Allentown's fiscal problems are bad, but Harrisburg's are even worse
May 23, 2013
Allentown has a $200 million red ink problem, which, it seems, is the fault of any city politician not currently in office, and a population of 118,000 as of the 2010 census.
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News media confidential sources are often what expose government wrongdoing
May 21, 2013
It took courage for more than a dozen Allentown police officers to divulge what they felt was wrongdoing by their chief, who they said threatened "retribution" on anyone who did so. It also took solid assurances that the chief would never find out who those whistle-blowers were.
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Grandson aims to block Jim Thorpe's reburial
May 18, 2013
If officials of the borough of Jim Thorpe are looking for some support in their fight to protect the final resting place of the man who gave their town its name, they might find it on an island in a beautiful lake in northern Wisconsin.
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Gettysburg sesquicentennial battle re-enactment in Whitehall honors the 153rd
May 17, 2013
If you walk up the long gravel pathway alongside the spacious grassy fields of Whitehall Township's 110-acre main park, the view from the top of the hill is remarkably similar to that from atop the hills just north of Gettysburg.
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Jim Thorpe ruling portends disturbing questions about Ira Hayes
May 14, 2013
There cannot be anything less dignified than a bunch of lawyers fighting over the corpse of a hero who deserves to be honored and to rest in peace.
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Casino dealer fine lopsided
May 11, 2013
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has been getting mighty tough on casinos that violate the law.
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NLRB compelled speech edict overturned with Lehigh Valley businessman's help
May 9, 2013
The so-called labor movement in America has been disappearing and now serves only the interests of union bosses and the politicians they prop up, so desperate measures were considered necessary to keep the useless corpse breathing.
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PennDOT repaving blocked a driveway, the wrong driveway
May 4, 2013
The plastic "belly pan" under the front end of the seven-year-old Infinity coupe cleared the pavement despite the dip at the end of Ken Horodenski's driveway.
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Gov. Tom Corbett blames workers, again, for state's job growth fiasco
May 2, 2013
When Tom Corbett was running for governor in 2010, he argued that the business community was suffering because Pennsylvania's workers were too lazy to wean themselves from the unemployment benefits being extended by those nasty Democrats in Washington.
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Greatest Generation's spirit may be coming back, as reflected in marathons
April 30, 2013
There was nothing tangible that made what Tom Brokaw called "The Greatest Generation" great. It was just an unidentifiable spirit.
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Motorcycle fatality statistics refute claims that helmet-optional law increases rate
April 25, 2013
Control freaks are relentless in their quest to stamp out the evil of individual freedom wherever they find it.
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Jim Thorpe's body must be moved closer to casinos, says ruling
April 23, 2013
Two significant things have changed in Oklahoma's Sac and Fox Indian Nation since the world's greatest athlete died six decades ago.
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Second Amendment is not the only problem with the Bill of Rights
April 20, 2013
The Bill of Rights is full of mischief.
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Official approaches to spending the public's money seem to have a common thread
April 18, 2013
Samuel Horwitz is eagerly anticipating May 12, graduation day for those receiving master of business administration degrees from the Wharton School, the oh-so prestigious financial branch of Pennsylvania's only Ivy League university.
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Welfare semantics is not the problem; welfare for the rich is the problem
April 16, 2013
Applewood Drive rises from Haasadahl Road in South Whitehall Township in a steep climb, and at the top of the hill, there is a reward for the eyes.
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PPL tree cutting is electrifying, but there's a good motive
April 13, 2013
When it comes to a choice between forestry industry profits and bats, it makes sense to go with the bats.
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Memorial Day restoration should forsake three-day weekends
April 11, 2013
The primary purpose of Memorial Day is no longer to honor Americans killed in battle while serving their country. It's to cater to clucks who want a three-day weekend to better facilitate fun.
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Spring fever compels a columnist to seek a cure in cicada haven
April 9, 2013
It was a bad dose of tempus vernum febriculosa, aggravated by a thermometer that said 76 and windows that revealed unusual stretches of blue up in the sky.
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Educator backs state's Keystone Exams
April 6, 2013
Professional word merchants can get a little insecure when some unjournalist comes along and does a better job of putting passages together.
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Road rage defendant not charged as a road hog
April 4, 2013
"You're lucky the lion got to you before we did," says crusty old Uncle Hub, played by Robert Duvall in the movie "Secondhand Lions," as he addresses a bully bandaged from head to toe after being mauled.
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Bats need trees as maternity wards, to save us from bugs
April 2, 2013
The abandoned Durham Iron Mine in upper Bucks County once belonged to William Penn and, in 1999, it served as the winter hibernation home for up to 17,000 bats, after they had dined on nearly 12 tons of airborne bugs in warmer months.
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Ed Rendell's payments from gas drilling interests not disclosed in pro-fracking column
March 30, 2013
Former Gov. Ed Rendell, whose Democratic Party usually comes down on the side of protecting the environment, once called New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo "crazy" for backing a moratorium on gas drilling until environmental concerns could be resolved.
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Urinal video games at Coca-Cola Park are outrageously sexist
March 28, 2013
Where are the contingency fee lawyers now that we really need them?
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End-of-life views are lopsided in support of the right to choose 'death with dignity'
March 26, 2013
There does not seem to be any middle ground on the issue of physician-assisted suicide. In fact, going by the reactions to Friday's column on that topic, there is no support for any ground other than that for the right of individuals to make end-of-life decisions for themselves.
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Murder-suicide prevails over power structure denial of dignity
March 21, 2013
Savor the victory. The power structure conspired to perpetuate hell for Mildred and Elwood "Woody" Osman of Cherryville, but they prevailed.
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Keystone Exams loophole undermines impact of standardized tests
March 19, 2013
On the surface, the "Keystone Exams" action by the State Board of Education appears to establish firm standards for high school graduation in Pennsylvania.
