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State’s school funding inadequate

For decades, Pennsylvania lawmakers have shunned their responsibilities when it comes to school funding, severely shortchanging many school districts. The result is grave inequity that has affected generations of students and produced rising local tax rates for property owners asked to fill the widening financial gaps caused by a negligent General Assembly in Harrisburg. In a trial that is now kicking into high gear, a group of petitioners from across Pennsylvania is challenging the state funding system in Commonwealth Court. These petitioners, represented by the Education Law ...

An appeal for Sandusky’s retrial

A decade ago, a reporter for the Harrisburg Patriot-News revealed the investigation of a prominent Penn State assistant football coach, Jerry Sandusky. The headline read: “Sandusky faces grand jury probe.” The story came through an unlawful and probably purposeful leak of grand jury material. A few months later, on Nov. 4, 2011, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General (OAG) released its presentment, accusing Sandusky of sexual contact with eight boys. The presentment also charged two PSU administrators with failure to report child abuse, child endangerment, and ...

A lung scan can be a lifesaver

If you are a smoker or a former smoker, and between the ages of 50 and 80, you may qualify or be eligible for a lung cancer screening exam. And it’s an exam that could be a lifesaver. According to the American Lung Association, lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer death in both men and women in the U.S., accounting for approximately one quarter of cancer deaths. There are several factors that can contribute to the development of lung cancer, including radon, exposure to hazardous chemicals, particle pollution and genetic factors, but smoking is the overwhelming number ...

Lesson of the pump handle

These are troubled and troubling times, as arguments persist over mandatory masks and vaccinations, over individual rights and parental rights. In a way, we as a community and a nation are fighting a civil war over fundamental concepts of how we live as a society. This civil war is not over slavery or civil rights. We are deeply, deeply divided over whether the common good is paramount, or whether individual rights take precedence over all decisions locally and nationally. Because we remain in the midst of a worldwide epidemic that has caused proportionally more disease and death ...

It’s important to vote in every election

On Tuesday, Pennsylvanians will cast their votes in local elections. While there are no federal- or state-level legislative offices on the ballot this year, these local municipal elections are an important feature of our democracy. Our local governments set and implement policies that have a great impact on our daily lives and we have the power to choose our elected officials. It is important to remember that your vote in 2021 is essential. While ballots will vary from county-to-county, some of the races contested this year in Pennsylvania will include city council seats, ...

A close encounter with Mr. Stinky

Recently my wife, Sandy, and our neighbor, Kim, planned a “girl’s night out” before the summer evenings cooled. It was pretty low key when you consider it was to be held on our patio and Kim lived next door. The menu consisted of a bottle of wine and “girl talk.” They got settled in next to the fish pond and seemed good for the evening. My wife’s dog, Abbey, was the only other guest and she was soon snuggled up with her head on my wife’s lap, sound asleep. I knew my role in the event as the only man was to keep out of the way, so I headed inside. I planned to curl up ...