MONDAY NOTE ~ I wanted to thank David Schell of Schell’s Web Design.  He designed the Charlie Smithgall website and website designers have become my favorite people.  (Yes, I know you’re looking at this and saying “what?”  It’s complicated.  Please be patient!)  Anyway, Dave was just extremely nice and helpful.  His website is here.   If you lose the link it’s www.imakewebpages.com.  ~ There will be more  coming later today.   One note – I mentioned a Best Non-News Story of the Week.  That award goes to Ad Crable, yet again, for “Redemption in a cold steelhead stream," New Era, 4-12-05.  Anytime I read an entire article about fishing, enjoy it, feel I learned a little something from it and I’m left with a smile, I know that’s just good writing. The link to the article is here.   FRIDAY NOTES ~ A note about the New Era article posted on this website yesterday regarding the Lancaster lynching attempt. The last sentence of the article ends, “ according to newspaper files.”   Well, you see, when Jim Baldwin, the reporter, went through Robert Henderson’s file and found the arrests, he also would have found the two articles involving Henderson’s lawsuit against Lancaster Detectives Walter Goeke and Joseph Geesey.  That is exactly where I found them and got my copies of the articles –   in the Lancaster Newspaper’s library several months after the assault.  So why isn’t that fact mentioned in the article?  Didn’t the reporter think it was important?  Had a lot of Lancaster Detectives been taken into Federal Court for violating individual’s civil rights?  Either the reporter is not very smart, someone decided the information was not “pertinent,” or someone purposely conspired with the police to omit it from an article relating to the attempted murder of a man by pounding him down onto a seven- inch long, three-inch round vent pipe by his rectum.  Instead, Balwin’s unbelievable opening sentence is, “A 37-year-old man with a lengthy criminal record ”  The article is posted here. ~ A poster on Lancaster Online Talkback this morning indicated he believed that Democratic mayoral candidate Rick Gray at one time opposed the hotel/convention center project (he strongly endorses it on his website www.grayformayor.com ).  I spoke by phone this morning with Bruce Beardsley, the County Democratic Committee Chairman who stated, “Rick was never against the convention center.  He was never, absolutely never, against it.” ~ The New Era ran an article on April 12 titled, “County, city battle: Is new hotel taxable?”  They did not give a link to the legal opinion of Howard Kelin who was commissioned by Molly Henderson and Dick Shellenberger to research the issue.  The link is here: http://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/lanco/lib/lanco/legal_opinion.pdf  ~ Tomorrow there will be a look at the mayoral candidate’s websites.  Let me just say that both Gray’s and Smithgall’s sites say they have window and lawn signs available!  So, I need to revisit and add to my “Puppies 4 Sale” articles.  I posted these after a thread on lawn signs on the  Talkback board during the Bush/Kerry campaign turned really, really nasty.  "Puppies 4 Sale" is posted here. ~ Also coming tomorrow, a look at the article “30-40 shots fired in city shoot-out” from yesterday’s New Era.   TUESDAY NOTES ~ The verdict in Robert Henderson’s lawsuit against Lancaster Detectives Walter Geoke and Joseph Geesey is below.  Coming in the next few days, the Lancaster Newspapers reporting on the attempted lynching and then, the first article in the Philadelphia Tribune by Gwen McKinney entitled, “Man critical after Lancaster lynching try – Crane hook, vent pipe used in  vicious attack.”  Then comes “The Klan” chapter in the “Tribune Days” series, when David Duke comes to Lancaster.  You may be asking, “Is she going somewhere with this?”  Oh, yes I am. ~ A quick note about race.  Apparently some people think it’s ironic that while I am running the lynching story I am also demanding an arrest in the Cortney Fry case.  One of the “advantages” of reading the Lancaster Newspapers “online” is that I don’t see any photographs.  I was unaware of the race of any of the parties until Cortney Fry websites were introduced.  I was still unaware of Micah Stewart’s race until after her body was found and someone made a reference to it on the Talkback board.  I don’t believe race plays a part in this case, whatsoever.  This, sadly, is a domestic violence case taken to the ultimate and horrific extreme.  And as I write this, the box at the top has gone to 78 days.  I began the box at twelve days.  This is an absolute disgrace and a crime, and of course there will be more coming on the grand jury, Donald Totora and the Lancaster County Detectives. ~ On lighter notes, tomorrow I’ll take a look at mayoral candidates Smithgall and Gray’s websites.  ~ And, first it was Smart who wrote a scream for help, “Suppose I was a gay hooker.”  Now Hennigan is grappling with his own demons.  In Sunday’s, “It’s music to Clyde’s ears,”   Mr. Editor says, “Psychologists can explain it, Clyde.  You don’t have to go there.”  No, but you should go there.  You absolutely should.  Another cry for help.  Calling Dr. Fraud ~ Speaking of the good Doctor, this email in:  “How dare you send me a t-shirt with a rabbit on it?  You are just cruel.  You did this to hurt me.  I don’t like you.” “Dr. Fraud, you asked for a t-shirt.  There’s a picture of them on my website.  It clearly shows a rabbit.” “I don’t read your website.  Do you think I’m nuts?  