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Pennsylvania early voting an idea whose time has come
March 16, 2013
House Bill 548 is a step in the right direction. There are bigger and better steps available, but giving people more time to vote would be far better than clinging to the antique single-day method still used by a minority of states, including Pennsylvania.
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Frankenfood flap shifts focus of food follies to Pennsylvania
March 14, 2013
At last, Pennsylvania is starting to steal some of the thunder from New York City when it comes to culinary news.
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High-speed rail concept would include the Lehigh Valley
March 12, 2013
When it comes to high-speed railroads, much of the world is passing America by. Even countries like South Korea and Turkey have moved ahead of us.
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Crumbling highway infrastructure will take guts to fix
March 9, 2013
The good news is that Pennsylvania has more than 20,000 bridges that are considered structurally sound.
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Pennsylvania ethics uproar is over peanuts
March 7, 2013
Worrywarts are going overboard when they question the tributes afforded to a couple of Pennsylvania's esteemed leaders and their wives.
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California and CPR liability reality
March 5, 2013
There is no way to gloss over this: Prolonged procrastination could have cost somebody his or her life.
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Allentown water lease secrecy is aimed at keeping public in the dark
March 2, 2013
The way government officials spend the public's money, especially the way they put the public in debt for decades to come, is none of the public's business.
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Beer alcohol lawsuit claims product is insufficiently intoxicating
February 28, 2013
It is hard to fault anyone who says consumers should get what they pay for, as advertised. If a label says it has 5 percent of something, that's what it should have.
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Olympic cycling in Trexlertown? A letter to the veep couldn't hurt
February 26, 2013
Vice President Joe Biden
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Fracking foes play with a stacked deck, and DEP knows 'when to run'
February 23, 2013
Somebody is not telling the truth.
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Grade inflation kills incentive like a bolt out of the wild blue yonder
February 21, 2013
The people at G&S Fastening Systems in Whitehall Township, a block east of the Fullerton American Legion, are amazing.
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Marijuana decriminalization compromise may be necessary in Pennsylvania
February 19, 2013
"Politics is not an exact science," explained the exalted 19th-century German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. "Politics is the art of the possible."
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Marijuana legalization bill may threaten fabulous Prohibition II profits
February 16, 2013
With Valentine's Day still fresh in our minds, thoughts naturally turn to retired Army Gen. John T. Thompson of Newport, Ky., who helped give America one of its most vivid memories of that holiday.
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Lehigh University student lawsuit can be justified but for columnist's personal reasons
February 14, 2013
Is it too late to take everything back? Has the statute of limitations for lawsuits run out for offenses occurring as early as 1944?
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Beloved loons landed, got stranded because of ice, lights
February 12, 2013
Before we get to a discussion of loons, which are worthwhile animals, it is necessary to again mention another category.
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How Postal Service, pit bulls intertwine: history can be bizarre
February 9, 2013
At a pivotal point in history, the deputy postmaster for all the American colonies arrived in Bethlehem because of a grave threat to Pennsylvania, where the French and their Indian allies were winning the French and Indian War.
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Jay Leno spotlights Allentown and IronPigs
February 7, 2013
In this week's medical news, it turns out that a chain of hospitals run by the Roman Catholic Church has decided that unborn babies are people, after all, and an Allentown group of urologists has been featured on national television in an alarming way.
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Andre Reed was missing from the Super Bowl ceremonies
February 5, 2013
The most painful part of the Super Bowl — apart from the interminable butchering of the national anthem by Alicia Keys — was the introduction of the new inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board privatization plan — plague or progress?
February 2, 2013
Just when Pennsylvania may be on the brink of a burgeoning booze business, somebody has to go and make it harder for the police to bust drunk drivers.
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Abortion position hypocritical in Catholic hospital's position
January 31, 2013
The question posed in the nation's capital by a little girl from Nazareth was very touching.
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Joe Conti leaving the LCB, but not for long
January 29, 2013
Say what you will about the controversial Joe Conti of Doylestown, he sure knows how to land on his feet — this time with a nice now-he's-out and now-he-isn't deal with the state Liquor Control Board.
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Pension agency official's salary is blasted by state treasurer
January 26, 2013
If you mouse your way to the Pennsylvania State Employees' Retirement System website and click on "About SERS," you then can find a comforting "SERS Snapshot," which paints a rosy picture of how the system is humming along.
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Drowsy driving is only made worse by boredom
January 24, 2013
Drowsy driving can drive a person to distraction. Or is it the other way around? Or, perhaps, it's the lack of distractions that can drive a person to drowsy driving.
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Gov. Corbett's gasoline untax may raise $1.85 billion
January 22, 2013
There are things that make California more attractive, in some ways, than Pennsylvania. There is Yosemite, of course, and it's nice to have either an In-N-Out or a sushi joint on just about every block in some areas, such as the San Fernando Valley.
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Lance Armstrong mea culpa is a dagger through the heart
January 19, 2013
It was a glorious day in 1993 when Lance Armstrong won America's top professional bicycle race, the annual CoreStates U.S. Pro Cycling Championship in Philadelphia.
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Chuck Hagel 'issues' raised by Toomey, Casey may stem from jingoistic attitudes
January 17, 2013
Both of Pennsylvania's U.S. senators, it was reported last week, "have issues" with former Sen. Chuck Hagel, nominated to be our next secretary of defense.
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Lower Macungie warehouse zoning battle has a Kafkaesque flavor
January 15, 2013
This is just what Lower Macungie Township needs — more big warehouses and more big 18-wheelers rumbling in and out of town to fill and empty them. Welcome to Bayonne, N.J.
