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Luzerne County Council candidate Dartoe facing new offense

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Man sentenced for sexually assaulting nurse

<p>HANOVER TWP. &#8212; MSNBC &#8220;Hardball&#8221; host Chris Matthews is scheduled to host a live broadcast next week at a township business.</p><p>Township Manager Sam Guesto said he was contacted by a booking producer for the show about plans for a May 16 broadcast at the A. Rifkin Co. on the Sans Souci Parkway.</p><p>Guesto said the producer requested show attendance by some municipal representatives, including firefighters. He was attempting to connect with the producer Thursday to obtain additional information.</p><p>The event was described as &#8220;Voice of the Voters,&#8221; Guesto said, adding that he is still trying to establish why the township was chosen and the focus or theme of the broadcast.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m hoping the selection had something to do with the large development that has been occurring on mine-scarred land in the area,&#8221; Guesto said, referring to the recent opening or construction of distribution centers by several major companies along the South Valley Parkway.</p><p>Attempts to reach a Hardball producer Thursday were unsuccessful. The MSNBC website describes the show as a &#8220;passionate hour of in-depth political analysis and fiery debate&#8221; hosted by Matthews, a former Washington bureau chief, presidential speechwriter, congressional staffer and best-selling author.</p><p><strong>&#8216;Out of the blue&#8217;</strong></p><p>A. Rifkin Co. President Darcy Buck said she was contacted by Hardball representatives out of the blue about the possibility of hosting the broadcast.</p><p>Buck said she did not know why A. Rifkin was on the show&#8217;s radar and was informed at least two other area businesses were considered. As of Thursday afternoon, she had not received final notification her business was the selected site.</p><p>The family owned and operated business is 127 years old, and Buck said she is the fifth generation at the helm. The business was started by her great-great grandfather Abraham Rifkin and employs around 60, she said.</p><p>It primarily manufactures reusable fabric security bags, starting with bank bags and later expanding into ones for elections, the medical industry and a myriad of businesses internationally, she said.</p><p>Its website, <a href="https://arifkin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://arifkin.com/</a>, contains extensive information about its products and the company&#8217;s history, inviting site visitors to &#8220;see what American made really looks like.&#8221; The company is the national leader in making security bags for the banking industry, it says.</p><p><strong>Other groups contacted</strong></p><p>Guesto said he is unsure if the general public will have an opportunity to participate or whether broadcast participants will be solely assembled by the show.</p><p>The Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) Northeastern Region sent a communication to its members this week saying it was informed of the show and is seeking a list of educators interested in attending, according to a copy supplied by a member.</p><p>The communication said Matthews will be hosting the town hall meeting to &#8220;talk to people in our area about the issues that matter to working people in the 2020 elections.&#8220;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Matthews </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_matthews_AP-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Matthews </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

MSNBC’s ‘Hardball’ coming to Hanover Township