Several Pennsylvania officials, particularly in the Scranton area where President Joe Biden hails from, are calling on the city to undo its 2021 renaming of a freeway spur in his honor.

State Rep. Jamie Walsh, R-Dallas, appeared to lead the charge with a scathing statement highlighting Biden’s recent pardon of a judge convicted in a “kids-for-cash” scandal wherein he received kickbacks for sentencing juveniles to for-profit prisons.

Wilkes-Barre Common Pleas Judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella Jr. were convicted in 2008. The former served time in prison, followed by COVID-induced house arrest until Biden’s pardon. 

Walsh said some of the children affected had been convicted of minor offenses like jaywalking. The Democratic-majority Pennsylvania Supreme Court threw out 4,000 juvenile convictions as a result of the scandal. 

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“In light of the recent decision made by the Biden administration to commute former Judge Conahan’s sentence, I implore city officials and Mayor [Paige Gebhardt Cognetti] to remove President Joe Biden’s name from the expressway sign that leads to the heart of the ‘Electric City’s’ downtown area.”

In 2021, the mayor and city council unanimously approved the rebranding of the three-quarter-mile Central Scranton Expressway spur off Interstate 81 and its continuance via then-Spruce Street through downtown as the “President Biden Expressway” and “Biden Avenue,” respectively.

The President Biden Expressway initially serves as a short bypass of PA-307 into the city, and continues as “Biden Ave” toward northbound US-11, which, in-turn, meets the terminus of the colloquial “Route 9” — the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Northeast Extension.

“The children affected by Conahan’s actions of nearly 15 years ago are now adults suffering in their own ‘mental’ prisons due to his deeds of self-fulfillment,” Walsh said in a statement.

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Ex-Luzerne County Judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella. (AP Photo/The Citizens’ Voice, Mark Moran)

“Crimes against children are everlasting, and there is no escape from the irreparable damage these predators caused by their actions.”

Walsh argued that the issue is non-partisan but “right versus wrong” and that Biden no longer deserves the commemoration because his pardon “exonerates [Conahan’s] behavior” as a signal to future corrupt public officials.

State Rep-elect. Brenda Pugh, R-Luzerne, told WBRE that Conahan’s conduct is a “blight on Pennsylvania” and that Biden’s pardon is “nothing short of a travesty.”

“[H]is clemency is a miscarriage of justice,” Pugh said, adding the President Biden Expressway will therefore “forever be a scar reminding people of what happened here [in NEPA].”

State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, who was the GOP’s 2022 gubernatorial nominee, told Fox News Digital it is embarrassing to see Biden’s name while driving up I-81, especially given his choices of pardons.

“He’s a failed president who couldn’t help himself to pardon his corrupt criminal son from so many illegals schemes. His name is to be off the highway,” Mastriano said.

Meanwhile, Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak made his case directly to Cognetti, writing the mayor a letter saying that reverting “Biden Avenue to Spruce Street” would help restore confidence in city leadership and reaffirm a commitment to governing in the best reflection of city values.

“This [pardon] has brought significant negative attention to Scranton, tarnishing the city’s reputation and reflecting poorly on Lackawanna County as a whole,” Chermak wrote.

In a Friday interview, Cognetti said that Biden’s commutation of Conahan was a “grave error” that freshly opened “deep and horrific” wounds for Scrantonians and NEPA residents.

Biden and Scranton Democratic Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti (Reuters)

She echoed Gov. Josh Shapiro’s remark earlier this week that Conahan’s sentence was too light in the first place.

“[The case] was just the stuff that you think a screenwriter couldn’t make up — how systemic and how deep that scandal went,” Cognetti said.

She said she had contacted the White House with her concerns and that she was sad to learn Conahan’s commutation is irreversible.

Cognetti noted she is currently mayor in part because of other officials’ public corruption as well.

Predecessor Bill Courtright resigned in July 2019 amid a conviction for bribery, corruption and conspiracy. Courtright’s departure led to two brief interim mayors before Cognetti was elected that November as an independent and, in 2021, as a Democrat. 

Cognetti added that the calls to strip Biden’s name from roadways are not new and continue to be mostly grounded in partisanship.

“The president is from here, and there are few communities that can boast of being the hometown of a President of the United States. We will continue to celebrate and be very proud of having a hometown son of Scranton as president.”

“The two issues are conflated, I think, for political reasons. And I’d like us to treat these things as what they are. We need to continue to address corruption in government,” Cognetti added.

“That’s separate from the president’s legacy of 50 years in office and being the most successful son of Scranton.”

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Biden Street; formerly Spruce Street (Getty)

When recently asked about Biden granting Conahan a pardon, Shapiro said that presidents have the “unique and absolute” power to do so, but should wield it “incredibly carefully.”

“I study every single case that comes across my desk where there’s a request for a pardon or clemency or worse, or a reduction in sentence. And I take it very seriously,” said Shapiro, who previously served as attorney general.

“I do feel strongly that President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in northeastern Pennsylvania. This was not only a black eye on the community because of the scandal, but it also affected families in really deep and profound and sad ways,” he said.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Steven Sims is searching for a new NFL home after the Houston Texans cut ties with the 27-year-old WR and kick returner. The Texans announced the move following the elevation of another receiver to their 53-man roster for their Week 16 matchup.

This was the former Steelers receiver’s second season in Houston. In seven games as the team’s returner, he returned seven kick-offs for 195 yards but failed to find the end zone. He wasn’t factoring into then offense at all, with just one carry and three receptions through his seven weeks of action.

The Steelers are quite familiar with Sims. During the 2022 season, he became the team’s primary kick and punt returner. He also became a fixture in the offense as a slot receiver. As a receiver, he hauled in 14 receptions on 23 targets for 104 yards and zero touchdowns. He also added on 13 rushing attempts for 70 yards.

He was much more productive in the return game. The speedy receiver fielded 19 punts over 12 games with the Steelers, collecting 105 yards. On kick-offs, he had 17 attempts for 434 yards, including a season-long of 89 yards.

In his career, Sims has made a name for himself on special teams. He broke into the league with the Washington Commanders and had a sensational rookie season in 2019 as a returner. That year he had 32 return attempts and collected 819 yards, including a 91-yard return for the sole return touchdown of his five-year career.

Sims went undrafted in the NFL following his collegiate career at Kansas. With the Jayhawks, he hauled in at least 50 catches in three straight seasons. His career best came as a sophomore, when he racked up 859 yards and seven touchdowns over 12 games.

It’s been a tough week for former Steelers receivers. Sims joins former star receiver Diontae Johnson in the free agent market. Johnson had recently been acquired by the rival Baltimore Ravens but lasted just a few weeks before being released.

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