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The next Allentown water issue could be fluoridation
January 12, 2013
As long as passions are running hot and heavy in Allentown over whether to hock the city's water system decades into the future, it may be a good time to consider whether to continue injecting poison into that system's drinking water.
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To fight fracking, what Pennsylvania needs is a masterpiece
January 10, 2013
Movies can have a tremendous impact on society, if they're skillfully made.
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Trexlertown footrace will benefit the victims of TEF
January 8, 2013
When you lace up your running shoes for the big benefit race in the Trexlertown area next June, keep in mind that much of it evolved from the good deeds of an Eagle Scout in Emmaus, who found both success and tragedy in Southern California.
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Tort reform hopes in Pennsylvania may be in a guillotine chokehold
January 5, 2013
Just when things were looking up for state reforms aimed at rambunctious litigation, along comes a controversial new lawsuit, filed by one of the newest members of the Pennsylvania Legislature.
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Bethlehem Steel history may be obliterated in Lackawanna, N.Y.
January 3, 2013
Without the preservation of physical mementos, we are lost. We cannot know who we are unless we can see and touch the remnants of the key events in our past.
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Ice hockey hell intensifies as deadline nears in NHL lockout
December 29, 2012
What a game!
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Retirement of 100-watt light bulbs causing consternation
December 27, 2012
Sight and sound play a major role in the human experience, to be sure, so it's always difficult when somebody suggests we're getting too much of either.
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Mayan and fiscal doomsdays only 11 days apart
December 25, 2012
The fact that you are reading these words means you probably had a merry Christmas, or whatever you celebrate this time of year, although you have only six more days before the arrival of another projected day of doom — financial doom, that is.
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Gun control hysteria may now be inexorable
December 22, 2012
On Saturday, Dec. 15, the day The Morning Call first provided front-page coverage of a stunning tragedy in Connecticut, an advertisement appeared on page 9.
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Lafayette College's frat flap raises constitutional concerns
December 20, 2012
In the delightful 1970 movie "The Cheyenne Social Club," Jimmy Stewart plays an aging Texas cowpoke whose dream of becoming "a respectable Republican businessman" comes true when he inherits a thriving business up in Wyoming.
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School security cannot be made absolute
December 19, 2012
The officer was from Sandia Base and was lying on the tarmac in front of Plant 1, after being hit on the head with a rifle butt wielded by a member of an elite air police (the Air Force's military police) unit.
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PA lottery privatization deal raises concerns
December 8, 2012
For years, there have been demands that Pennsylvania join the civilized world by privatizing its retail liquor operation.
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Lehigh Valley legislators lack holiday spirit
December 6, 2012
As you watch old movies on television about the kid who wants a BB gun, or the way George Bailey finds out how wonderful life is, or how an adorable little girl is won over by the Macy's Santa, take a moment to think about former state Rep. Brett Feese.
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It took courage for DA to cite 'culture' in Bethlehem tragedy
December 4, 2012
The young and pretty face smiling at us from Monday's and Tuesday's front pages will haunt many people for a long time, even those who did not know Yolanda Morales.
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Bethlehem's city officials disrespect Old Glory
December 1, 2012
If the American flag is not important, why run it up a flagpole in the first place? If the city of Bethlehem has other higher priorities at the moment, such as Christmas decorations, why not put the flag away for a few weeks instead of desecrating it?
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Pennsylvania plain folk not accommodated but should be
November 29, 2012
The air can get pretty ripe on a warm spring day, especially in the rural regions west of the Lehigh Valley, where the aroma is enhanced by the fresh residue of horse-drawn buggies.
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Pennsylvania would not let Oliver Wendell Holmes be a judge
November 28, 2012
As horrifying as the thought of another 10-year term for Pennsylvania Chief Justice Ron Castille might be, there is merit in a new lawsuit by six judges hoping to change the state's requirement for them to retire after they hit the ripe old age of 70.
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Symbol of PA gas drilling opposition succumbs to offer of money
November 24, 2012
You have to give Denise Dennis some credit. She did not come cheap. The price tag she put on her virtue is about the same as the amount Gov. Tom Corbett took to sell his soul — or Pennsylvania's soul, that is — to the gas drilling robber barons of Texas.
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Bethlehem Sands Casino protest invokes memories of King George III
November 23, 2012
In November of 1788, right around the time some confounded colonials were celebrating what they called their 168th "Thanksgiving," King George III finally went off the deep end.
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Hysteria over 5-Hour Energy drink is not yet justified
November 20, 2012
The floor space of the new Walmart Supercenter (they don't want to call it a mere store) in Whitehall Township has enough room for nearly four full-sized football fields.
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For anti-gas drilling state lawmaker, DEP action is no joke
November 17, 2012
Opportunities to bash state legislators are all too few, so it was delightful to see the story about an apparent "gotcha" moment concerning one from western Pennsylvania.
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A judge's 'sympathy' violated a crook's rights, his appeal says
November 15, 2012
Nobody ever said that sticking up for the rights of the accused was going to be easy.
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The lunatic fringe strengthens its grip on the GOP's soul
November 10, 2012
It probably is safe to say the email letter of congratulations to certain journalists at The Morning Call was not sincere.
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Dexter Baker's global legacy will roll on at the T-town velodrome
November 8, 2012
If you travel to, or meet people from, places like Europe or New Zealand, you may draw blank stares by mentioning, say, Peeps.
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Christie-Obama bromance produces an early winner
November 6, 2012
The early deadlines for newspaper columnists are a distinct disadvantage, especially when they are enforced well before the polls close on Election Day, so it was possible to proclaim only one clear winner in this fall's political hurly-burly.
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Nuclear crisis despair turned to joy
November 1, 2012
Painful perspectives came together in Pennsylvania two weeks ago during a "May This Never Happen Again" forum at Bucks County Community College.
