commentary
There’s as much noise as news and it’s getting harder to tell one from the other | Opinion
Realistically, though, most of us have other things to do than devote a large chunk of our day to perusing the websites of multiple news outlets to learn whether they’re all reporting more or less the same things. We have to trust. But whom do we trust?
What’s in your media literacy tool kit? | Editorial Cartoon
National Media Literacy Week, which runs from Oct. 25-29, 2021, is a week-long event aimed at highlighting the importance of media literacy awareness and education.
Back to School Review: Five days of education policy in Pa. | Opinion
As COVID-19 continues to dominate education policy conversations, many other pressing issues will impact students
Constitutional amendments are better determined during high voter turnout elections | Opinion
In the 2020 presidential election, more than 6.9 million Pennsylvanians voted. In the 2018 gubernatorial election, more than 5 million PA voters participated. Those would have been better times for voters to make the important decisions about amending our state constitution, when so many more voters would already be coming to the polls or submitting their mail-in or absentee ballots.
Pa. vaccine providers ready to administer COVID boosters, Beam says | Wednesday Morning Coffee
Good Wednesday Morning, Fellow Seekers. When the OK comes down from the federal government, state health officials said Tuesday that Pennsylvania vaccine providers are ready to begin administering COVID-19 booster shots. “Pennsylvania is well prepared to start providing vaccine booster shots just as soon as the CDC provides the approval and guidelines on who can […]
Presque Isle celebrates 100 years, announces net-zero initiatives | Tuesday Morning Coffee
The plan for Presque Isle State Park, which includes improvements such as shoreline enhancements and modifications to the park's wastewater system, was announced Monday by Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn.
Wise words from George W. Bush that Republicans will ignore | Dick Polman
The problem is, Republicans tore down the House of Bush in 2016 when Trump terminated Jeb with extreme prejudice. Old-school “establishment” conservatism was push out of the party, replaced by populist demagoguery and Putin groupie worship. It has only metastasized since.
Report finds decline in household income, rise in poverty rate | Monday Morning Coffee
According to the 2021 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement, the median household income decreased 2.9 percent from 2019 to 2020.
Clean Energy: A spiritual call to action | Opinion
Climate change impacts us all, but particularly communities of color, including Black communities, who experience climate change impacts first and worst. Americans of color breathe in 40 percent more pollution than white Americans; 68 percent of Black Americans live within thirty miles of a coal plant; and the poor, elderly, and marginalized around the world are least equipped to prepare for or respond to the myriad threats of climate change.
Amid renewed push to expand Pell Grant eligibility, Pa. must remove barriers for students | Opinion
Launched in 2015, the Second Chance Pell experiment provides Pell Grants to incarcerated men and women for enrollment in postsecondary education programs provided in state and federal prisons. Through these learning opportunities, incarcerated adults can earn an associate of arts degree, industry-recognized certificates, or general coursework that will ultimately boost their opportunities for employment when they re-enter society.
The U.S. should unite like it did after 9/11 | Mark O’Keefe
After what seemed like an eternity, I finally heard my son’s voice on the phone. “Are you OK?, “I asked him. “Yes,” Bryan said. “I’m fine. We’re all together in a conference room.” Then I heard some chaos in the background. “Dad, I can’t talk now. I have to go. They’re evacuating the capital,” said […]
If we fail to act on women’s reproductive rights, Pa. will become the next Texas | Opinion
By Liz Hanbidge Pennsylvania is more like Texas than you think. Recently I began receiving more frequent calls about women’s reproductive rights. Such calls are not uncommon for me, but usually they relate to Pennsylvania, the commonwealth in which I serve as an elected representative. Lately, though, people mostly wanted to talk about Texas. I have […]