Connect with us

College Sports

Luzerne County concludes write-in vote tally, slowed by names written in jest

“Bruce Springstein!,” Luzerne County Election Board Vice Chairwoman Alyssa Fusaro announced to the room of county workers and board members processing May 20 primary election write-in votes. A few minutes later, another voter write-in selection of Bart Simpson for a school board seat was shouted out by someone else. To break the monotony of […]

Published

on


“Bruce Springstein!,” Luzerne County Election Board Vice Chairwoman Alyssa Fusaro announced to the room of county workers and board members processing May 20 primary election write-in votes.

A few minutes later, another voter write-in selection of Bart Simpson for a school board seat was shouted out by someone else.

To break the monotony of reviewing more than 20,000 write-in votes and illustrate the scale of the problem of write-ins submitted in jest, the group decided to log the questionable ones on a dry-erase board.

The board eventually had to be flipped to the other side to squeeze them all in. A second board would have been needed if the group had recorded off-color write-ins, participants said.

It was funny but not funny.

Fusaro said many voters also write in their own names or those of friends or family, even though none of them want the seat.

Unlike the ones on the dry-erase board, these potential real contenders must be made part of the official record in races that have no candidates appearing on the ballot.

Some voters also go out of their way to write the same name for every single race on the ballot — local, county and statewide offices.

Write-ins that are not serious slow down completion of the write-in tallying while the public is pushing to see the write-in results as fast as possible, Fusaro said.

In addition to the usual cartoon characters, celebrities both dead and alive, classic figures from fiction, national-level politicians and random criminals, there were these verbatim selections in the county primary: “someone different,” “no one else,” “anybody else,” “anybody honest,” “unknown,” “none of you,” “all suck,” “stop stealing,” “someone new,” “why I pay,” “I’ve no kids,” “anyone represent taxpayer,” “none,” “no buddy,” “not me,” “not you” and “not any of these clowns.”

Other voters tried to convey a broader message by writing in “the U.S. Constitution,” “life,” “liberty,” “justice,” “property,” “corruption,” “sleaze,” “racist,” “connected” and “Free Palestine.”

Also worth mentioning were selections of “box of paper,” “baloney and ham sammich” and “box of rocks.”

County officials started observing a marked increase in write-in votes in 2006 when the county switched to electronic ballot marking devices, with some theorizing the write-in option was more noticeable than it had been on the old lever machines.

The May 20 primary election tallying group spent six days at the county’s Penn Place Building in downtown Wilkes-Barre adjudicating write-in votes and ballots that had been flagged due to extraneous marks and other issues.

Around 3 p.m. Tuesday, county Election Director Emily Cook alerted everyone that there were 39 ballots remaining for review.

“We can do this,” someone yelled.

A collective countdown erupted when the last ballot review was underway about 10 minutes later.

Cook said a report on the write-in winners will be posted on the election page of the county website at luzernecounty.org.

Letters will be sent to write-in winners asking them to accept or decline the nomination by a certain deadline. Those accepting will be required to submit paperwork.

The election board is set to certify the primary results at 10 a.m. Monday in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre, said Election Board Chairwoman Christine Boyle.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.



Link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

College Sports

Five Babson Women Earn College Sports Communicators Academic All-District At-Large Honors

Story Links BABSON PARK, Mass.—Five student-athletes from three different programs were honored for their hard work in competition and the classroom when the College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced its women’s Academic All-District At-Large teams on Tuesday afternoon.  Field hockey senior Berit Sharrow (Denver, Colo.) was recognized for the third consecutive season, while […]

Published

on


BABSON PARK, Mass.—Five student-athletes from three different programs were honored for their hard work in competition and the classroom when the College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced its women’s Academic All-District At-Large teams on Tuesday afternoon. 

Field hockey senior Berit Sharrow (Denver, Colo.) was recognized for the third consecutive season, while women’s lacrosse seniors Kathryn Blake (Medfield, Mass.) and Clare Connolly (Hanover, Mass.) and women’s alpine ski senior Amelie Alkier (Collingwood, Ontario) and sophomore Sonnie Travis (Park City, Utah) were all named to the CSC Academic All-District team for the first time in their respective careers. 

The at-large program recognizes the top student-athletes from the sports of beach volleyball, bowling, crew, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, men’s volleyball, water polo and wrestling. 

A three-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-America first-team selection, Sharrow capped her career with six goals and seven assists for 19 points in 23 starts last fall. She won her third straight New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Defensive Player of the Year award as the Beavers tied for first in Division III with 13 shutouts and ranked third with a 0.57 goals against average. 

