Northeast
PA lawmakers demand Scranton revert 'Biden Expy' name, calling it a 'scar' following Kids-4-Cash pardon
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.
ECONOMY BORDER & ABORTION DIVIDE BIDEN’S HOMETOWN AS RESIDENTS LOOK BACK ON NATIVE SON’S FIRST TERM
The former Central Scranton Expressway — now the President Biden Expressway — diverges from I-81, which continues toward Binghamton, N.Y. (Charles Creitz)
“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.
WV DEMOCRATS RIP BIDEN’S ‘EGREGIOUS’ PUBLIC CORRUPTION PARDON CHOICES: ‘WHAT WE’D EXPECT FROM TRUMP’
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.”
BIDEN’S HOMETOWN EXPRESSES HOW IT REALLY FEELS ABOUT ‘BIDENOMICS’
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.
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With another loss on Monday, the Boston Red Sox are now 10 games below .500 at 27-37 on the season with two more games scheduled against the Tampa Bay Rays before heading back to Fenway Park to face the Texas Rangers on Friday.
On one hand, it’s pretty clear that the Red Sox don’t want to wave the white flag. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has made it clear that he is looking around trying to make a move. On Monday, reports surfaced from ESPN’s Buster Olney indicating that the trade talks have elevated to the point that ownership has gotten involved. It’s clear that Boston wants to add. But will the performance on the field warrant that? It’s the big question right now. Being 10 games below .500 on June 9 isn’t completely insurmountable, but it is a big hole to get out of. It’s not going to be easy.
Boston is in a tricky spot, so naturally, rumors and speculation have also popped up about various guys the club could look to offload. The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey reported that the team has fielded calls on Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, and Justin Slaten, but has told teams that they aren’t willing to move their relievers yet. McCaffrey also reported that the Red Sox are shopping Connor Wong. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale took the Chapman noise further and said he’s “expected” to get traded this season. Arguably, a bit far for this point in the season, especially with the Red Sox clearly trying to add, not subtract. But something to watch.
What Will Happen With Aroldis Chapman?
But how does Chapman feel? He made it clear on Monday that his hope is to stay in Boston and turn things around, as shared by MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith.
“My mentality is to stay here and win here,” Chapman said through a translator, as transcribed by Smith. “Try to turn things around. … I don’t have the control over that.”
Chapman made his point clear. Now, it’s going to be very interesting to see what the club does. He has a 0.46 ERA in 20 appearances with 13 saves. The reigning Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year Award winner has a conditional option for the 2027 season that will be unlocked when he reaches 40 innings pitched and he passes a physical at the end of the year. He’s just under halfway to the innings goal.
At the end of the day, the best-case scenario would be Boston getting hot and shutting down all of this noise. Chapman clearly would bring a solid return, but winning is much better than that. Hopefully, things will change soon. But if the club can’t turn things around, the Red Sox hold the cards and could easily find a taker. Chapman made his point clear. What will Boston do?
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One of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ top position player prospects is with the team for the start of their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, though he isn’t yet on the 26-man roster.
Catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores has been placed on the Pirates’ taxi squad, which could potentially signify an injury to a player on the club’s roster.
The Pirates announced that they put C/1B Rafael Flores Jr. on the taxi squad
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) June 9, 2026
Flores hasn’t yet appeared in a big-league game this year and instead has remained in Triple-A Indianapolis, though it’s possible he’ll have a chance to make an impact for the Pirates in the near future.
Flores’ Background
Flores signed with the New York Yankees as an undrafted free agent in July 2022 for a signing bonus of $75,000.
He posted an .874 OPS with 21 home runs between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre during the 2024 campaign, putting him on the map as a legit prospect.
Flores was later used as the centerpiece of the trade deadline deal that saw the Pirates send All-Star closer David Bednar to the Yankees last year.
He slashed .281/.363/.459 with six home runs over 36 games for Indianapolis after arriving in the deal and made his major league debut for Pittsburgh on September 17, 2025.
Across seven contests and 17 plate appearances to close out the season, Flores logged a .627 OPS with a pair of doubles for the Pirates.
The 25-year-old has struggled quite heavily in Triple-A so far this year, however, owning a .207/.320/.344 slash line with four home runs and 27 RBIs in 53 games and 188 at-bats.
Flores was recently ranked as the No. 15 prospect in Pittsburgh’s farm system by FanGraphs.
“Flores has uncommon power for a catcher, and while aspects of his swing path (it’s long) and his tendency to chase make him likely to strike out a ton against big league pitching, if he can get to power in games anyway, he’ll do enough to be a valuable bat-first backup,” Eric Longenhagen wrote. “He’s best when he can get extended against pitches up and away from him, which he’s a threat to deposit from pole to pole. There are all kinds of late-bloomer traits here (Flores’ size, late arrival to catching this often, and small school background), and it’s possible that Flores will have a peak year or two where he hits 15-plus bombs as a part-time cacher and 1B/DH, just as there will probably also be years where he hits .180 and can’t control the run game.”
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Connecticut formally sent off three culinarians on Tuesday afternoon in preparation for the nationally recognized James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony.
The sendoff took place at Mystic River Park at 11 a.m., and formally recognized Jade Ayala from the Port of Call in Mystic, chef David DiStasi from Materia Ristorante in Bantam, and chef David Standridge from the Shipwright’s Daughter in Mystic.
The awards ceremony is on Monday, June 15, in Chicago.
“It’s just incredibly gratifying to see the recognition that’s been so long deserved finally come here to the state,” Chef Standridge said, reflecting on the honor.
Chef Standridge and Chef DiStasi are both finalists for Outstanding Chef, while Ayala and the Port of Call are competing in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverage award.
“Mystic has a really great way of preserving history here, and I’m really just happy and proud to be a part of their story and Mystic’s story here. Thank you for having us,” Ayala said.
The ceremony will be livestreamed through the Connecticut Restaurant Hospitality Association on June 15.
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