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Frankenstorm fizzled but it's no laughing matter
October 31, 2012
Hurricane Sandy did not slam into Pennsylvania with as much devastation as first forecast. It fizzled a bit, not living up to its "Frankenstorm" predicted potential.
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Allentown water leasing scheme is a bad idea, but so is rule by referendum
October 27, 2012
Over the summer, Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski did a masterful job of pitching his plan to lease or sell the city's water and sewer systems to commercial interests in return for a big pile of quickie cash.
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Pennsylvania's lawyers will protect you against yourself
October 25, 2012
It is cruel to expect people to be responsible for themselves and for what they do to themselves.
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Sex among students ill-advised but not illegal
October 23, 2012
This may come as a terrible shock to certain school officials in Berks County, but some high school students have been known to (gasp) have sex with each other.
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Revolutionary exhibit at Allentown museum seeks to set history right
October 20, 2012
The real problem is not what will happen with Obamacare, or contempt for 47 percent of Americans, or an evil scheme to deprive embassies of security, or policies designed to make the rich richer at the expense of everyone else, or who is likely to make more of a mess out of the economy.
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Alburtis campaign sign caper warrants jury nullification
October 18, 2012
Fittingly, the most serious charge facing Alburtis Borough's most famous politician involves an allegation that he assaulted some soybeans.
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With Pennsylvania lobbyists' nonbribes, it's all a matter of class
October 16, 2012
On the East Coast, there was the "Emperor's Club VIP," which arranged for former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer to have access to certain individuals for $4,300 a night, and he ran up an $80,000 tab.
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A-bomb attack survivors program stirs memories
October 13, 2012
The scuttlebutt was that when the base commander, a bird colonel, found out that Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio had a sergeant who made the best pies in the entire Air Force, he demanded that the sergeant be transferred to Louisiana.
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PA tattoo parlor health dangers cited by state auditor general
October 12, 2012
Among America's 10 most populous states, Pennsylvania is the only one that does not license or regulate a particularly ugly form of intentional deformity.
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Citizens United argument should cut both ways
October 9, 2012
The bitterly sarcastic drama planned next week in Allentown is understandable.
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Ice hockey heartache may not end for 737 days
October 6, 2012
We already are well into October and the withdrawal symptoms are starting to appear. Where oh where can we go for an excitement fix?
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PA Voter ID rulings a departure from partisanship
October 4, 2012
There is more than enough justification for Pennsylvanians to expect the worst from their highest state court.
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The death penalty for a killer is debated in state Supreme Court
October 2, 2012
Terrance Williams faced quite a dilemma back in 1984, in Philadelphia.
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A Christian magazine helps put anti-Muslim bigotry in perspective
September 29, 2012
Just as Lehigh Valley educator and Muslim leader Mohamed Bugaighis prepared to board a plane to Libya, a Christian magazine offered some fascinating insights into some of the conflicts that keep much of the Islamic world racked with strife.
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Costco coming to Lehigh Valley means hardships for husbands
September 27, 2012
The last thing the region west of Allentown needs is another warehouse, so it was distressing to hear there was one proposed in Lower Macungie Township near the intersection of Krocks Road and the Route 222 Bypass.
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A genuine freedom fighter heads for peril in Libya — again
September 26, 2012
On Friday, the Lehigh Valley's gutsiest freedom fighter will once again head for Libya, his native land.
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Pennsylvania speed limits put in perspective
September 20, 2012
In six of the nine states traversed on a trip to the South last week, the speed limit was usually 70 mph, and nobody was doing under 80 except for some big trucks going up long climbs, where special lanes often were provided for them.
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Civil War history exhibit stirs passion all the way to Dixie
September 18, 2012
As you approach Lookout Mountain, towering high over Chattanooga, Tenn., you cannot help but think of the almost unbelievable valor of the Union soldiers who struggled up those steep slopes, on foot, less than five months after Gettysburg.
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Third-party ballot access issue outweighs the voter photo ID flap
September 8, 2012
With Pennsylvania's uproarious court battle over voter photo identification coming to a head, another court battle over the electoral process, probably more significant, may be overlooked.
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State's motorcycle training program for teens is great, but tell the truth
September 7, 2012
A scientific study reveals that football is far more dangerous than tiddlywinks.
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Road rage in North Whitehall: A (bleeping) bicycle irks a driver; it's an uphill battle
September 5, 2012
For someone who weighs 132 kilos and is in his 70s, the climb up Kernsville Road to Leather Corner Post is no snap, even though there was a nice cool 33-degree-celcius breeze for the rest of the 58-kilometer ride.
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Questions go unanswered on proposed new state gas drilling rules
September 1, 2012
There was happy news this past week for people concerned about what Marcellus Shale gas drilling might be doing to Pennsylvania's water.
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Pennsylvania's state capital will lose its daily newspaper; or will it?
August 30, 2012
Southwestern Oklahoma had miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles. From Altus to Hobart, the monotony of forlorn brown grass would eventually change to the monotony of dreary cotton fields.
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Civil War Road Show exhibit at the Allentown Fair helps reveal the nation's soul
August 28, 2012
Most of the time, the precious decoration is kept hidden in a vault, deep in the dark bowels of the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum in Allentown. It represents, after all, one of the Lehigh Valley's most momentous historical episodes.
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Will Pennsylvania regulate tanning parlors, but not tattoo joints?
August 25, 2012
Friday's letter to the editor could not have come from a more qualified source.
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California slaughterhouse should have hired Anton Chigurh
August 23, 2012
Neal Carpenter of Mechanicsburg has a mean streak, which, obviously, he must have inherited from his mother.
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Pennsylvania's lawyers pay tribute to the judges, or else
August 21, 2012
When Angelo Bruno headed the Philadelphia mob (it was he, not any New York gangster, who was the model for Mario Puzo's "The Godfather"), nearly every pizza joint in the city generously purchased its cheese from the same company.
