Author: Gretchen Gailey

Both the Democratic and Republican candidates in the special election to fill the late Democratic Rep. John Murtha’s seat agree that job creation is the most important thing as voters head to the polls Tuesday in Pennsylvania’s 12th District.

“Jobs will be my top priority in Congress because that’s what matters to Western Pennsylvanians,” said Democrat Mark Critz.

His Republican opponent Tim Burns also says jobs are top priority, “PA-12 needs jobs.”

“We need to improve the economy. It’s really the economy and jobs,” Burns said.

The Pennsylvania 12th District, deep in the heart of the Appalachian mountains is traditionally a conservative region, but the district has been a Democratic stronghold for 36 years under the leadership and of Murtha, until his untimely death in February. With President Barack Obama’s approval rating at an all time low in the district and voters disgruntled over health care reform, an opportunity has opened up for Republicans to recapture the seat.

Both candidates are also trying to tap into the anti-Washington sentiment.

“PA-12 isn’t really different from the rest of America…we need someone from outside of Washington, somebody that’s been successful in business, never been involved in politics. I created my own business and I think that’s what people are looking for,” said Burns.

Critz says he will keep his eye focused on Washington, Pa., and not Washington, DC.

“Until the polls close, I will continue to travel across the district discussing my plans to create jobs and bring economic development to Western Pennsylvania, Critz said.”

Many around the country are waiting to see how this race will turn out and analysts say it could be a political barometer to determine how fed up voters are with politicians in Washington.

Just a day before voters cast their ballots, a new poll out by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling for the Pennsylvania 12th District predicts that the special election for the late Representative John Murtha’s House seat is going to come down to the wire, and voters are saying they’re unhappy with the status quo in Washington.

“It looks like this will be an extremely close race on Tuesday night,” says Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “With both parties very unpopular in the district it will be difficult for either to claim much of a mandate based on the results.”

The poll surveys 831 likely voters and finds Republican Tim Burns is leading Democrat Mark Critz 48 – 47 percent, with a margin of error of 3.4 percent.

“If Burns does pull out the victory on Tuesday night it will be more because of a continuing gap in interest between Democratic and Republican voters in the off year election than anything else,” said Debnam.

Debnam also notes, “This race is not an example of people who voted for Obama who are now unhappy with him and voting Republican.”

“Critz is actually winning over more McCain voters (14%) than Burns is Obama voters (12%).

The poll also found some numbers that should could be bad news for politicians inside the Capital Beltway. It shows that politicians in leadership positions on both sides of the aisle aren’t high on anyone’s list in this race.

Fifty-five percent of voters in the district disapprove of President Obama and 63 percent have an unfavorable opinion of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. However, Republicans don’t fare much better in the district with 60 percent of voters expressing a negative opinion of congressional Republicans and 63 percent say the GOP ran the country poorly under President George W. Bush.

Approve or disapprove of President Barack Obama’s job performance?

55% …. Disapprove

35% …. Approve

Have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi?

63% …. Unfavorable

23% …. Favorable

Approve or Disapprove of the job Democrats are doing in Congress?

60% …. Disapprove

29% …. Approve

Approve of Disapprove of the job Republicans are doing in Congress?

60% …. Disapprove

20% …. Approve

WASHINGTON – Democratic Congressional Candidate Mark Critz, running to replace the late Congressman John Murtha, brought in the big guns on Sunday to encourage voters to go to the polls Tuesday in Pennsylvania’s 12th District special election. Former President Bill Clinton joined Critz in Johnstown, Pa., the hometown of Murtha, to rally voters out for Critz, “Think of every person you will pass between now and the polls closing. Don’t pass them, say something to them tell them to vote, tell them to vote for Mark.”

Almost 500 people clamored to hear what the 42nd President had to say about the congressional candidate. Clinton spoke of Critz’s many years of service working for Murtha, and his experience in dealing with the issues of building roads, cutting taxes, bringing jobs to the area and having to be the man under Murtha who figured out how to make these plans a reality. “One of the biggest assets that Mark Critz has, is one of the biggest reasons to vote for him, is that when Jack was in congress he (Critz) had to figure out the how question, how are you supposed to solve these problems,” said Clinton.

