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Hartford, Conn. (PMN)--Susan Bysiewicz, Connecticut Secretary of
State, has announced that she has formed a candidate committee to
run for Governor in 2006. Bysiewicz had previously formed an
exploratory committee to help gauge support for a gubernatorial run.
The exploratory committee has raised over $775,000, all in small
contributions. The legal contribution limit for an exploratory
committee in Connecticut is $250 per person. In addition, Bysiewicz
has over 3600 individual contributors, reflecting wide appeal and
strong grassroots network across the state. By filing candidate
committee papers, campaign contribution limits increase to $2,500
per person.
“I have been pleased with the support and encouragement I have
received, and I did not come to this decision lightly,” Bysiewicz
said. “All my work and research tells me it is time to make my
candidacy official. I am ready to run for Governor.”
[More in the Printed and PDF edition of Polonia Today]
Gdansk, Poland (PMN)--The uncompromising and sometimes
controversial Father Henryk Jankowski was forced to give up his
duties as a parish priest in Gdansk on November 18, 2004. Gdansk
Archbishop Tadeusz Goclowski, who has struggled for years to control
Jankowski’s criticism of those the priest terms enemies of the
Polish people, cited his “turning the pulpit into a political
tribune” and his “demoralizing influence on youth" as the reasons
for the dismissal.” Jankowski can still appeal his dismissal to the
Vatican.
Jankowski is one of Poland’s most famous religious figures. The
archbishop’s decision followed years of allegations of anti-Semitism
and ostentatious opulence against Jankowski. Most recently, he was
accused of sexual harassment of an underage boy.
Earlier in November, 21-year-old Pawel J., a crucial witness to
the claim of Jankowski’s sexual molestation of a minor, surfaced in
Elblag (50 miles east of Gdansk). Pawel J. is in a mental hospital,
diagnosed with deep depression and suicidal tendencies. He allegedly
said that as a young altar boy at St. Brygida he had sex with
Jankowski on numerous occasions. However, when the young man obtains
his discharge from the hospital, he could disappear because his
family does not want him at home; his father disowned him because
Pawel is gay. When Pawel J. leaves the hospital, he may not have a
permanent address and prosecutors fear that a summons or subpoena
cannot then be properly delivered.
The weekend of November 20-21, Rev. Jankowski was reportedly ill
and in the hospital. “He’s seriously ill but I can assure you he'll
be back,” said Wojciech Podjacki, a member of a group called the
Committee to Defend Father Jankowski. On November 21, a crowd of
about 500 gathered in front of St. Brygida Church, the parish whose
congregation Jankowski led for many years. A banner called on God to
“Defeat the Mason Archbishop,” a reference to Goclowski. Freemasons
have been among the targets of Jankowski's preaching.
[More in the Printed and PDF edition of Polonia Today]
Tampa, Fla. (PMN)--An international fugitive suspected of
defrauding Tampa Bay area residents and others of more than
$3-million was arrested in late October while crossing the
Polish-German border. Zygmunt Zabolotny was arrested October 28,
2004, by German police on 33 counts of fraud alleging that he ran a
sham tax service to defraud 13 Tampa Bay residents and dozens of
people around the country.
Mary Gawrow, 49, who allegedly ran the scheme with Zabolotny, 57,
had been arrested in July, 2003, and charged with 33 counts of
securities fraud and the sale of unregistered securities. Zabolotny
and Gawrow, both Polish immigrants, were partners in a tax
preparation service, CompuTax USA, and an investment business, Vesta
Financial Corp., both in Pinellas County.
Investigators said they used their businesses to delve into the
finances of primarily Polish clientele, persuading some to invest in
businesses in Poland. The couple assured that the investments were
guaranteed and promised annual returns of 30& or more, according to
investigators.
“Their appeal to their clientele was that they were Polish; They
were able to interact easily with the Polish community,” said Ken
Sanz, a special agent with the Florida Department of Law
Enforcement. “And what better way of ripping them off than taking a
look at the their taxes?”
Officials this week alerted victims of Zabolotny’s arrest.
Tadeusz Grudzinski, a Palm Harbor handyman who lost $78,000 to
Zabolotny, commented, “We said sooner or later we'll catch the rat;
we set the trap and he took the bait.” Grudzinski, 63, said he had
to postpone his retirement because of the money he lost.
[More in the Printed and PDF edition of Polonia Today]
Washington, D.C. (PMN)--The Fund for American Studies has
announced the establishment of the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Scholarship
Program. This annual program will allow Polish students to attend
the leadership training programs at The Fund for American Studies
held at Georgetown University.
Paderewski believed in the enhancement of freedom and democracy
through education and the arts, and the scholarship honors the
legacy of the famous pianist, composer, philanthropist, patriot and
statesman.
The first Paderewski Scholarship has been funded by Ambassador
and Retired Lt. General Edward L. Rowny, a life-long devotee of
Paderewski. Rowny’s devotion to Paderweski can be traced to his
family, who were lovers of Paderewski’s music and admirers of his
patriotism and statemanship. He attended Paderewski’s funeral in
1941 and later led the U.S. delegation that returned Paderewski’s
remains to Poland in 1992, fulfilling the composer’s wish and
successive pledges made by Presidents Roosevelt, Kennedy and Reagan.
In accordance with another of Paderewski’s wishes, his heart remains
interred in the United States at the Shrine of Our Lady of
Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pa. See <http://www.paderewskirowny.org>
for details.
The Ignacy Jan Paderewski Scholars will study political, business
and cultural affairs, and their participation will help advance
closer ties between the United States and Poland.
For more information about the fund and how to make donations
please contact Ed Turner at The Fund for American Studies, 1706 New
Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20009, (202) 986-0384. |
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