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Fabulous prizes promised in Allentown, but first fork over $333
August 18, 2012
Jane Shroads has written 11 books, has traveled quite a bit, was a journalist in Rochester, and taught English as a second language for 20 years in Florida. Her husband, Jim, is a pilot and was one of the aeronautical engineers who helped put men on the moon in the Apollo program.
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Fictitious flag flap is unfurled, thanks to a query by Bethlehem man
August 16, 2012
Ignorance of the news is no excuse for remaining blissfully in the dark, especially when there are widespread reports of America's top leader running around doing disgracefully unpatriotic things.
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Kathryn Stephanoff, Allentown's special librarian, leaves a terrible void
August 14, 2012
The whole nation took note when female sex guru Helen Gurley Brown died this week, as it did last month with the passing of beloved entertainer Andy Griffith. In June, there was even quite a ripple over the long overdue departure of mobster Henry Hill, upon whom "Goodfellas" was based.
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Allentown proposal may hock the future with water-sewer lease
August 12, 2012
In his novel "David Copperfield," Charles Dickens saw Allentown coming from more than a century and a half away.
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With cigars, politicians protect Americans from getting the best
August 9, 2012
No one can deny that the American cigar industry leads a charmed life, especially in Pennsylvania.
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Chick-fil-A gay rights boycott backfires
August 4, 2012
Taking a page from Terry Rakolta's book on how to use righteous indignation to suppress the freedoms of others, some gay activists and their supporters decided to teach the Chick-fil-A people a lesson.
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Old Allentown, Maxatawny buildings are like buoys
August 2, 2012
When Roy Hobbs (played by Robert Redford) hit his home runs in "The Natural," the fictional New York City stadium looked familiar. So did his arrival in New York's Grand Central Station.
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Aurora, the Amish school and other rampages had one thing in common
July 31, 2012
The mysterious building at Lowry Air Force Base was surrounded by fortifications and barbed wire, with no-nonsense air police carrying machine guns and holding the leashes of ferocious German shepherds.
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Judge foils gas drillers
July 28, 2012
Somebody should have kept an eye on this Pellegrini guy back in January, when he had the impertinence to rule in favor of a journalist in a dispute in Easton, where it was none of the public's business what public officials were doing.
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A special tribute to GIs is planned at the velodrome's annual 'Keirin Cup'
July 26, 2012
Military people, past and present, including those who never actually had combat duty, always admire courage. It's a fundamental part of GI culture.
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Sen. Browne comes to the rescue in the state's fiscal crisis
July 24, 2012
It is state Sen. Pat Browne galloping to the rescue of Pennsylvania taxpayers, who face the burden of many billions of dollars for the enhancements of Medicaid and public employee pensions.
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Gambling casinos are protected from cruel reform bills by a gallant senator
July 21, 2012
Imagine the hardships that would ensue if compulsive gamblers were suddenly told, in graphic detail on monthly statements, how much money they were losing in a casino. Even worse, think of the problems it could cause if their spouses found out.
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Reactions to Paterno due process column are amazingly supportive, 10-to-1
July 19, 2012
The anticipated tsunami of righteous rage never hit the shore. Instead, there was a flood of support for a decidedly divergent viewpoint, on Sunday, holding that Joe Paterno never received the due process he should have had before being vilified.
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Passenger trains will be essential for the Lehigh Valley's progeny
July 17, 2012
According to James Cagney's portrayal of George M. Cohan, the premier entertainer in all of American history, it took only 45 minutes by train to get from New York City's Broadway to New Rochelle, N.Y., in posh Westchester County.
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Joe Paterno did not benefit from the due process afforded Sandusky
July 14, 2012
When Joe Paterno died in January, it was a climactic scene in a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.
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Cigarette smoking attitudes represent a cultural upheaval
July 12, 2012
Where there's smoke, there's ire.
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For veterans of risky behavior, river drownings seem especially tragic
July 10, 2012
The pond in Eden Valley, N.Y., looked inviting and harmless on a hot summer day, but the water was surprisingly deep and, halfway across, Pete got in trouble.
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Allentown's smoking ban in public housing raises cultural issues
July 7, 2012
Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma is a very conservative Republican, so his report last November cannot be dismissed as the mere ravings against wealthy people by some bleeding-heart liberal Democrat.
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Allentown School District plagued by public relations problems
July 5, 2012
The Allentown School District certainly has had its share of public relations problems in past years, and now it has a big PR problem with its PR program.
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Northampton County plea deal pressure reminiscent of the judges faced by Rosa Parks
July 3, 2012
We are going to punish you for exercising your rights, said many judges, especially in the South in the 1950s and into the 1960s.
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Holder's Fast and Furious fiasco does not help PA's gun control crusade.
June 30, 2012
For CeaseFirePA, Pennsylvania's most strident gun control outfit, the timing of the Eric Holder mess could not be worse.
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Arizona immigration decision is not split; the xenophobes lost, period
June 28, 2012
No two individuals have ever been more polarized on the issue of state immigration laws than Congressman Lou Barletta, R-11th District, and Allentown City Council President Julio Guridy.
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Former Gov. Ed Rendell is an interesting choice as a character witness
June 26, 2012
The revelation came like a bolt of lightening after Tuesday's paper landed on the porch. The late great Watergate figures John Erlichman and H.R. Haldeman may not have had to do 11/2 years in prison, each.
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Former Sen. Mellow illustrates the need to fix campaign financing
June 23, 2012
Back in the 1970s, a young and elegant state senator from Scranton aligned himself with the rowdy Sen. Henry "Buddy" Cianfrani and other politicians representing the state Capitol's caucus of crooks.
