Columnists

Well, what do you know: There are literary voices in northern Appalachia that aren’t dark and self-loathing! Read more

The holidays have left without a trace. Well, almost. Long after the decorations have come down, you still have debt hanging around. Read more

When it comes to this time of the year, particularly this date, two things immediately come to mind: the inhuman brutality man has toward another human being and my son’s birthday. One is a very horrendous thought, and the other one filled with joy. Read more

We may think spending money on ourselves will make us happier than spending it on someone else. That belief can make it hard to carve money out of our budgets to give to good causes. Read more

I try to be a positive guy, especially when it comes to grammar. I believe a rising tide lifts all ships and that there is more than enough good grammar to go around. If you came on my grammar talk show equivalent of “Oprah,” I’d be on stage yelling, “Look under your seats! You get good grammar! And you get good grammar! Everybody gets good grammar!” Read more

Tricia Lewis cancels a Dave Chapelle and Joe Rogan show in New Orleans because of surging COVID cases. Vivid Seats refuses her request for a refund. Is there a way to get her money back? Read more

Cities and states are shelling out serious cash to lure remote workers. Read more

I really believed that 2021 was going to be a year of hope. When the new year started, that four-letter word seemed to send a spark over the airways and people began to believe this was the year when change was going to take place. COVID-19 would wane, and things would get back to a new normal. Read more

Applying to college typically comes with some uncertainty, but this year’s applicants are tackling one additional question: What should you do when a pandemic has limited what goes into your college applications? Read more

When is a door not a door? When it’s ajar. Read more

Why did Kate Syverson’s rent just go up by $157 a month? And why is her apartment manager threatening to take her to court if she won’t pay $1,048 in back rent? Read more

Years ago, a friend who needed cash sold me a $100 Nordstrom gift card. I wish I knew where the heck I put it. Read more

Gary McCoy’s editorial cartoon is headlined “Goodbye 2021” and shows 2021’s Old Man rushing a dumpster full of flames out the exit, while the 2022 Baby is thinking “Good riddance.” Read more

Brian Gawthrop has waited over six months to remodel his home. Read more

It’s interesting what I come across when I think I’m going to write one story only to find out I’m distracted to such a point that I find myself led away, putting paragraphs together that contain words and thoughts that in my many years of journalism actually have factual informal replacing myths that once were thought of as fact. Read more

You probably know to plan and save for the big and boring expenses, aka financial needs. But what about the fun stuff? Expenses that don’t put a roof over your head, but do provide joy, rejuvenation and other hard-to-quantify benefits are worth saving for, too. Read more

Today’s linguistic lesson is a two-parter. Well, if you really want to get into it, it could potentially be several parts. And, when I say “parts”, I mean body parts. Read more

In addition to the new year bringing confetti and a fresh calendar, it’s a time to set big money goals for the next 12 months. That might mean finally paying off debt, buying a house or taking a long-delayed vacation. Read more

As we close out another distressing year, I find myself reflecting upon an irony of our Age: The more “enlightened” we become, the less we seem to appreciate the importance of illumination. Read more

So here we are, folks. We’ve slithered into a new year and look forward as to what’s to come. I use the words “look forward” because as I see it, we certainly don’t want to dwell on what hindered us in the past. Of course, with this new virus descending upon us, we still have to be very careful how we go forward shielding our faces, etc. so none of us succumb to this threat. Read more

Many adults find themselves helping their aging parents sign up for Medicare, a complex process with many steps and considerations. There are penalties for delaying enrollment, and not everyone understands their options. Read more

Five women of varying ages are bustling about in a 1930s-era kitchen. With the exception of one who is wearing a coat and removing her hat, the others are in print dresses and aprons. Read more

So much comes to mind when the first month of December makes its presence known, but none is more important and should be celebrated most than the birth of Jesus Christ. People may debate whether He was born on Dec. 25, but the Bible nowhere points to His being born in mid-winter. Read more

Sooner than you may realize, your credit score will start to matter. Read more

As a child, I assumed lava would play a bigger part in my life than it has. Yet I haven’t seen lava in person once. I feel like I overprepared myself for lava and underprepared myself for scheduling a dentist appointment. Read more

Hundreds of people rose to their feet as the harpsichord and chamber orchestra struck the stirring, oh-so-familiar notes of the three-bar introduction. Then the Johnstown Symphony Chorus erupted in the deeply rich, exultant voice that can only emerge from seven dozen diaphragms. Read more

Over the years, much has changed, some traditions going back as far as the 16th century to the present date. Christmas shopping, for instance, used to begin in December. Now people are beginning in August. Just a number of weeks ago, we celebrated Thanksgiving, a November tradition. I like to call it a week or weekend of thanking God for the many blessings that He bestowed upon us. Read more

It’s that time of year when we tune into the local Christmas station on the radio. After a five-minute commercial block, you hear some pop star over-sing a traditional, public domain holiday song. This type of Christmas album is, as Lucy Van Pelt tells Charlie Brown, “a big commercial racket.” Read more

Fundraising events are essential in the nonprofit world, but they don’t generate easy money. The more enjoyable and entertaining they are for supporters, the harder and more-complex they are to organize and execute. Read more

Some phrases get people’s stockings in a twist during the holiday season. Today I’m not going to beat around the holly bush — I’m jumping right down the chimney to address these Christmas controversies. Read more