Critz reminded those in attendance about the major issues affecting their district, jobs and cap and trade, and argued that he was the man with the knowledge to turn the region into the energy capitol of the world and bring in the jobs. “We have coal, we have Marcellus shale gas, we have solar power down in Mt. Pleasant, we have wind power with Gamessa up in Ebensburg and we have nuclear with Westinghouse up north of Pittsburgh. Western Pennsylvania could become the energy captiol of the world and I’m so excited to go to work and make that future for western Pennsylvania.”

The Democratic candidate also had a message for his opponent, Republican Tim Burns, not to forget who the election was all about, “This election is not about Washington D.C., it’s about Johnstown, Pennsylvania, it’s about Washington, Pennsylvania, it’s about Waynesburg, and Uniontown, it’s about Kittaning and Apollo, this is about us, it’s not about them, it’s not about him, it’s about doing things back here.”

Critz continued, taking a few swipes at Burns for his campaign message that has heavily focused on aligning Critz with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and being a Washington insider. “I believe my opponent is somewhat confused because I’ve seen his commercials and he mentions Nancy Pelosi way more than he ever mentions me. And a local newspaper, the Herald Standard, told him in their editorial section maybe he should move to California if he wants to run against Nancy Pelosi and I support that.”

One topic that could not be avoided was how close the race is with less than 48 hours until the polls close. Recent polls suggest the candidates are virtually tied and Critz used today’s rally to get in one last plea, “In an election this close we can’t take a single vote for granted. You know 36 years ago in February of 1974, Congressman John Murtha won his special election by 122 votes out of 120 thousand cast. We can’t leave one vote on the table. We have to go out and get every single vote.”

Democratic congressional candidate Mark Critz has received the endorsement of the United Mine Workers of America. This plug for the candidate could give his campaign a needed boost after a recent Public Policy Poll has him down three points to his opponent, Republican Tim Burns.

In the Pennsylvania 12th District deep in the heart of the Appalachian mountains in western Pennsylvania, coal brings in the jobs and is home to two of the largest coal mines in the world. Even though it’s a conservative region, the district has been a Democratic stronghold for 36 years under the leadership and of congressional titan, Democratic Congressman John Murtha, until his untimely death this past winter. Murtha’s ability to bring in big money and big projects to the region, like the John Murtha Airport, won him re-election easily 19 times. Now with President Obama’s approval rating at an all time low in the district and voters disgruntled over health care reform, an opportunity has opened up for Republicans to recapture the seat.

The endorsement from the miners union carries clout in the district, and for voters the economy and jobs is what matters most. The area is attempting to diversify in order to escape the economic downturn and loss of jobs, so they are turning to their roots, coal. And with “clean coal ” technology at the heart of the race this endorsement is key.

“His (Critz) commitment to creating jobs and bringing economic development to our region is unparalleled,” said Edward D. Yankovich, Jr., International District 2 Vice President of the UMWA.

Critz served as a longtime aide to Murtha, who passed away a few months ago due to complications with gallbladder surgery. The special election on May 18th to fill his vacant seat has garnered national attention because of the potential flip and serves as a bellweather for upcoming 2010 races across the country.

His opponent Burns said today in response to the endorsement that Critz is no friend to the coal industry.

“It is disingenuous for Mark Critz to talk about promoting coal jobs in the district, while this week he is on a fundraising tour outside the district with Speaker Pelosi and Vice President Joe Biden who clearly have an anticoal and anticoal jobs agenda.”

Critz says that’s simply not true.

“I’ll work hard to bring jobs and economic development to Western Pennsylvania. That includes pushing for investments in clean coal and alternative energy production because that will help create jobs and grow our local economy.”

Virginia Solicitor General E. Duncan Getchell filed the first lawsuit against the new health care policy on the same day it was signed into law by President Obama.

Virginia is one of at least a dozen states which has suggested it will oppose the Protection and Affordable Care Act with legal action. Some believe Virginia has the most promising chance of taking on the new national health care law, since it actually has a current law in place that is in conflict with Obama’s policy.

One aspect that might boost the success of this lawsuit is that it was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, which is known as a “rocket docket,” because it’s one of the fastest courts to handle a case from start to finish. The average case on the docket makes it from filing to decision in eight months, which would put it on pace to fight an appeal and make it to the US Supreme Court before 2014, when most health care reform changes would take place.