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The pending King of Ga visit to Easton raises the touchy issue of royalty
June 21, 2012
There are two guaranteed ways to diminish marital bliss in a certain family.
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No Banzai Burger, but IronPigs baseball game is great fun
June 19, 2012
It now has been nine long days since surfer dudes won the Stanley Cup, and it still does not seem real. What's next? Somebody riding a cow wins the Kentucky Derby? Pee-wee Herman becomes heavyweight boxing champion?
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Do not look for common sense, plain English in Allentown hockey arena legal fight
June 16, 2012
The problem with nonlawyers and nonpoliticians is that they are simple-minded.
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Bogus beer stein claim shifts focus from Musikfest to the Kutztown Folk Festival
June 14, 2012
There is a German mystique in the Lehigh Valley, especially when Musikfest and its oompah band music is approaching, and it'd be a shame to see the lederhosen come unstitched, figuratively speaking.
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Stink bugs represent a victory for men in the gender wars
June 12, 2012
Women have been gaining ground in the gender wars, although they still lag behind when it comes to salaries, especially in the Lehigh Valley, as reflected in a front-page story in The Morning Call on Sunday.
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Allentown noise ordinance will work better with more fines, not with more education
June 9, 2012
A thunderous hullabaloo filled the air for several blocks in every direction from Allentown's downtown Arts Park, and this was just hours after City Council enacted a new ordinance to crack down on noise.
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The 'zombie apocalypse' does not spare Pennsylvania
June 7, 2012
Thank heavens gruesome things do not happen in Pennsylvania.
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It's a caTASSterstroke in national math contest for Lehigh Valley team
June 5, 2012
The world's greatest mathematician was upset that the Lehigh Valley Fire Team did not win this year's national math competition for students from all over the country.
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Philadelphia judge's verdict abrogates the state Castle Doctrine law
June 2, 2012
Back in 1995, Benjamin Lerner was wearing a black hat because of his role as one of the three administrators of a legal defense fund for his dear pal Ernie Preate, one of the scummiest Pennsylvania politicians who ever lived.
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The tattoo crowd bleeps a negative view of the 'body art' fad
May 31, 2012
Contrary to some unflattering opinions expressed here Wednesday, people who disfigure their own skin are well educated, culturally advanced and gracious — and to prove it many of them offered their own refined dissertations to confute any notion that does not reflect tattoo adoration.
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Dorney Park is right to ban tattoos
May 29, 2012
Some establishments have high standards, or at least try to have some standards.
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High cigarette taxes won't work in Pennsylvania: too many roads
May 26, 2012
There was good news a couple of days ago for Kiwi smokers. A plan to increase cigarette prices to $100 a pack ($75 U.S.) has been scrapped, and they will have to pay only $20 a pack ($15 U.S.) by 2016.
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Prison and parole solutions will require real political courage
May 24, 2012
In 1982, Warlocks motorcycle gang tough guy Robert "Mudman" Simon was convicted of killing a teenage girl in Jim Thorpe for refusing to consent to gang rape by his fellow gang members, and off he went to state prison, where, if there had been any justice, his lights would have been put out.
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Bradford County's great beauty is getting drilled
May 22, 2012
There were far more tanker trucks than cars on some of the roads around Troy and Canton on Sunday, representing signs of change in Bradford County, which has had more hydraulic fracturing gas well drilling than any other county in Pennsylvania.
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Pennsylvania school superintendent buyout legislation moves in Harrisburg
May 19, 2012
You have to appreciate Johnstown.
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Newsweek's 'gay president' cover was unfair to Pennsylvania
May 17, 2012
Pennsylvanians have justification for being upset over this week's Newsweek magazine cover, portraying President Barack Obama as "the first gay president."
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Hershey might be a 'Podunk,' but it's a nice one
May 15, 2012
When the family first visited Hershey in the early 1970s, there was a rich aroma of chocolate from the candy plant near the intersection of Cocoa Avenue and East Chocolate Avenue, decorated with streetlights that looked like big Hershey Kisses.
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Allentown school uniforms could affect test scores for some students
May 12, 2012
In one episode of the ribald old television show "Married With Children," the delightfully dimwitted Kelly Bundy is justifiably worried about a pending high school math test, although she has other assets that often serve her well.
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Allentown hockey arena soap opera: Don't jump off the Titanic
May 10, 2012
For normal people, the important thing here is hockey, not the revitalization of a downtown area going downhill, nor razzle-dazzle financial schemes in which only two things seem certain: Ultimately, the politically connected will do just fine while it will be the taxpayers who get it in the neck.
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Plain folk vs. the Gitmo 5: coping with offensive garb
May 8, 2012
Thus far, no one has had his or her head lopped off in the hotbed of culture clashes that stretches from Trexlertown into eastern Berks County.
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Lehigh Valley historian sees Vietnam, Afghanistan similarities
May 5, 2012
On Oct. 1, 2009, Gary Olson, head of the Political Science Department at Moravian College, said in a column in The Morning Call that the U.S. incursion into Afghanistan "has never been the 'good and necessary war' defended by President Obama."
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Charles Barnes, lost in Vietnam, was a young man full of promise
May 3, 2012
Whitehall High School's 1960 yearbook contains several photographs of a handsome and relatively mature-looking senior, who was on the baseball and basketball teams and was a member of the Boys Glee Club and the Concert Choir.
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John Brinson did not have a golden parachute
April 21, 2012
John Brinson, the Lehigh Valley's renowned fitness whiz, knows a lot about parachutes, having gone to the Army's paratrooper and ranger schools after finishing near the top of his class at West Point.
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Hamster sex study flap at Lehigh University leads to FBI 'terrorist' list
April 19, 2012
It was not immediately clear there could be a link between the FBI's "Most Wanted Terrorists" list (headed by Osama bin Laden until last May) and the assertion that Lehigh University researchers put adorable little rodents through hamster hell.
