Why, oh, why is it always July?

I don’t understand it, much as I try.

I just hang my head, and then I let out a sigh,

And think that if something happens, it’s always July.

            Believe it or not, I am a published poet, though I’m glad this one is under a pseudonym.

            I’ve been writing this blog for over two and a half years.  I’ve been asking questions about the mysterious disappearance of former Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar for six years, come this November.  That has given me a perspective on the case.  One thing that I’ve noticed is that, there is usually some activity in the Gricar case in the month of July.

            Here is a brief chronology:

July 2005:  Mr. Gricar’s girlfriend, Patty Fornicola, was polygraphed.  She passed it.  Later, Mr. Gricar county issued laptop was found in the Susquehanna, minus its hard drive. 

July 2007:  Former Assistant District Attorney, J. Karen Arnold published, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury.  It provided the first connection to Mel Wiley. 

July 2008:  Montour County District Attorney Bob Buehner and former Clinton County District Attorney Ted McKnight both publicly criticized the conduct of the investigation, leading to the famed “dueling press conferences,” which became a debacle for Mr. Gricar’s successor, Michael Madeira.

July 2009:  Centre County was then in the midst of the re-election campaign of the same Mr. Madeira.  His challenger, and ultimate successor, Stacy Parks Miller, was first brought to prominence in the case by her questions in the “dueling press conferences.”  I also began a series of blog on the Gricar investigation.

July 2010:  The Parks Miller review panel was either questioning, or preparing to question, some of Mr. Gricar’s friends and coworkers, including former Assistant District Attorney Steve Sloan, Mr. Gricar’s close friend.

July 2011:  Mr. Gricar’s daughter, Lara, petitioned to have her father declared dead.  The hearing, and declaration, was completed by the end of the month.

            Something interesting in the case happened in the last six out of seven Julys.  I really have no idea why there is this “July effect.”  I only hope that July 31, 2012 rolls around, the case will have been solved.

Centre Daily Times Ray Gricar Section:  http://www.centredaily.com/138/

Link to the Main Index for Sporadic Comments on Ray Gricar:  http://www.centredaily.com/2011/03/21/2597340/main-index-32011.html

E-mail J. J. in Phila at scorg@live.com