Yesterday began on a positive note. A girlfriend that I graduated with surprised me with a phone call. We do not often call each other, but we see each other at least every summer and send Christmas cards. She offered condolences, then we began to reminisce. The reason for the call: we went ...

He had his birthday last week, although the celebration was on the small side. Born on St. Patrick’s Day, Finian O’Brien, a “fine broth of a lad,” turned 4. As they say in Killarney, “’Twas a grand occasion.” Now you would expect a 4-year-old’s birthday to be celebrated with ...

The important role Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry plays in our economy, environment, and national security cannot be emphasized enough. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that Gov. Tom Wolf decided not to target the industry with additional taxes to pay for an increase in state ...

Gas prices are in the news again for all of the wrong reasons. According to data from AAA, the national average price for regular gas is now roughly $4.33 per gallon. In some states (like California), the average is as high as $5.74 per gallon. These figures represent a 51 percent increase from ...

Andy Rooney, the reporter who occupied the curmudgeon seat on “60 Minutes” is long gone. I have trouble believing that it has been eleven years since he passed, at the ripe old age of 92. His was the last face every Sunday night, usually grumbling, and always amusing. Andy’s collection ...

I was appointed State Director of USDA Rural Development for the Commonwealth in October 2021. Thus far, the highlight was seeing St. Luke’s Carbon Campus Hospital open its doors in November. During the tour of the trauma-4 facility, I was told that the hospital would treat about 50,000 ...