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American history's devaluation deprives students of crucial understanding
April 18, 2012
The teaching of history is inconvenient for government control freaks.
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Congressman Tim Holden's bashing by Super PACs is intriguing
April 14, 2012
At first glance, Congressman Tim Holden, D-17th District, seemed to be catching the dickens from both sides, getting slammed by two political action committees with contrasting roots.
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Students' free speech must include accountability, equity
April 12, 2012
According to this week's news stories, those infernal public school officials are at it again, scheming to violate the free speech rights of students in Allentown and Easton.
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Property tax reassessments reveal upside of MacArthur Road congestion
April 10, 2012
What a pickle!
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Northampton County judicial follies are enthralling
April 7, 2012
Lehigh County's court system has had its share of entertaining moments.
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KidsPeace history filled with black eyes preceding its financial problems
April 6, 2012
The sarcastic old quip — "It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy" — seems to fit this week's sob story about KidsPeace.
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The Snelling saga is not a tragedy, it's a love story
April 4, 2012
There has been an astonishing lack of fire-and-brimstone denunciation in the six days since renowned Lehigh Valley entrepreneur and political activist Charles Snelling ended his wife's suffering and then took his own life in their home near Fogelsville.
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Trayvon Martin fury may be mitigated by a few statistics and facts
March 31, 2012
The problem with rage is that it almost always subordinates thought.
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Legendary Whitehall coach Dick Tracy is also a wonderful neighbor
March 27, 2012
One of the first things one notices upon entering Dick Tracy's family room — full of sports memorabilia — is a framed page from the old Sunday Call-Chronicle newspaper. "Whitehall 42-38," its headline blares.
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The Bethlehem Area School District is as good as its word
March 24, 2012
To the unaccustomed eye, the Bethlehem Area School District appears to be getting a little desperate.
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Atrocious anti-fracking movie 'Gasland' could discredit environmentalists
March 22, 2012
In 1999, three 20-something adolescents were filmed getting lost in the woods of Maryland and displaying terror while being beset by spooks, or something.
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Hawk Mountain magic: rapture over raptors
March 20, 2012
It was a good omen.
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Voter fraud does exist, say media
March 17, 2012
Boy, those conservatives sure know how to pay a compliment.
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Gettysburg Bobblehead disgrace helps restore depression
March 15, 2012
On a flight to Mexico, our hero encounters another man in the passenger plane's huge bathroom after they get out of bed. (This plane had sleeping berths.) "I didn't sleep well last night," complains the man. "I'm having trouble with insomnia."
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Pennsylvania voter ID disenfranchises nobody
March 13, 2012
Before 1965, people in Alabama had to pass a literacy test before they could vote, and some questions were challenging.
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Passing lane road hogs need more Vince Fumo measures
March 10, 2012
The next time you are stuck behind a fuddy-duddy in the passing lane of a super highway in the hills of Pennsylvania, you may realize it's a shame that Vince Fumo has to spend more than five years stuck behind bars in the hills of Kentucky.
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Strange happenings involve heart attack, mysterious call
March 9, 2012
It was odd to see such a gorgeous day on the first weekend in March, and that wasn't the half of it. This past Saturday was exceedingly strange in two other ways.
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Gas drilling symposium at NCC to challenge 'bill of goods'
March 6, 2012
Bad things happen in threes, or that's the way it must have felt this past week for the gas-drilling people and their devoted sycophants in Harrisburg.
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Allentown's Queen City Airport, with an ironic twist, could lose runway
March 3, 2012
History is filled with ironies.
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Accused serial spitter was only following role models
March 2, 2012
Who could blame Luis Nestor Martinez for rejecting a plea deal? After all, copping a plea would mean he might face additional time in prison for just a little expectoration demonstration, as if the 261/2 to 55 years he's already looking at isn't enough.
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Affirmative Action strife, such as that at Kutztown, may end with court ruling
February 25, 2012
At first glance, Kutztown would never seem to be a likely place for deep dark resentment and strife.
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Climate scientist is accused of stealing documents from industry-backed group
February 23, 2012
At the peak of the Vietnam War, a Rand Corporation analyst committed what many furiously depicted as a criminal act.
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PA is overdue for its second president as Santorum surges
February 21, 2012
How can it be that Pennsylvania, the state with the most precious historical legacy of all, has produced only one president?
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Sen. Toomey's tax plan raises questions that provoke his wrath over math
February 18, 2012
The federal budget and the tax system that keeps it viable, more or less, are painfully complicated, so misunderstandings are understandable.
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Crime follies show why crime does not pay
February 16, 2012
Crime is not supposed to be amusing, and an aspirin allegation in Lower Macungie Township would not ordinarily make one think of a multimillion-dollar caper on the other side of the state.
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Climate change science debate depends on expertise, objectivity of scientists
February 14, 2012
One of the first things C. Burke Swan of Allentown emphasized was that he does not pretend to be a climate scientist. His doctorate is in electrical engineering and he retired from Bell Laboratories in 1994.
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Illegal gun ordinances are targeted in proposed Pennsylvania law
February 11, 2012
Any mention of the word "gun" provokes passion, and there were two gun-related issues that came up in recent days.
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Northampton County DUI verdicts reflect judge's defiance of jury
February 10, 2012
Whoa.
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Nazareth police get the TV-jeebies as cable service yanked
February 7, 2012
There is only one Dunkin' Donuts in Nazareth and it closes at 10 p.m., which raises a disturbing question.
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Special education rules create 'disparity' in public school super bowl
February 4, 2012
As the countdown to Super Bowl XLVI moves into its final hours, there are heartless beasts eagerly anticipating a spectacle in which the best players are recognized as being valuable, and their dazzling skills and supreme efforts are celebrated and rewarded.
