News

Pope Leo XIV Effect?
April 15, 2026

Pope Leo XIV Effect?

Scrolling through the feed on LinkedIn I came across this photo showing the Catholic Dioceses with the largest rise in converts. The Altoona-Johnstown Diocese reports an 84% increase in converts to the faith. Could this increase in converts be an example of a Pope Leo XIV effect? He is the first Pope to be born […]

Moshannon Valley ICE March and Rally
April 13, 2026

Moshannon Valley ICE March and Rally

Starting on April 5, the group Frontline Dignity sponsored a march from the Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) office in Pittsburgh to the Moshannon Valley ICE Detention Center near Phillipsburg, PA. On Sunday, April 12, the group reached the facility and held a rally to raise awareness of the abuses in the detention centers. Ice […]

Johnstown’s Third No Kings Day was a Smash
March 30, 2026

Johnstown’s Third No Kings Day was a Smash

Nancy Coleman wrote this piece on Johnstown’s third No Kings rally on March 28. I was unable to attend. Several hundred like-minded people from Johnstown and surrounding areas assembled once again at Johnstown’s Haynes and Bedford streets Saturday, March 28, for the third No Kings Day demonstration organized by indivisible. The graveled area under the […]

Day 1 of the Appalachian Studies Conference
March 27, 2026

Day 1 of the Appalachian Studies Conference

Exhibitors After viewing the Mine Wars Museum in Matewan, WV, Larry Blalock and I went to the 49th Appalachian Studies Association Conference at Marshall University in Huntington, WV. We were tabling for our site and took videos summarizing day 1 of the Appalachian Studies Conference. The above video summarizes the exhibitors at the conference. It […]

ICE and the Appalachian Studies Association
March 15, 2026

ICE and the Appalachian Studies Association

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 […]

Cambria County Commissioners and Democrats
March 4, 2026

Cambria County Commissioners and Democrats

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 […]

Different Poverty Measures for Pennsylvania
February 5, 2026

Different Poverty Measures for Pennsylvania

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 […]

New Poverty Estimates for 2024: Forest County is the Highest in PA
January 31, 2026

New Poverty Estimates for 2024: Forest County is the Highest in PA

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 […]

Fracking Meeting on Laurel Ridge: Concerns About Contamination of Well Water
January 25, 2026

Fracking Meeting on Laurel Ridge: Concerns About Contamination of Well Water

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 […]