depending on which side of the political teeter-totter you sit on in Luzerne County.

If you grew up in this area, as I have, you know that you have to be "connected" to get most places. (In some smaller muncipalities you may ven have to be a certain nationalty.)
Everyone knew it, talked about it, but never seriously thought it could change. It was rather like an incurable chronic disease: it was there, you couldn't get rid of it, so you tried living with it the best you could.

Now, with the ousting of Conahan and Ciavarella and ongoing investigations of corrupt school officials, there is hope. And we believe it is mainly because of Steve Corbett and his unrelenting chipping away at the culture of corruption in our Valley.

Before Steve Corbett came to town the likes of Steve Flood, a good man who asked too many questions about what was really going on in the Luzerne County Court House, were punished. We all remember how Ciavarella ordered Flood back within 24 hours from a Florida vacation. And when he couldn't make it he was held in contempt of court of some such nonsense. Mr. Flood took a stroke not too very long after that and has still not completely recovered. No doubt the pressure put on Steve Flood by Ciavarella and his cronies contributed to Steve's illness.

Ann Lokuta's story is yet to be told. We sincerely hope she prevails in her efforts to bring out the true story of her ousting from the bench.

We also hope and pray that Mr. Corbett turns his attention toward the Pittston Township scene.

February 20, 2009
Corruption: Connections Between Alleged Mob Boss D'Elia and Luzerne County Judges?
"The potential depth of corruption in Luzerne County Court grew deeper on allegations linking a reputed mobster with one or two of the judges facing sentencing in a kickback scheme. "
TimesLeader.com - January 20, 2009

February 19, 2009

HEADLINE: Paper Says Witness Can Link Judge to Mobster
"Attorneys for the company that owns The Citizens' Voice are challenging a $3.5 million verdict in a defamation case, saying they have a witness who will testify that reputed mobster William D'Elia is directly connected to either one or two of the Luzerne County judges charged in an ongoing judicial corruption probe."
Here is the article: TimesLeader.com February 19, 2009

The two judges mentioned are Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan of Luzerne County. The threat that is unravelling this crazy-quilt of corruption is long and twisted. Stay tuned to Corbett on WILK and read your local newspapers for more to come!

February 18, 2009:
INTERESTING QUESTION ON CORBETT's SHOW
(Wilk 103.1 FM, 3PM - 7PM Mon thru Friday):
A caller to Steve Corbett (You BETTER Listen) asked if Corbett knew if the Juvenile Detention Centers in Western PA and in Pittston Township were exempt from taxes, or is a KOZ (Keystone Opportunity Zone).

According to this January 27, 2009 article which appeared in the Times Leader, the answer is that the Juvenile Detention Center in Pittston Township appears to be tax free. The zoning was changed from conservation to industrial back in 2003 by Supervisors (see article below).

Read the following TimesLeader.com article very carefully. There are at least TWO Pittston Township officials who proclaimed their ignorance as to what the interested parties were really up to building a juvenile detentino center for lease) when the area was zoned for use.

"Township residents were upset that the facility got zoning approval without any input or advance notice to the public. Jeff Pisanchyn, the part-time township zoning officer at the time, has said he approved the permit thinking it was a publicly owned youth recreation facility.

Attardo had said supervisors rezoned the detention center site from conservation to industrial to attract new business, and nobody presented juvenile detention center plans to the supervisors.

“We certainly never rezoned the property to allow a detention center there,” Attardo said in 2003. "

Also of note, the former Luzerne County Controller, Steve Flood, a GOOD guy (in our opinion) if ever there was one and who was wise to the corruption in this county and spoke out against it all along AND who was striken with a stroke which left him unable to speak, was at a meeting railing against the Juvenile Detention Center just HOURS before he fell ill on March 14th...
Juvenile Detention Center - Pittston Township

February 9, 2009:
Steve Corbett, WILK 103.1 FM radio journalist, told listeners about a conversation he had with Pittston Township Chief of Police Stephen Rinaldi in the past. He said he asked Chief Rinaldi why he allowed himself to be listed as a reference on Billy D'Elia's application for a gun. Chief Rinaldi explained to Corbett, at the time, that he did this because D'Elia is a "friend". Billy D'Elia is the alleged head of the Bufalino crime family and is currently in prison.