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Many willingly overlook flaws of local government

“Whatever sovereignty a local government believes that they have, is subject to and defined and therefore limited to alteration under their state and federal constitutional laws.” – Dick Thornburgh With the fall of the Roman Empire, an epoch of metamorphosis within the Mediterranean region spread though neighboring countries and consumed much of Europe. Incompetent rulers fell prey to failing economies, internal struggles for power, wars and lawlessness, which eventually led to the rise of feudalism. The stretch of time between the 5th and 12th centuries is called the Dark ...

Sweet cherry picking

Last week when I went into the grocery store there were bags and bags of cherries. They were the big red sweet ones. Everyone always enjoyed fresh cherries, but often those around here were out of sight as far as the price was. These were reasonable so I bought a bag to enjoy. As I sat at my table and ate those gorgeous red orbs, it took me back to other times. Don loved them. We bought some, every season, no matter what the price. It was a treat to have fresh cherries. Fruit was often our dessert. All through the summer we enjoyed melons, peaches, plums, and finally apples. ...

Small talk: from politics to lasting friendships

Growing up, I was taught not to talk socially about religion or politics. In the accepted dinner table conversation of the time, those subjects were taboo. Given today’s small talk, those rules feel like a thousand years ago. Only the most polite conversationalists muzzle themselves today. Now it seems that politics is THE dinner table conversation. Religion seems to be involved only as a sub-topic of politics. Think abortion and same-sex marriage, not theology. In my teens, I learned there were a few other subjects to avoid: Never ask someone’s income, never ask how much they ...

Reading struggles need addressing

By Sens. RYAN AUMENT and ANTHONY WILLIAMS It’s time to sound the alarm on early literacy in Pennsylvania. Almost half of fourth-graders across our state are reading below grade level, a challenge that exists in every corner of our state — from urban cities to our rural communities. Research has consistently shown that early literacy is critical to academic success and long-term achievement. A strong, evidence-based reading program, beginning in kindergarten and continuing into the third grade and beyond, gives students the best possible chance to maximize their ...

Lights of the night

I remember the year the children got to vote on the state insect. I have no idea what their choices were, but they were thrilled when the firefly was chosen. Fireflies provided a lot of fun for them. At night we often sat outside – either at the farm or at Hickory Heights. Since this was an area without street lights, we could see the fireflies or as we used to call them, lightning bugs. Those little night lights were so much fun to watch. The children begged for jars to collect them. Usually, I had some handy. They would run around and collect lightning bugs. The bugs were so much ...

A life changer in the blue liquid

Recently, I spotted a jar full of blue liquid that brought back an entire chapter of my childhood. Beside the nail salon’s sink, sits a large glass jar with a chrome lid, filled with Barbicide. It is the very same disinfectant, in the same-styled container, used in the beauty salon I worked in as a kid. This particular jar contained, instead of used combs, a pair of nail brushes. Dig-in gardener that I am, those brushes have proved handy for manicures. I’m grateful every time I lift the chrome cover, retrieving a brush from the blue liquid that I became so familiar with at age ...