today’s news and information gleanings from here and there!

Quote for today… “While English in origin, the grand jury now exists only in the US. Even there only about half of the jurisdictions still use them. Grand juries arose during the time that criminal prosecutions were brought by private individuals and were intended to ensure that accusers did not have malicious motives.” – Extracted from this article, “Only in America: why Australia is right not to have grand juries,” from the Australian Website, The Conversation.

• A few facts about grand juries – GrandJuryResistance.org

• So what about “grand juries in Pennsylvania”: ” … it is important to understand that an indictment by a grand jury and the findings set forth in a presentment are not the equivalent of a finding of guilt. Rather, the factual findings made by a grand jury are akin to the accusations set forth in a Criminal Complaint and Affidavit of Probable Cause filed in most cases — they are accusations.” – Harrisburg/York criminal defense attorney answers: How do Pennsylvania State Grand Jury proceedings work?” – cmlaw1.com

• Here’s more about how juries and jurors in Pennsylvania, including lots of language – much of it confusing and obfuscatory – about grand juries at the state and county level.

• And here’s all we could find at Lancaster County’s judicial Website about Grand Juries in Lancaster County in a google search: “In March of 2010, the district attorney petitioned the court to empanel an Investigating Grand Jury to investigate unsolved major crimes in the county. Several attorneys from the Legal Division have been sworn-in to conduct investigations before the grand jury by: (1) Preparing reports and/or presentments as requested by the Lancaster County Grand Jury  (2) Presenting evidence and conducting witness examinations; (3) Procuring evidence and witness necessary for their investigations; and (4) Providing for the security of all evidence and transcripts.”

• A scary part of this search is that those who serve on the grand jury are not identified. Columbia news, views & reviews was unsuccessful in finding the identities of any of the grand jurors in these cases: lancaster-county-grand-jury-report-sunshine-act or Lancaster-County-Grand-Jury-Report-after-investigation-of-local-midwife.

• Wonder why so many protest the grand jury decision in Ferguson? If the selection process is cloaked in secrecy and the apt to be selected to serve are societal GOBAGs where is the philosophy of a panel of peers? If “by giving equal weight to diverse voices, a jury represents the common sense of ordinary people,” how can there be certainty of diverse voices on a grand jury if citizens do not know who is on the grand jury?

 

 

• Worth reading – Prosperity Indicators for the county; painful to look at the school comparisons

• See the above ad in The Merchandiser?

• “The 5 Biggest Myths About Black Friday: The biggest shopping day of the year isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” – AlterNet

• Tonight is Fourth Friday in Columbia

• Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday in Columbia – “Saturday, November 29, 2014 is Small Business Saturday® – a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities.  Please join the SBA and organizations across the country in supporting your local small business by shopping at a small business” in and around Columbia. – Small Business Administration

• Monday is CyberMonday