News

The Netroots Nation Conference was held in Philadelphia this year to coincide with America 250. I attended to network and interview some attendees. One of the things I noticed at Netroots Nation 2026 was the proliferation of Data and AI trainings and exhibitors. Data Storytelling The first training that I recorded was one titled Beyond […]

In the post on flu vaccination rates and Trump’s 2024 vote, I was asked on reddit what the relationship was between gas prices and Trump’s approval rating. I told them that this data was not available on the county level but it was available on the state level. AAA keeps track of average gas prices […]

On May 12 the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection held a public hearing on a proposed AI data center in Homer City. Prior to the hearing, Concerned Residents of Western PA held a protest on Philadelphia Street in Indiana, PA. The concerns of those at the hearing include: The hearing lasted almost 2 hours in […]

Allegheny Independent Media has received 501(c)3 status from the Internal Revenue Service. This means that we are now an independent non profit news organization for the Alleghenies. To celebrate we are having an Allegheny Independent Media Launch Party. The party will be held on July 8 at Studio 404 at 7pm at 404 Messenger St. […]

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 […]

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 […]

On day 2 of the 49th Appalachian Studies Association Conference at Marshall University I took video of 2 individual sessions. There were many that day. The first session I filmed is on Race and Health in the Appalachians. The second session I filmed is on emergency response to climate change disasters such as Hurricane Helene. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]