In the suit, the Commonwealth of Virginia claims that section 1501 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act contains an individual mandate which will require a majority of Virginians after December 31, 2013 to purchase health insurance for themselves or be subject to a civil penalty. The attorney general’s office said the new federal law is in direct conflict with the Health Care Freedom Act that was just passed by Virginia a few weeks ago. In it, the Virginia law states that no resident “shall be required to obtain or maintain a policy of individual insurance coverage.”

The National Transportation Board(NTSB) says safety oversight will be the main topic at their upcoming hearings on the deadly Metro Rail crash that occured last June, killing 9 and injuring several dozen.

NTSB officials met with DC reporters this morning to go over next week’s public hearings. Here are some of the highlights:

The first panel will look at the overall safety policies of WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority) and has former Metro General Manager John Catoe up first on the witness list.

They will then move on to operational issues and look at the crashworthiness of passenger cars. The following panels will cover the state and federal oversight plans of rail transit systems and hopefully answer questions about whether or not enough safety oversight was in place at WMATA.

Officials refused to say if Metro’s safety policies are being considered a factor in the deadly crash.

One of the major concerns about this weekend’s blizzard has not just been the amount of snow, but also the weight of the snow. Home Depot in Germantown, MD was so concerned about the weight of the snow, that they had a crew of 20 men clearing off the roof. Workers had to climb up steel ladders 50 feet in the air with shovels in hand for the tough task ahead. Crews would shovel the snow onto tarps and then drag the tarps over to the side of the building to dump off their loads.

Flat roofs have been known to buckle under the weight of the snow. This weekend, the DC region has seen collapsed roofs at churches, homes and fire stations. With snow totals topping 40 inches in some areas, concerns are switching from the massive clean up to the structural safety of buildings.

In Germantown, MD where there was already 26 inches of snow on the ground, snow is coming down at about 2 inches an hour. The big problem however, is the wind, which is causing occasional white out conditions. Tonight winds are expected to hit possibly 40 mph with the blizzard warning being extended till 10. This will reek havoc on visibility and possibly bring down more trees and power lines, leaving many in the area in the dark.

With Washington, DC area airports still closed or having very limited service, travelers across the region have been left stranded after this weekend’s record breaking snowfall. Many are turning to Amtrak that also has limited service, but seems to be more reliable than what they are hearing from the airports.

I spoke with several people who were waiting in a line for a Northeast Regional train to Springfield, MA that wrapped like a snake through Union Station’s main terminal. Many said the northeast wasn’t their original destination, but they were going to New York, Philadelphia, or Boston in hopes of snow free airports and flights elsewhere.

One group of women decked out in New Orleans Saints gear were headed to New York in the hopes of getting to Texas tonight in time for the big game. They said they were supposed to fly out this afternoon out of Reagan International Airport, but were told by the airport that “maybe” flights would resume tomorrow.

Many are saying that this storm compares to the great Knickerbocker Storm of 1922, here is what I could find out about one of the worst tragedies in Washington, D.C.’s history.

On January 28, 1922 several hundred people fought their way through a massive snowstorm to see the show at the Knickerbocker Theatre, which at the time was one of Washington’s largest and most modern moving picture theater. When the show began that night, the greatest snowstorm in Washington’s history was winding down. It had already dumped over two feet of heavy, snow on the city and many flat-roofed buildings, like that of the Knickerbocker Theatre.

Shortly before 9:00 p.m., the Knickerbocker Theatre’s orchestra was playing the intermission and the lights had dimmed and the people were returning to their seats. Suddenly, a loud hissing noise filled the room. The ceiling, weighed down from the snow, had begun to split apart down the middle. The few people who had noticed the crumbling ceiling dove under their seats or ran for the door. Within seconds, the entire roof started to fall towards the crowd. As the roof came down, it collapsed the theater’s cement balcony and pulled down portions of the theater’s brick wall. Concrete, bricks and metal crashed to the ground, burying dozens of people.

George Brodie had entered the theater moments before the roof collapsed and gave the following account: “I grabbed for my hat and coat, and the next minute found myself flat on my face with something weighty on top. I lay still for about five minutes when I noticed at the side of me a girl with an arch or pillar resting upon her. I tried to pull it off but couldn’t move it. Then I started working my way slowly in some direction – I think the middle – and with four other fellows we saw a hole with a light shining through. The next thing I know I was on the street, but I don’t know how I got there. I stayed around for a while and helped several others, who were apparently uninjured, out of the place. It was a frightful sight within, nothing but moans, cries and darkness.”

