Wolf’s Pick To Lead Pennsylvania State Police Draws Ire Over Wearing Uniform On Job

HARRISBURG — Col. Marcus Brown, Gov. Tom Wolf’s choice to lead the state police, has served as a patrol officer, a SWAT commander and the second-in-command of the Baltimore police.

He has led the Maryland Transportation Authority and the Maryland State Police.

But since his swearing-in on the day of Mr. Wolf’s inauguration, a group of retired troopers has taken exception to his decision to don the gray uniform of the Pennsylvania State Police.

They post on a Facebook page created to protest his wearing of the uniform, and encourage others to contact state senators, who must confirm Col. Brown, 50, as state police commissioner. In interviews, retired troopers said their questions are not limited to the uniform but extend to other issues, such as an association with then-Gov. Martin O’Malley’s push for gun-control measures. (Col. Brown has said he supports the Second Amendment and that there are no firearm proposals on the Pennsylvania agenda.)

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2015/02/23/Wear-suit-not-state-police-uniform-retired-troopers-tell-nominee/stories/201502230017

IRS Chief Tells Lawmakers: ‘We Will Uncover Everything’

Seal of the United States Internal Revenue Service. The design is the same as the Treasury seal with an IRS inscription. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WASHINGTON — The new head of the Internal Revenue Service acknowledged that the embattled agency “undermined the public’s trust” when employees singled out conservative political groups seeking tax-exempt status for extra scrutiny, and he pledged full cooperation with lawmakers in pursuing reforms.

In his first public testimony since taking over at the IRS in mid-May, acting Commissioner Daniel Werfel called actions by employees “completely inexcusable and inherently damaging” to the agency, blaming what he called “a fundamental failure by IRS management” to prevent it.  He said he would hold accountable any employees responsible for misdeeds, promising at one point, “We will uncover everything.”

“This important agency is founded on a principle of operating impartially.  And we failed in that most basic core principle here, and it’s devastating to us as an agency and to the people in that agency,” he said.

Previous IRS officials who have testified gave much less definitive answers to such questions.  Werfel has the advantage of having not been at the agency when the problems occurred.  As a result, the tenor of Monday’s hearing contrasted with other sessions in which members often sparred with invited witnesses.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/la-na-irs-hearings-20130604,0,3733316.story

Lackawanna County And Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees Reach Tentative Agreement On New Stadium

Cap logo of the New York Yankees (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lackawanna County and SWB Yankees LLC have reached a tentative agreement that officials believe will keep the New York Yankees Triple-A baseball team playing in Moosic for decades to come, the county announced Friday.

The two sides resolved the final outstanding issues late Thursday night and handed the deal over to lawyers to reduce to a formal, written contract, Commissioner Corey D. O’Brien said. Both sides are confident enough in expecting a final written agreement that they have invited contractors to move in equipment to start work on the up to $40 million new stadium, where the team would play starting next year.

“It’s a substantial step forward,” Mr. O’Brien said. “We still need a signed document.”

A county announcement said the two sides “are on the verge of an agreement,” but Mr. O’Brien and Commissioner Jim Wansacz agreed with the characterization of events as a tentative agreement

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/county-baseball-deal-close-enough-to-prep-for-demolition-1.1296307#ixzz1rMzp7p4f