Barton Weidlich, a Pittston businessman who had inside access to county government despite being an ex-con. The Citizens' Voice exposed his criminal background and questionable land deals made through a county tax office.

OCTOBER 2009

Businessman. Insider. Felon.

Barton J. Weidlich used a special security clearance to gain employees-only access to the Luzerne County Courthouse, earned more than $100,000 in county business and worked the county tax-claim system to buy a dozen properties and turn a 4,900-percent profit on a home, according to county officials and records.

» Guesto authorized security clearance for felon

» Indictment: Weidlich called witness a 'rat'

» Weidlich confined to house with charge pending

» Weidlich visits coincided with no-bid job

» The courthouse handyman


A three-part series originally published in August 2009 documenting how judges in Luzerne County, Pa. are working to regain public trust since the scandal in January that led to corruption charges against former Judges Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. and Michael T. Conahan.


AUGUST 2009

Day 1: Recovery Mission | More than six months after corruption cast a dark cloud over the Luzerne County court system, President Judge Chester B. Muroski and his colleagues are still working to regain public trust and ensure transparency.

Day 2: Model Citizens | The democratic approach used to govern the Luzerne County courts in the wake of the corruption crisis could serve as a model for courts throughout the state.

Day 3: Retention Deficit | With two judges facing a retention vote, two new judges being elected, another a year from retirement and two seats in limbo, the makeup of the court could shift dramatically.

POLITICS

Bearing witness to history

January 20 was one of those indelible days. One of those days when an oath can carry the weight of we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. Full story

RELATED STORIES
»
‘Part of Dr. King’s dream is alive’
» Sen. Casey: ‘A great sense of joy’
» In the crowd, the young and the lucky
» Roadblocks on the road to history

COURTS

A memorable burglar

Samuel Goosay remembered the gun, the handcuffs and the threats of six-and-a-half years past: “I’m going to kill you, I’m going to kill you.” He remembered Hugo Selenski. Full story

RELATED STORIES
»
Selenski confident before deliberations
» Guilty: Selenski disputes jury’s verdict
» Case a prelude to Luzerne capital case

ELECTION '08

The Battlegrounds: Pennsylvania and Ohio

November 3, 2008 - Sen. John McCain peered out from a stage built against the disparate pastiche of a quaint, covered bridge and a fresh, bold “Victory in Ohio” banner, and reminded supporters of the potential weight of their vote and their state. "Friends, I know my political history and it’s been a long time since somebody didn’t win Ohio and became president of the United States,” McCain said. “I’m going to win Ohio and become president of the United States.” Full story

RELATED STORIES
»
March 20, 2008: Bill Clinton visits Wilkes-Barre to support the ‘best candidate’
» April 2, 2008: At King’s, Clinton vows she will keep fighting for nomination
» July 24, 2008: McCain, away from the lights, cameras and rigors of candidacy
» September 26, 2008: In Wilkes-Barre, Biden hits McCain on financial crisis
» November 1, 2008: Gov. Rendell urges voters to consider issues, not race
» November 5, 2008: History here and everywhere as Obama wins presidency

COURTS/CRIME

A ‘life sentence’ for ex-supervisor who killed wife, son

November 11, 2008 - Charles Oleski’s voice began to weaken Monday as he neared the words “I’m sorry.” The former Rice Township supervisor paused briefly and then, softly, reaffirmed his apology for fatally shooting his wife, Maureen, and grown son, Christian, the morning of Jan. 25.

MORE COVERAGE
» August 18, 2008: Inside the fractured mind of mentally ill murderer George Banks
» December 9, 2008: Co-defendant pleads in gay porn slaying, will serve life sentence
» December 23, 2008: Judge: No excuse for teen’s anti-Semetic attack on synagogue

'Buried In Rubble'

The Long-Islander, October 14, 2004 - A massive explosion reduced the two-story used car dealership at Habberstad Nissan in Huntington Station into a smoky heap of rubble, injuring nine people, including eight on the second floor and three who were rescued by firefighters after they became pinned between pockets of debris. (Story)

Nathan Bruckenthal, Son of Chief, Dies in Iraq Ambush

Northport Record, April 29, 2004 - Nathan Bruckenthal, the 24-year-old Coast Guard officer and son of Northport Village Police Chief Ric Bruckenthal, died from injuries sustained when a small boat exploded in an apparent terrorist ambush as he and six other coalition sailors attempted to board it near an oil terminal in the Persian Gulf. (Story)

Two Die In Helicopter Horror

Northport Record, September 2, 2004 - Children frolicked on the swings and climbed on the jungle gym as a line of yellow crime scene tape blustered in the sunset breeze at Crabmeadow Beach in Northport. (Story)

Northport Mourns Its Fallen Friend

Northport Record, January 26, 2006 - Jeffrey Conner, a 17-year-old senior and co-captain of the Northport baseball team, died last Thursday at Huntington Hospital, less than an hour after an accident in which he lost control of his pickup truck and crashed while driving on Bellerose Avenue in East Northport. (Story)

The Gandolfis: Always In Competition

Northport Record, February 10, 2005 - Grace Gandolfi walked into her son Frankie's room and surveyed the damage from a supposed accidental fall, earlier in the evening. The wall suffered the brunt of the impact. It appeared to have been hit with such great force that the original explanation seemed artificial. (Story)

The Fate of a Walk-On

Northport Record, May 11, 2006 - Lauren Majewski wanted back in. Eight-and-a-half months after the last at-bat of a propitious four-year high school career at Commack High School, the C.W. Post freshman longed to play softball again. As friends and former teammates prepared for their first college seasons, Lauren braced for her first spring without the sport in seven years. (Story)

A Golden Road To Notre Dame

Northport Record, September 30, 2004 - The clovers of congratulations for Jillian Byers came in person, by telephone and in the flash of an instant message. The Northport senior, a three-sport varsity wonder in lacrosse, basketball and soccer, had made perhaps the most harrowing and taxing decision of her 17-year life. Byers had decided where she would go to college, shared it with a few close confidents and, somehow, nearly everybody knew. (Story)

Blue Devils' 1st State Title a Dream Come True

The Long-Islander, June 9, 2005 - Eric Posner's eyes turned glassy as he watched the scoreboard clock tick Huntington closer to its first-ever state championship in boys' lacrosse, Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field on the campus of Cornell University. (Story)



Michael Sisak is a reporter at The Citizens’ Voice, a daily newspaper in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. He has also worked as a photographer and graphic designer. This site serves as an online clip file – a collection of his best reporting and favorite stories (more).


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