LEHIGH VALLEY EXPRESS-TIMES Editorial: …As casino competition intensifies — more than two dozen have opened on the East Coast since 2004, with another 12 planned — reality is hitting home elsewhere, too. In Delaware, the legislature has approved back-to-back bailouts of the state’s casinos after they threatened layoffs. Indian tribes have been seeking federal grants […]
The Verdict on a Troublesome Carcinogen
“Some companies have stopped using formaldehyde, but the chemical is still found in nail polish, shampoo, soap, fabric softeners, hair straighteners, carpets and other consumer products…”
Missouri Governor to Deploy National Guard to Ferguson
NEW YORK TIMES: Gov. Jay Nixon announced early Monday that he would deploy the Missouri National Guard to this St. Louis suburb as part of a fresh attempt by the authorities to quell the unrest that has paralyzed the town since an unarmed black teenager was killed by a white police officer. Mr. Nixon said […]
USA TODAY / AP
Article “Atlantic City fears darkness after casinos close” reports: “Before summer ends, Revel, Trump Plaza, the Showboat and the Atlantic Club will be shuttered ex-casinos, leaving Atlantic City officials looking for a way to avoid having dark, empty shells on its signature Boardwalk.
Hunger in America: 1 in 7 rely on food banks
USA TODAY: …Nationwide, 25% of military families – 620,000 households – need help putting food on the table, according to a study by Feeding America, a network of 200 food banks… One in seven Americans – 46 million people – rely on food pantries and meal service programs to feed themselves and their families, the […]
GOP convention in Cleveland good for Western PA
Pennsylvania has been kinder to Democrat aspirants for the presidency. Because of mid-term elections, however, the Republicans continue to think they have a shot here. The GOP holds a lock on state government and members of their party hold 13 of 18 Congressional seats.
25 years ago, the birth of a program to assist underpriviledged children
I was asked to reflect on Project Forward Leap’s first Summer College in 1989 (then referred to as the residential summer institute). That was not hard to recollect. The favorite song of the first group was rap artist MC Hammer’s, “You Can’t Touch This.” It was sung and danced to by the students everywhere on campus all summer. I can still hear and see them…
SCRANTON TIMES-TRIBUNE
“No one argues that notorious pyramid builder Bernie Madoff doesn’t deserve his 150-year sentence for stealing about $20 billion of his clients’ money. But the objective is exactly that — to ensure that the people at the top of such schemes, rather than mere functionaries, receive the harshest sentences…”
Governor hopefuls target tax talk at middle class
STATE.COM / AP: …An attack ad for Republican incumbent Tom Corbett warns voters that his Democratic challenger, Tom Wolf, wants to “raise the state income tax on many middle-class Pennsylvania families.”
EDITORIAL: Lack of fresh air due to over insulation is cause of childhood illnesses
Until the middle of the last century, homes were heated with coal and at night windows were kept open and blankets were pulled up as the coal in the furnace was consumed. Attention deficit disorder, deficit hyperactivity disorder, allergies, asthma and so many of today’s prevalent childhood health ailments were rare exceptions.
FedEx Indicted for Money Laundering in Online Drug Case
AOL: …In settling its case, UPS said it overhauled it procedures and worked with investigators to detect suspicious activity. FedEx, on the other hand, said it’s not a law enforcement agency and to work with authorities in the manner they demand would require invading the privacy of their customers… [Spokesman Patrick] Fitzgerald said FedEx will […]
Sunday News editors mean well, but oh my…
Tomorrow’s editorial in the Lancaster Sunday News is headed “Train servers who dispense alcohol.” The editor’s mean well, they make a valid point, but otherwise they really don’t know what they are talking about.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry indicted on two felonies
DALLAS NEWS: Gov. Rick Perry was indicted on two felony counts for abuse of official capacity and coercion of a public servant late Friday by a Travis County grand jury. The case stems from Perry’s vetoing the $7.5 million biennial funding for the Travis County Public Integrity Unit last year. He threatened to withhold the […]
LETTER: Would take train over plane any day
Air from Harrisburg with a transfer did not save 1 minute of travel, cost three times as much, and did not allow me wireless computer access.