And just so you know, I don’t think Donald Totaro likes you either.  I followed him like you said to do.  When he saw my t-shirt he scowled and ran the other way.  So there.” "Sure, you'll use any excuse why you can't find the grand jury.  Don't email me again."   SATURDAY NOTES ~ The “Application requesting an order directing that a county investigating grand jury be summoned” and the Judge's Order are posted above.  I will comment on them on Monday. ~ Yesterday’s New Era had an article about a group opposed to the Penn Square plan but failed to list their website.  It is http://www.lancasterfirst.org/ . ~ I was advised that Ann Gerhart of the Washington Post and author of “The Perfect Wife:  The Life and Choices of Laura Bush” will be in Lancaster on April 25 for a banquet with four other distinguished alumni of McCaskey High School.  The link to an overview of her book is here: http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/reviews/2004-01-06-pefect-wife_x.htm   THURSDAY NOTES ~ Dee, the very nice Chief Deputy in the Clerk of Courts Office, confirmed yesterday that the application completed by District Attorney Donald Totaro is public information and it will be published here on Monday.  What is incomprehensible is that the Lancaster Newspapers have chosen to ignore it.  In the only article in all of the Lancaster Newspapers on the convening of an investigative grand jury, “Target:  unsolved mysteries” in the New Era on March 15, it quotes Totaro as saying he believes it is the best way to pursue certain ‘criminal activity within Lancaster County.’  Earlier in the article it says the mission of the grand jury is, “to compel witnesses to tell what they know about unsolved murders, drugs, racketeering and other serious crimes.”  Well, what is going on in Lancaster?  How much crime is there?  Should citizens be worried or taking precautions?  Don’t the papers have a duty to their readers to publish his application?  Isn’t that news?  This is just an absolute disgrace.  They aren’t worthy of being called newspapers. ~ On a lighter note, these emails back and forth: “I saw Donald Totaro talking to an Intell reporter yesterday and the day before.  Do I win your ‘Find the grand jury contest’?  Do I get a T-shirt?”  Very funny, Dr. Fraud.  Totaro always has a Lancaster Newspaper reporter at his side except when he goes before the grand jury.  Ha. Ha. “You’re trying to mess with my mind.  Where’s my article?  You said it would be in last Friday.  You are a liar.”  Now, Dr. Fraud, we’ve talked about this.  Things come up.  Things happen.  You need to chill.  It will run tomorrow.  “Where’s my T-shirt?” Put a lid on it, doc.  Don’t email me again.   WEDNESDAY NOTES (Posted 4-6-05) ~ I have verified with the Clerk of Courts Office that they do have the three page application completed by District Attorney Donald Totaro requesting an investigative grand jury.  Dee, the Chief Deputy, is checking with President Judge Louis J. Farina to verify that it is public information and I will call her back this afternoon to confirm.  It will cost $3.00 total.  If anyone wants to win the first ever LIP T-shirt (the second is already promised to a helpful soul) and can run by the courthouse and pick this up, please contact me.  I will reimburse the $3.00 and any other expenses you incur.  Thank you. ~ Well, the big story in this morning’s paper is that District Attorney Donald Totaro wants to hire somebody else.  His office can’t solve the murder of a 19 year-old mother of a two-week old baby and it takes them eight weeks to find five locations with “illegal gaming machines” and fail to find the distributor, and apparently he thinks the public should pay more.  He calls the Intell and they come running and do a story.  The Intell has yet to run a story about the second investigative grand jury he has “convened” in less than four years that will cost the taxpayers a huge amount of money, but they publish a glowing article about how he wants “to help troubled youths avoid criminal prosecution.”  The article quotes him as follows, "There's more of a personal element to it when they're actually being held accountable by members of their own community," Totaro said.  Somebody needs to hold Totaro accountable.  Why doesn’t he use somebody already employed by his office to oversee this program?  Why don’t they ask him why his office hasn’t solved the murders of Lindy Biechler, Christy Mirak, Richard Martinez, Jonathan Luna, Cortney Fry and Heather Marie Nunn and the “disappearances” of Mary Ann Bagenstose and Brenda Heist? ~ Have the Lancaster Police arrested the unarmed woman who robbed the Sovereign Bank at 100 E. King Street on April 1, 2005?  How are they doing on the 31 bank robberies last year?  Have they arrested and charged anyone with the murder of Heather Marie Nunn, a 24 year-old mother of two daughters? ~ This is all in bold because I can not turn it off!!!  This word processing system is %$*&%.  If anyone has any ideas please let me know!   SATURDAY NOTES ~ I mentioned in a previous note that this website is taking a long time to load, mostly because of the length of this “front page.”  I haven’t “cleaned it up” because out of town news reporters are coming onto this website for information on the Cortney Fry case and the grand jury and I want to keep a record of what has been published.  For anyone hunting for information on the Cortney Fry case or the grand jury, there is a tremendous amount of material scattered throughout this front page.   ~ Thank you for reading LIP News.