One of the most decorated players in program history, Sharrow earned four all-conference and all-region honors, and was selected as the NFCA Region I Player of the Year in 2022 and 2024. She helped the Beavers post 44 shutouts in 93 career starts while producing 19 goals and 21 assists for 59 points. 

Alkier put together the best season of her career with three top-five and 10 top-10 finishes over 14 races to help the women’s alpine ski team match the top result in school history by placing third at the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) National Championships. She placed fifth in the MacConnell Division standings and earned All-America honors in the slalom by coming in eighth and the combined standings by placing ninth in addition to coming in 18th in the giant slalom at nationals. 

A two-time All-MacConnell Division selection, Alkier concluded her career with four All-America awards. 

Blake concluded her career by earning All-NEWMAC second-team honors for the first time in her career after scoring a career-high 52 goals to go along with 24 assists for a  career-best 76 points in 19 games this past spring. She contributed at least one point in every contest and scored three or more goals in 10 games as the Beavers captured their second consecutive regular season league title before advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row. 

Blake played 71 career games at Babson and ranks eighth in program history with 59 assists and is 16th in both goals (119) and points (178). 

The all-time Division III leader in draw controls, Connolly put together the best season of her career with 59 goals and four assists for 63 points to go along with a single-season record 243 draw controls on the way to earning Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-America first-team accolades. She ranked second nationally in both total draw controls and draw controls per game (12.79), and her 243 are the second highest total in Division III history behind only Julia Ryan for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, who finished with 346 this season. 

A two-time All-American, three-time all-region and 2025 NEWMAC Player of the Year, Connolly  ranks first all-time in Division III and second in NCAA history with 766 draw controls, while scoring 117 goals and contributing 11 assists for 128 points in 78 career games with the Beavers. She was the NCAA statistical champion for draw controls per game in both 2023 and 2024, and is the only player in Division III history to win 200 or more draws in three consecutive seasons. 

Travis completed 10 of her 12 races and recorded one podium finish and eight top-10 results to help the Babson women’s alpine ski team come in second in the MacConnell Division and tie for second at the USCSA Eastern Regional Championships before placing third at nationals. She finished eighth in the conference standings and put together one of her best weekends of the season by placing fourth in the giant slalom and fifth in the slalom in the regionals at Sugarloaf Mountain back in February. Travis also finished 22nd in the GS and 31st in the combined standings during the national championships at Mount Bachelor. 

The 2024 MacConnell Division Rookie of the Year, Travis has earned all-league honors in back-to-back seasons and took home USCSA All-America honors in the slalom as a first-year in 2024. 

Since 1952, CSC (formerly CoSIDA) has honored more than 20,000 outstanding student-athletes across the NCAA. To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve and maintain a GPA of 3.50 on a 4.0 scale.

 



Link

Continue Reading

College Sports

Penn State research professor charged with stalking | Penn State, State College News

A Penn State Professor was charged with stalking and loitering after a local resident reported multiple late night incidents involving a man repeatedly appearing outside his home and peering through windows, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Patton Township Police Department. Anoop Narayanan, a research professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn […]

Published

on


A Penn State Professor was charged with stalking and loitering after a local resident reported multiple late night incidents involving a man repeatedly appearing outside his home and peering through windows, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Patton Township Police Department.

Anoop Narayanan, a research professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State, faces two criminal charges, one felony count of stalking and one misdemeanor count of loitering and prowling at nighttime.

The charges stem from a pattern of behavior that allegedly caused significant emotional distress to the caller and his family, including his young child.

According to the police complaint, Narayanan repeatedly returned to the caller’s residence during nighttime hours and looked through the windows while the family was inside.

The caller, disturbed by the ongoing presence, reported similar activity outside his home on April 25, and June 8. Although there were several other instances, he did not report them.

The caller also installed a security camera in an effort to document the behavior.

Footage reportedly captured Narayanan outside the home, prompting further police involvement.

In one instance, Narayanan is accused of loitering outside the residence and being caught on camera after the caller repositioned their security system to record the activity.

Once arrested, Narayanan asked the officers to apologize to the caller, admitting he had come to their residence three to four times before.

Police noted that the family feared for their safety and were “emotionally distressed” by the repeated incidents.

Whether Narayanan had any known relationship with the caller and his family is unknown.

MORE CRIME AND COURTS


State College police arrest man for vandalizing Pride flags downtown ahead of parade

A State College man was arrested Monday in connection with a string of alleged hate-motivate…

If you’re interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here.