The scene after the disaster was terrible. People ran through the ruins calling out for loved ones. Shouts from rescue workers mixed with the cries of anguish from victims buried under the wreckage. Lanterns and shadows could be seen darting about through the heavily falling snow. Great masses of twisted steel, splintered timber and crumbled masonry covered the floor of the theater. One reporter wrote that no description of the scene could convey the awfulness of what he had witnessed that night. Another reporter, with recent memories of the devastation of World War I in mind, wrote, “Stark and grim as any ruin in the war-swept area of France or Belgium stood the walls of the Knickerbocker theater.”

The chaotic rescue effort became better organized when the police and firemen arrived at the scene. Police lines were drawn and heavy equipment was called in. By midnight., 200 police, soldiers and firemen were working, digging through the wreckage. By 2:30 a.m., over 600 rescue workers were on the scene. Residents in the vicinity of the theater supplied hot food and coffee to the rescuers. One small boy was even sent into the wreckage, squeezing through the holes between the fallen concrete slabs, to distribute pain pills to those who were trapped under the rubble.

The rescue workers had to dig through two layers of debris to rescue the injured. First, they had to remove the plaster and steel of the roof to reach the people that had been in the balcony. Large saws were used to cut through the roof’s heavy wire screen that had once held the ceiling’s plaster. After the roof had been removed, the workers had to chisel through the cement structure of the balcony to rescue those who had been seated on the first floor. The rescue effort was not completed until the following afternoon.

Once the disaster was cleaned up 98 were dead and 133 injured. Every hospital in the area was filled with the injured. Many stores and houses served as short-term first-aid stations. Hotels opened their doors to the injured as well as the rescuers. The disaster ranks as one of the worst in Washington’s history and the snowstorm still ranks as Washington’s largest single snowfall.

As the sun went down over the nation’s capitol tonight, a strange calm came over the city.   Normally at 6pm on a Friday night a long line of brake lights can be seen trying to escape during the rush hour mass exodus. But with the warnings everywhere of the worst storm in the city’s history fast approaching, most headed home as early as noon.

The snow began falling around 11am and kept falling at a steady rate throughout the day, but the warmth of the streets kept the early snow from sticking. Crowds packed the inside of local grocery stores hoping to get last minute provisions and snack to tie them over through the Super Bowl this weekend. Most seem to be looking forward to the possibility of the major snow, to see if the record 28 inches of snow from 1922 could be toppled.

By nightfall the temperature has dropped enough that the snow has begun to lay on the roads. In northwest DC where we have been doing our liveshots all day on the impending snowfall, very few cars are making their way up and down the roads that seem to be getting slicker with every passing flake.

The National Weather Service is now calling for a blizzard warning effective until 10pm tomorrow night. They expect wind gusts will exceed 35 mph, snow is likely to be extremely heavy, and visibility will be greatly reduced. They are also warning all folks that travel conditions tonight will be extremely hazardous and life-threatening, and all citizens are urged to remain indoors. On the streets of DC at 6:30 tonight, most seem to be heeding that warning.

“A hot mess,” that’s how one shopper referred to the controlled chaos in a northwest Washington, DC Safeway Supermarket this morning.

Shoppers are packing the aisles and scraping the shelves bare, while store clerks are working over time to keep them full. Of course, the first items to go are the basics, bread, milk, water, and toilet paper. And with the Super Bowl just a few days away a few other essentials have been added to that list chips, cheeses, and at this local Safeway, ribs.

Another thing not to be found in the store is a shopping cart. The normal corral where they are kept is vacant, I thought I saw a tumbleweed roll through at one point. Once someone relinquishes one from the check out counter, five new customers are ready to pounce on it. 

Even though everyone is jockeying for the last box of Cocoa Puffs, the crowds seem amicable and more amazed at just how many people are still out trying to get those last minute essentials. Every singly one of roughly a dozen checkouts is pushing customers through as fast as they can, but shoppers are still saying the average wait time is 90 minutes.

Around the city the snow has begun to fall, and federal office workers have been give the green light to get out of the city before the major accumulation begins.  As of now, they are calling for 28 inches to hit the DC region, if that holds true, I’m sure folks here are hoping their chips and dip will make it through the big game.

