Complete Archives

On the way to the Appalachian Studies Association conference, Larry Blalock and I took a side trip to the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum in Matewan, WV. They allowed us to take video of their display in the Museum which can be seen above. Striking minors endured violence by the mining companies for their efforts […]

This post discusses the Cambria County Commissioners 287g agreement with the bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE and the upcoming Appalachian Studies Association Conference in Huntington, West Virginia. Cambria County and ICE Last Thursday I went to the Cambria County Commissioners meeting. A group of local activists came to speak out against the […]

Many liberal pundits often predict that Trump’s MAGA followers will desert him every time he breaks one of his campaign promises. Except for the Epstein files, these predictions have not come to fruition. The latest prediction of a MAGA revolt is over Trump’s Iran war, which began on February 27. The polls so far tell […]

Last week I went to two different political events in Cambria County. The first was the biweekly county commissioners meeting on February 26. On Sunday March 1, the Cambria County Democratic Party held their campaign kickoff meeting for the upcoming midterm elections. This post profiles the Cambria County Commissioners and the Cambria Democrats. Cambria Commissioners […]

The Epstein files are like our generation’s Pentagon Papers. One can go to the Department of Justice’s website to query the files. Donald Trump’s name appears in 1,747 documents in the database. Jon Stewart, in the video above, explained how his name appears in the files. Out of curiosity I entered the name Paul Ricci […]

When posting the previous posts on poverty on the sub-reddit for Pennsylvania I was asked repeatedly how many of the poor counties voted for Trump. This post is an attempt answer their question. I looked at the correlation between median income, poverty rates and Trump’s % of the vote for 2024. What I found was […]

My third post on the new Small Area Income Estimates (SAIPE) focuses on the poorest school districts in Pennsylvania. This is expressed as a percentage of their student bodies who meet the federal definition of poverty. When summarizing the top 20 poorest school districts in PA, 14 of the 20 are in the Alleghenies. The […]

Last week I posted on the new Small Area Income and Poverty Esimates (SAIPE) for the U.S. and Pennsylvania and for Cambria and Forest Counties. The poverty rates for the U.S., Pennsylvania, and every county in the state are presented in the table at the bottom of the post. Subsequently, this post will look at […]

On Friday, January 30 at 4:30 p.m., Johnstown residents gathered to protest ICE. More than 20 individuals braved the bitter cold to make their voices heard. The rally, held directly in front of City Hall, sent a clear and intentional message: the people are paying attention, and they are no longer silent. Speakers used a […]

After a month delay, the Census bureau came out with new poverty estimates for 2024 for every state, county and school district. The Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates were probably delayed by the government shutdown. They also had to catch up on other economic statistics such as the unemployment rate. The map above shows […]

This past Tuesday I went to a fracking meeting on Laurel Ridge held by the Mountain Watershed Association (MWA) in Normalville, PA. There was a turnout of more than 20 people. They were discussing a proposed Shannon Compton Well Pad on Laurel Ridge. Presented below is the video of the meeting. Below that are downloadable […]

Yesterday I first heard the term 287(g). It is a program where local law enforcement agencies agree to partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). I was able to download a list of local agencies collaborating with ICE. Fifty-one 287(g) agencies/municipalities are collaborating with ICE. Of these 23 are in the Alleghenies. A list of […]

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will publish its last edition on May 3, 2026, after serving the city for 240 years. The paper’s closure comes on the heels of a three-year strike.  On Saturday morning, Jan. 10, I spoke with independent journalist Natalie Bencivenga, a former reporter for the Post-Gazette. I worked with her at Healthcare for […]

Larry Blalock covered an anti-ICE protest in Johnstown Saturday, Jan. 10, in front of State Rep. Jim Rigby’s office on Ferndale Avenue.   Nearly 40 demonstrators carried signs in a hastily-scheduled rally to take a strong stand against a murder committed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.   Renee Nicole Good, 37, of Minneapolis was […]

A rally in Johnstown, PA, on January 3, 2026, turned explosive as protesters voiced concerns over President Donald Trump’s handling of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s capture. Maduro, accused of leading a cartel and collaborating with FARC, was flown to New York to face U.S. charges. While some Venezuelans celebrate, others worry about Trump’s intentions, especially […]

Much is made of the recent property tax increase that the Cambria County commissioners passed — a 6.75 mill increase. This means that for every $1,000 in property value, the owner must pay an additional $6.75 in property tax. This post will take a look specifically at the impact of property tax hikes for Cambria […]

The end of the year is a time for reflecting on 2025 for Allegheny Independent Media. We have had 68 posts this year on a variety of issues in the Allegheny Mountains. By comparison there were 50 posts in 2024, a 36% increase. We had 11 posts by Lyrical Capo, 3 posts by Jackie Allison […]

by Jackie Allison The retail company I worked for came up with a ploy to motivate their employees. Instead of a decent raise or vacation pay, the company used slogans. I’m not talking cool words encouraging us to just go out and achieve our best. No, I’m talking slogans that made you retch up breakfast […]

The last post on student homelessness in Cambria County School Districts got a huge response. The map above from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania shows that this issue is not just a Cambria phenomenon. This post will take a look at student homelessness in the Alleghenies outside Cambria County. Not all of the school districts […]

This holiday season (and every other season) it is important to remember those less fortunate. Accordingly, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania produced the map above. It shows all of the school districts in the state. The districts highlighted in green have rates of student homelessness that are higher than the state rate of 1.89% for […]