Link

Continue Reading

College Sports

Santa Barbara City College Begins Construction on $105 Million Physical Education Complex

Santa Barbara City College began construction for its new physical education complex on Monday, June 16. The $105 million project — which will replace its existing 62-year-old athletic facility with a state-of-the-art, four-story, 77,000-square-foot sports complex — is made possible by $34 million in state funds and $71 million from the Measure P Bond extension, […]

Published

on


Santa Barbara City College began construction for its new physical education complex on Monday, June 16.

The $105 million project — which will replace its existing 62-year-old athletic facility with a state-of-the-art, four-story, 77,000-square-foot sports complex — is made possible by $34 million in state funds and $71 million from the Measure P Bond extension, which South County voters approved with a 66 percent majority.

For safety, the construction zone will be fenced off during the initial phases of demolition, abatement, and site preparation. The fencing will feature architectural renderings of the new facility and a QR code linking to the official website for project, which is expected to be completed in 2028.

Huge Protest in Santa Barbara Says ‘No’ to King Trump



Link

Continue Reading

College Sports

Men’s and women’s hockey schedules for 2026 Milan Olympics released

The International Ice Hockey Federation unveiled the schedule Tuesday for the men’s and women’s tournaments at the 2026 Olympics in Milan and Cortina. Women’s hockey starts on Feb. 5 with the U.S. against Czechia and Canada versus Finland among the opening games. The U.S. and Canada renew their rivalry in the preliminary round on Feb. […]

Published

on


The International Ice Hockey Federation unveiled the schedule Tuesday for the men’s and women’s tournaments at the 2026 Olympics in Milan and Cortina.

Women’s hockey starts on Feb. 5 with the U.S. against Czechia and Canada versus Finland among the opening games. The U.S. and Canada renew their rivalry in the preliminary round on Feb. 10, and the gold-medal game is set for Feb. 19.

Advertisement

Men’s hockey with the return of NHL players opens the following day with Finland facing Slovakia and host Italy against Sweden. Without Russia in the 12-team field, the U.S. is grouped with Germany, Latvia and Denmark and will play each of them in a round robin.

The U.S. opens Feb. 12 against Latvia, the same day Canada faces Czechia. The NHL’s best are participating for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

“It’s great that the NHL players are back in the Olympics,” U.S. general manager Bill Guerin said. “Obviously it’s the biggest sports stage in the world, and we’re all happy we’re back involved.”

No teams are eliminated from group play on the men’s side. The top four advance to the quarterfinals, with the remaining eight taking part in a qualification round.

Advertisement

Games will take place on NHL-sized rinks at Milano Santagiulia and Milano Rho arenas. The final is scheduled for Feb. 22 as the last event of the Olympics before the closing ceremony.

The schedule release came a day after the federations involved announced the first six players named to their respective rosters. The U.S. picked all skaters: forwards Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel and defensemen Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy.

Finland is the defending Olympic champion from the Beijing bubble in 2022, when the NHL pulled out because of pandemic-related scheduling issues, and the Russians won in 2018. Canada has won the past two involving NHL players, and GM Doug Armstrong hopes for a third.

“I’m excited about our group,” Armstrong said. “I know our group wants to go there and wants to put their best foot forward. There’s no guarantees in this sport, but I know we’re going to go with the right attitude.”

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl



Link

Continue Reading

College Sports

Four Titans Earn CSC Academic All-District® Awards

Story Links 2025 CSC Academic All-District® Women’s At-Large Team GREENWOOD, Ind.- Four members of the UW-Oshkosh women’s gymnastics team were named Academic All-District® on Tuesday (June 17) when the College Sports Communicators (CSC) released its annual women’s at-large team.   McGibboney earned her second […]

Published

on


GREENWOOD, Ind.- Four members of the UW-Oshkosh women’s gymnastics team were named Academic All-District® on Tuesday (June 17) when the College Sports Communicators (CSC) released its annual women’s at-large team.
 
McGibboney earned her second Academic All-District® award in two seasons while Hayden, McConkay, and Ratkowski were named all-district for the first time in their careers. All four moved on to All-America® voting.
 
A criminal justice major with a 3.57 cumulative grade-point average, Hayden collected NCGA All-America honors on both the uneven bars and balance beam this season. She ranked fifth in the NCGA on the balance beam with a season average score of 9.7813 points and scored at least 9.700 points in seven meets including a 9.800-point performance at the NCGA Championship. Her 9.700 points on the uneven bars at the national championship was her fourth performance of at least 9.700 points this season and finished the season with a season average score of 9.650 points.
 