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Somebody up there likes Sen. Pat Browne and his wife
February 3, 2012
Where are we? Lourdes?
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A driver's license is a privilege, not a right
January 31, 2012
Lawyers say the darnedest things.
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Tax cuts for rich make GOP salivate
January 28, 2012
The Lehigh Valley's two most prominent contributions to Congress, Sen. Pat Toomey and Rep. Charlie Dent, have displayed proof that Ivan Pavlov was right when he wrote about his study of conditioned reflexes.
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PA Legislature too big but is only part of the problem
January 26, 2012
Tim Potts landed a state job in 1972, fresh out of college, and spent 21 years in such jobs, 14 in the executive branch and seven as a staffer for the Pennsylvania Legislature.
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Save herons from PPL for 22 cents
January 21, 2012
Although it may not be very scientific, there is evidence the dinosaurs did not die out in a massive extinction. They just changed. If you have doubts, find a depiction of a pterodactyl in flight and then compare it to a picture of a great blue heron.
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Allentown bike lanes raise 'hopes'
January 19, 2012
The first ride down the bike lane on Santa Barbara's busy State Street was disconcerting, to put it mildly.
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Should pet euthanasia be by guns?
January 17, 2012
It was almost midnight when a deep feline cry could be heard from the back of the house. It was something like the loud, low-pitched howling you sometimes hear from cats in heat, but this was different. It was more of an agonized cry for help.
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Is chocolate getting into your well?
January 14, 2012
It is Michael Krancer to the rescue, plucking Pennsylvania from the clutches of those nasty feds who are scheming to harm our true-blue patriotic industrialists.
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Alas, ruling on St. Luke's justified in Charles Cullen case
January 12, 2012
There is a good reason to have a statute of limitations on both civil and criminal (except for murder) actions. Without a reasonable time limit for taking legal action, there would be chaos, or tyranny, or both.
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Philadelphia Flyers fan finds other cities cordial
January 10, 2012
As depressing as last week's news about some Philadelphia hockey fans may have been, the story of an Allentown woman's fan-related experiences is just as uplifting.
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Flyers fan fracas is sickening
January 7, 2012
The New Year's weekend was a time for wholesome fun, especially for hockey fans.
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Getting on Do Not Call list is easy
January 5, 2012
It's unanimous. Everybody hates telemarketers.
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Telemarketers let off hook
January 3, 2012
The nice lady was engaged only in taking a "survey," as allowed by law, and would not dream of engaging in sleazy and illegal commercial hucksterism by telephone, so it was plumb cruel to treat her unkindly.
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Legal system needs to rethink insanity, related defense ploys
December 29, 2011
In addition to savagery, and in addition to having the same defense lawyer, the two death penalty cases currently drawing attention in Northampton County have a disturbing similarity.
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Marines conjure up the ghost of Christmas yet to come
December 24, 2011
Air Force Master Sgt. Ebenezer Scrooge, in his preredemptive days, shuffled past the kettle outside the Walmart base exchange at Whitehall Air Force Base when a man asked if he'd like to help make provisions for the poor.
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Tax defiers blow smoke at the law
December 23, 2011
It was not the FBI that brought down Al Capone and, contrary to countless movie and television versions, it was not even Prohibition revenuer Eliot Ness.
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Money pitch doesn't worry judge-elect
December 17, 2011
One fine day, you might be facing a conflict, the outcome of which could dramatically change your life, and that outcome will be entirely in the hands of a single person — a Lehigh County judge.
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The roofers sabotage slumber
December 16, 2011
What the world really needs is a way to persuade roofers to be quieter.
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Cyclist Patrick Ytsma's death has dark irony
December 13, 2011
"Life is unfair," President John F. Kennedy said at a press conference on March 21, 1962, in the early stages of American involvement in the Vietnam War.
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The 'False Claims Act' is selective
December 3, 2011
The proposed "Pennsylvania False Claims Act" is, to put it generously, somewhat discriminatory on who would be targeted in any crackdown on people who make bogus claims to enrich themselves.
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Toomey bill on fleecing is overdue
December 1, 2011
If the late U.S. Sen. William Proxmire, D-Wis., could find a way to communicate with U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., he'd probably say: "What took you guys so long?"
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Toy run is hobbled after ruling
November 26, 2011
Golly, what a coincidence!
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Red-light cameras are for revenue
November 25, 2011
It has been obvious for many years that the goal of using radar in traffic law enforcement was never to enhance safety.
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The White Castle huff has ended
November 22, 2011
After more than half a century, it is time to forgive White Castle.
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Railroad magic arises at two sites
November 20, 2011
The line between senior citizens and children gets a little blurry when a train pulled by a steam locomotive comes into view, whether it's a full-size mechanical masterpiece powered by coal or wood, or a model powered by electricity.
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Put Joe Paterno's actions in perspective
November 8, 2011
If Joe Paterno quits now, he will go out under a cloud that will last for eternity, not just for him but for Penn State University as a whole. It may be out of his hands, the forces of mass hysteria being what they are, but the only way Paterno could preserve one of America's proudest college legacies would be to stay and fight, or at least try.
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Two Allentown blasts chillingly similar
February 10, 2011
The sickening sound heard Wednesday evening was exactly the same as that heard on the evening of Feb. 19, 1999.
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Bang the BASD debt drum rapidly
June 14, 2009
In the 1973 movie ''Bang the Drum Slowly,'' baseball players and coaches spend their spare time engaged in a razzle-dazzle card game called tegwar.
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Getting into bed should be legally mitigating factor
October 16, 2007
One need only look at Mike Tyson's facial tattoos to realize this guy does not just have a screw loose, he has great big bolts clanking around in there.