While they may be a bit old-school, books are great, inexpensive gifts for history fans – especially those who enjoy local history. And for local-history books on any subject, anywhere within the United States, you don’t have to order from the behemoth that begins with the letter “A” if you’d prefer an alternative. Read more

Hold it right there! You think the letter “X” is slandering our Lord? Not at all. “X” may mean something to you to the negative, but in this case, in the Greek alphabet, “X” is the symbol for the letter “Chi.” In the early days of the Christian Church, Christians used the letter “X” as a secret symbol to indicate their membership in the Church to others. If one knows the Greek meaning of that letter, Xmas and Christmas essentially mean the same thing. Christ + mas = Christmas. “X” means Jesus. Read more

I always wanted to be a spy. Wouldn’t it be cool to save the world by chasing bad guys from roof to roof in a crowded, far-off city? I doubt the CIA will be calling me anytime soon, but today I have a fun way to find some coded language hiding in plain sight. Read more

The first Saturday in December, more often than not, finds me atop Laurel Ridge, a few miles off U.S. Route 30 above Jennerstown. There are several reasons why: Read more

I can almost bet that way more people will be taking to the air and highways to join up with relatives to feast on the two and four-legged critters in way of turkeys, hams or pheasants. Since our country is so chicken-oriented, I wouldn’t put it past some people to fry up some chickens and smother them with french fries, a standard American meal. Read more

My family is gathering for Thanksgiving this year. Read more

These last two years have been like no other. It used to be when families got together for Thanksgivings, they would gather from miles away and join together around dinner tables to feast on the big, fat bird. But something happened when COVID settled among our midst. No longer was this one of blessings, joyfulness and lots of football, but a time of separation with lots of rules attached to it. Read more

There’s an ad out right now for Google’s Chromebook laptop with a slogan that says, “Switch to a new way to laptop.” While I’m hesitant to disparage any of our digital overlords for fear of being stricken from search results, I feel obligated to take a stand. You can’t “laptop” something; “laptop” isn’t a verb. Read more

When pastors are outdoor-enthusiasts, it is not unusual for them to invite their flocks outside. That’s why I was on an old-fashioned church-hike on a climate-change Sunday afternoon. Read more

If there is one word that’s baffled me in the past, it’s the word “trust.” It all came about after I befriended a woman in the church I attend. We were having a platonic relationship for a period until one day she approached me and stated, “Paul, I believe I can’t see you anymore. I don’t trust you.” Wow, did that knock me off my feet. I always thought if anyone can be trusted it has to be me. I haven’t seen her since. All I can conclude is our short friendship wasn’t to be. And that was that! Read more

The folks over at Merriam-Webster have been at it again, adding 455 new words to the dictionary. Remember, the dictionary people basically report the news, adding words that are in popular usage. Whether you like the words or not, they get added to the dictionary if people are using them. Here’s a roundup of some of the newest words. Read more

Plotted on the map, the September 11th National Memorial Trail is a 1,300-mile “unbroken triangle” that looks like it was drawn with an Etch A Sketch. Read more

While watching television one evening, I happened to overhear a conversation among four women when one blurted out, “Is worrying a sin?” One could hear a pin drop in the room. Right away, I thought maybe yes, maybe no. Then I thought back to my teen years and it occurred to me that I committed lots of sins when I worried if I would pass my driver’s test, make it through high school, or lose the one female friend I found myself to whom I was attached. In order to solve his question, it occurred to me, it might be best to define the word “worry” before proceeding onward trying to dig myself out of the hole of my many shortcomings. Read more

As we turn our calendars to November, I always wonder why there isn’t any good Thanksgiving music out there. Halloween has a handful of hits. Obviously, Christmas and Hanukkah have their own genre of “holiday” music. Why doesn’t Thanksgiving get any good songs? Read more

My life has been interesting. Not necessarily exciting but never boring – and usually quite satisfying. Read more

Halloween, also referred as Allhalloween, All Hallows’ Eve, or All Saints’ Eve will be celebrated Oct. 31, this Sunday, the eve of the Western Christian feast of all Hallows’ Day. It is in celebration and remembrance of the dead, so states the website, www.calendardate.com. Read more

I grew up in Oklahoma, which is known as “The Sooner State.” Now I live in Indiana, otherwise known as “The Hoosier State.” Many people outside of these states don’t know what “Sooners” or “Hoosiers” are, but at least people pronounce the states’ names correctly! Today I’m tackling the most mispronounced state names and how to get them right. Read more

The growing season apparently missed October’s memo. For it has been hanging around – and even doing a meek imitation of spring in spots. Read more

It’s just a matter of years ago nobody had cell phones, tablets or computers, as far as that goes. But times have changed big time. Just recently I had a doctor’s appointment in Commons One in Greensburg. As I sat by the front door waiting for my ride to return to Latrobe, I got an idea. As people departed, why not offer them a “good day.” So, as they proceeded to exit, I raised my voice exclaiming “Have a nice day.” Read more

At around age six, I began collecting baseball cards. Almost immediately, I sorted the players on the cards into each of their respective teams and split the teams into American and National leagues. Among the leagues, I alphabetized the team names beginning with “Angels” and ending with “White Sox.” Within teams, I alphabetized the players by last names. Read more