Good Friday Morning, Fellow Seekers.

A state lawmaker from the Scranton area who's missed scores of key votes over the last two months has defended his absence from the Capitol, saying he needed to be near his two young children as he goes through a divorce.

State Rep. Kevin Haggerty, D-Lackawanna (Pa. House photo)

"As a parent you can recognize when your children are struggling and the conscience (sic) decision I made to be with them was the only decision I could make," Haggerty, a Democrat, said in a statement, according to The Citizens-Voice newspaper of Wilkes-Barre

Earlier this week, WNEP-TV reported that Haggerty had missed every voting session since July, including key votes on the state budget. Despite repeated attempts, the television station could not reach the 112th District lawmaker for comment.

More from The Citizens-Voice:

"Haggerty's wife, Jennifer, filed for divorce in May, after obtaining a protection from abuse order against him.

The application for the order, which she later withdrew, said he spoke irrationally, then threw two water bottles at her and hit her hard enough on the head to cause temporary hearing loss and facial numbness. Dunmore police cited Haggerty for harassment, but a magisterial district judge later dismissed the citation at his wife's request.

Online House records show Haggerty took a leave of absence every day and missed at least 145 roll call votes since the House resumed voting sessions Sept. 11 after summer break.

Bill Patton, a spokesman for House Democrats, said Haggerty began requesting leave the day the House resumed voting. Legislators who want leave must ask for it daily and Haggerty regularly emailed his requests, Patton said."



In his statement, Haggerty, who could similarly not be reached for comment by the Citizens-Voice, said he took his job "very seriously."

"I am a dad with young kids, going through a public divorce but none of this changes my first responsibility to help ensure their well-being," the statement read. "My staff and I never miss a day of work serving the people of our district, but because of the many concerns I still have for my young kids, my presence in their young lives is critical."

He continued: "I am committed to the people of my district as well and look forward to getting back to normal. The only thing I work harder at than my job is being a good parent. I hope that is the case for most everyone."

According to The Citizens-Voice, Haggerty's domestic issues didn't keep him from showing up at events in his district. Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich, D-Lackawanna, told the newspaper that "he saw Haggerty at an AARP awards dinner Monday at La Buona Vita in Dunmore, but Haggerty did not stick around for the actual presentation of awards."

The rest of the day's news starts now.

PennLive's Jan Murphy looks at the 12 ways the new Pa. budget might change your life (Hint: Gambling, gambling, and, yep, more gambling).

Here's The Post-Gazette's take-out on the borrowing component of the budget plan that's now on Gov. Tom Wolf's desk.

The Tribune-Review looks at the potential western Pennsylvania impact of the White House's emergency declaration on opioid abuse.

In case you missed it, Gov. Tom Wolf is still holding out hope for a severance tax on natural gas drillers.

The Inquirer catches up with NJ residents who are still struggling to recover from Super-Storm Sandy.

Reading Terminal Market in Philly is getting wine and liquor kiosks, PhillyMag reports.

An activist group in Philly wants to make the city's bars and restaurants safer for women, BillyPenn reports.

Tens of thousands of names could be scrubbed from the state's Megan's Law registry, The Morning Call reports.

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, 61, says he'll only serve two terms if he wins election to the U.S. Senate, The Times-Tribune of Scranton reports.

Here's your seasonally appropriate #Harrisburg Instagram of the Day:

Shockah: A new report on Pennsylvania's death penalty statute shows there's a strong tie between a defendant's income and the kind of represetation they get in capita cases, Keystone Crossroads reports.

Republican 11th CD candidate Andrew Lewis says he raised more than $116k in the two weeks after declaring his candidacy, PoliticsPA reports.

Here's Stateline.org on the 'bold step' one state is taking to contain its Medicaid costs.

Here's Politico on what you won't find in that JFK assassination document dump.

Roll Call runs down where all 533 members of Congress stand on bump stocks.

What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition).

7:30 a.m.:

House Speaker Mike Turzai's fall breakfast

4:30 p.m.:

York County GOP fall dinner

7 p.m.:

Reception for Rep. Tony DeLuca, D-Allegheny

Heavy Rotation.

Here's an old favorite from

The Modfather,

Mr. Paul Weller,

to get your morning started:

Friday's Gratuitous Hockey Link

Carolina skated to a dominating, 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night. 'Canes forward Josh Jooris scored his first two goals on the way to the win.

And now you're up to date.