McConkay owns a 3.70 cumulative GPA as a nursing major. The WIAC’s 2025 uneven bars champion, she led the NCGA with a season average score of 9.7688 points and collected Second Team All-America honors from the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association on the event. McConkay also ranked 11th in the NCGA with a season average score of 9.725 points on the vault. She scored at least 9.700 points three times on the vault and four times on the uneven bars.
 
McGibboney is a nursing major with a 3.62 cumulative GPA. She held top-five marks of 9.7438 points on the uneven bars (second) and 9.7625 points on the vault (fourth) in the NCGA this season. Across the Titans’ 11 meets she scored at least 9.700 points eight times on the vault, six times on the uneven bars, and four times in the floor exercise. She earned All-America honors from the NCGA with a 9.700-point performance at the national championship and regular season First Team All-America honors from the WCGA. McGibboney also averaged 9.7188 points in the floor exercise to rank 31st in the NCGA.
 
With a 3.60 cumulative GPA, Ratkowski is studying social work. She posted a season average score of 9.800 points on the floor exercise this season, which ranked sixth in the NCGA. She scored at least 9.700 points in five meets this season including a personal best 9.825 to win the WIAC title on the event. Ratkowski also ranked 20th with a season average score of 9.7063 points on the balance beam.
 
The 2025 Academic All-District® Women’s At-Large Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in the gym and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes women’s at-large honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
 
Academic All-District® honorees are considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
 
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2024-25 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA governance structure.



Link

Continue Reading

College Sports

12 student-athletes from Men’s and Women’s Hockey and Men’s and Women’s Golf named to CSC Academic All-District At-Large Team

Story Links BEMIDJI, Minn. – 12 student-athletes from the Bemidji State University Men’s and Women’s Hockey and Men’s and Women’s Golf teams earned Academic All-District At-Large Team distinction announced by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) organization.   The 202 Academic All-District® Men’s and Women’s At-Large teams, selected by College Sports […]

Published

on


BEMIDJI, Minn. – 12 student-athletes from the Bemidji State University Men’s and Women’s Hockey and Men’s and Women’s Golf teams earned Academic All-District At-Large Team distinction announced by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) organization.
 
The 202 Academic All-District® Men’s and Women’s At-Large teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in competition and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes at-large honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
 
Women’s Hockey
Meredith Killian
Talya Hendrickson
Heidi Strompf
Isa Goettl
Hailey Armstrong
 
Men’s Hockey
Jere Vaisanen
Tony Follmer
Reilly Funk
Jackson Jutting
Kasper Magnussen
 
Men’s Golf
Logan Schoepp*
 
Women’s Golf
Haylee Kammann
 
* Note: Student-athletes selected as CSC Academic All-America® finalists are denoted with an asterisk; they will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members
 
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 14 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men’s hockey in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and women’s hockey in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
 
–bsu–



Link

Continue Reading
NIL3 minutes ago

Louisiana is poised to hike its sports betting tax to help colleges pay their athletes

Sports5 minutes ago

Princeton University

Rec Sports6 minutes ago

New Youth Basketball Training Facility Coming to Brooklyn This Fall- New York Family

Motorsports12 minutes ago

Spire Motorsports punishes Carson Hocevar for derogatory comments about Mexico City | National Sports

Youtube15 minutes ago

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers Game 4 | #NBAFinals presented by YouTube TV Live Scoreboard

Rec Sports17 minutes ago

North Texas youth chase Real Madrid dream at elite soccer tryouts

NIL19 minutes ago

Gage Wood shares his mindset during no-hitter: ‘I didn’t want to go home’

Motorsports29 minutes ago

Carson Hocevar fined $50K by his race team for derogatory comments about Mexico City

Rec Sports39 minutes ago

A Jewish-Minded Youth Soccer League Is Coming to the Kaiserman JCC

Sports45 minutes ago

Men’s Trio Garners CSC Academic All-District At-Large Team Accolades

Motorsports51 minutes ago

Spire Motorsports punishes Carson Hocevar for derogatory comments about Mexico City | National Sports

NIL59 minutes ago

John Calipari Reveals Transfer Portal and NIL Conditions Behind Eventual Retirement

Sports1 hour ago

Morehouse, Zhelezov selected to first full class of Richard A. Rasmussen UAA Hall of Fame

College Sports1 hour ago

Five Babson Women Earn College Sports Communicators Academic All-District At-Large Honors

Motorsports1 hour ago

Spire Motorsports punishes Carson Hocevar for derogatory comments about Mexico City

Most Viewed Posts

Trending