We happened to be in the Bel Air neighborhood taking in the first mass since the earthquake at Our Lady of the Assumption. About 300 parishoners showed up to pray, sing hymns and look for hope in the devastation. Meanwhile, a gang in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Port Au Prince was just looking to survive.

Hours after hundreds gathered for an outdoor mass at the crippled National Cathedral, a group of young boys and men looted the home of the archbishop who was killed in the massive 7.0 earthquake 12 days ago.

It all began with a smoke signal. According to our security guard, Ralph, gangs burn tires to send a signal with the billowing black smoke that they have found a building to loot.

About 10 minutes later a group of 6 or 8 boys probably around the ages of 10-12 descended upon the deceased archbishop’s residence and emerged with 3 large cartons of powdered milk. As they came out a crowd began to form, the boys set up the cartons like they were running a lemonade stand. But instead of people spending 50 cents on a glass of lemonade they were paying the equivalent of $20 for a can of powdered milk.

Once they were done with their entrepeneurship, a band of roughly 25 men in their early 20s brandishing machetes arrived on the scene and broke down the loading dock doors of Centre De Pastoral D’ Ensemble (HQ Assembly of Pastors), a cathedral office building. The men took everything that wasn’t tied down ranging from food, to office supplies, furniture, and lanterns.
At times even fighting amongst themselves.

For the past few nights, at dusk, a film, a haze of fog fills the air stifling the lungs and irritating the eyes.  From our vantage point at the Fox Haiti bureau, you can see the skyline is covered in a layer of gray, obscuring the view of the majestic coastline.  The choking smoke has become a necessity to prevent disease.

Garbage and debris has piled up in the streets and in the number of tent cities across the city. And with Haiti’s government completely crippled there is no one to organize clean up, so people across the city have taken to burning their trash and fecal matter in hopes of maintaining sanitation.

Another grim cause for the smoke in the air is the burning of bodies in the foothills surrounding the city where mass graves have been dug and tens of thousands of bodies have been thrown in and burned to cut down on the chance of disease spreading. While people try to get back to some sense of their daily lives, the smoke is a harsh reminder of their reality.

Today was just our second day in Haiti and we’re not seeing people in utter shock, but a people beginning to rebuild their country or at least just sustain themselves.

From everyone I’ve spoken to here on the ground who have been in Haiti since the earthquake last week, they all say today was the first time they have seen people going about their daily lives, selling and buying produce, cleaning up rubble, digging through crushed piles of debris looking for iron to try and resell.

The streets are crowded, with cars, taxis, people on mopeds. Our translator, Carlos, tells us the streets are so busy because everyone who is able is trying to flee Port Au Prince looking for aid and less chance of disease in the countryside.

Carlos also tells us the people are ready for help and guidance from their own government, but they’ve heard nothing. They don’t know where to go to get food or to get medical help, they just continue sustaining themselves like they always have.

Today our travels took us to the famous Hotel Montana, once considered one of the most beautiful hotels in the world. Just ten minutes from downtown Port Au Prince high above the bustling streets of the Haitian capitol, hundreds are believed to be dead in its crumpled walls. As we approached the hillside, the smell of death hung heavy in the air.  There was no way not to notice the smell of decaying bodies buried in the rubble.  Family members gathered outside the high steel gates, topped with barbwire.  The UN forces manned the door to the compound as if it were a prison, letting no one in and no one out. We spoke with the commander on site Major Rodrigo Vasquez of the UN who allowed our cameras to enter for the first in a week since the Hotel was put on lockdown to the media after the earthquake.  It appeared that relief efforts have been slow going with the lack of heavy machinery to aid in the search and rescue.  One crane was on site at the hotel provided by a private supporter. This morning a Chilean UN general’s wife’s lifeless body was pulled from the rubble.  An American observer who has come to monitor the search and rescue mission, after families raised concerns that not enough was being done to get their loved ones out, says the Chilean’s forces priorities have not been focused on saving all lives. He claims that the US forces have just been concerned about saving the life of their general’s wife. The one thing that was clear to this observer was that workers were tired and doing all that they could to locate survivors.  However, with 6 floors pancaked on top of each other and with another aftershock just this morning compacting the debris more, hope is dwindling at the Hotel Montana.