News

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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