Breaking News

Local Commentaries

Not nodding off on the important questions

Questioner: Who won the 2020 Presidential election? Respondent: I did but the outcome was false – “the big steal.” “And everyone knows it.” Q: What happened at the Capitol January 6, 2021? A: Patriots tried to prevent the illegal transfer of governmental power. Q: Can a President, any person, be infallible? Make no mistakes, be the smartest man in all rooms who doesn’t need advice or briefings from others, can correct the Pope’s theology, etc. A: “Yes.” Q: Does your past illegal actions, both court proven and alleged, bother you? A: No. I am ...

Sunday suppers with friends – senior version

Sunday has always been my favorite night for dining with friends. This preference goes way back to an early learning experience. During my college years, I worked summers in a fancy – but consistently busy - Cape Cod restaurant. The Sunday night patrons were always my favorite. The crowds ...

Shapiro’s utility crackdown won’t fix power shortage

Electricity bills keep going up, and Pennsylvania consumers are feeling the pain. For example, in Pittsburgh last year, many residents saw bills skyrocket 15% in June and more than 10% in December. Instead of embracing reforms that could lower prices, the state’s elected leaders are engaging in petty political games. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s recent letter to utilities, urging them to halt rate increases, does more to score political points and generate headlines than to deliver meaningful relief to Pennsylvanians struggling to pay the bills. The governor has called on 24 ...

The beast finally settles in

Last July I wrote about Finian, our Maine Coon cat, and his stubborn need to be outside. For some reason he is well-behaved at the front door – as long as visitors don’t stand chatting with the storm door open. I mean, give the furry kid a break. A 10-minute open door is temptation even a ...

Senior care is state’s quiet crisis

Pennsylvania’s senior care system is in crisis and is losing nursing home capacity by the thousands; fewer communities, fewer beds, and most importantly, more older adults are being turned away from the high-quality care they need and deserve close to home. The term "silver tsunami" was initially meant to signal a future challenge: the rapidly growing aging population that will inevitably flood the healthcare ecosystem. Instead, the crisis has quietly become our present. Those of us involved in aging services have sounded the alarm for years, emphasizing the need for investment and ...

Targeting fraud can help rural hospitals

Vice President J.D. Vance recently traveled to Bangor, Maine, to spotlight the Trump administration’s crackdown on fraud in Medicaid and other critical federal health programs. Speaking to a capacity crowd, Vance laid bare the deep challenges of Medicaid in most states: “What you have in Maine is a festering problem where people have been taken advantage of and they’ve been stolen from and your government hasn’t done anything about it.” Vance highlighted the case of Rakiya Mohamed. Mohamed billed Medicaid for interpretation services but reportedly provided zero actual ...