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The curious case of Lehigh County’s voter drop boxes

Like a lot of Pennsylvanians, I have been following the situation concerning drop boxes in Lehigh County. As the drama there continues to play out, one thing we have learned is that observers at drop boxes do keep voters honest by ensuring they comply with the law, which states a person can only return his or her own ballot. Oddly enough, this aspect of the election law is often overlooked, even by the Commonwealth’s top executive, Gov. Tom Wolf, when he admitted his wife returned his mail-in ballot during a recent election. Sure, it was probably an honest mistake that many ...

Be proud of your pearls

I had the amazing privilege of hosting a women’s G.R.I.T. conference this week through the Chamber. The acronym G.R.I.T. standing for guts, resilience, initiative and tenacity. Little did we know when we chose that theme in 2020, not long before the pandemic arrived in the United States, just how prophetic that theme would turn out to be. None of us realized just how deep we would soon have to dig to find the courage to develop these much-needed traits. As I stood to give my opening address which I titled, “Be Proud of Your Pearls,” I talked about how our pandemic ...

Library book sale returns

I am about to tell you something totally unbelievable. Are you sitting down? The Mifflin County Library is having a fall book sale very soon. No, your eyes haven’t deceived you, you did indeed read correctly. After two very long years our biannual book sale is back. It’s more than just a book sale, it’s one large step to getting back to normal in library land. Goodbye germs, hello happy book buyers. Over the course of those two years, many generous people have donated not only books but also CDs, audiobooks and puzzles. Our storage space is overflowing thanks to your kind ...

A city without libraries; funding is key need

The Sept. 5, 2022, edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer detailed the state of the Philadelphia Library System. According to the article’s author Anna Orso, “with the city staring down a massive budget hole two years ago, it slashed the library’s funding and laid off more than 200 people. The director resigned amid a staff revolt and complaints of racial discrimination. People quit in droves and hiring was frozen. Skeleton crews reopened branches without enough help.” Today, the library system is still short several hundred library staff. Many of their library branches are only ...

The not-so-great historic train robbery in the Lewistown Narrows

On my daily visit to East End Coffee Shop in Lewistown this morning I was checking out the “Postcards from Home” art display located there until Sept. 14. One original painting, created by the incredible, local artist, Jennifer Hartzler, caught my attention. To someone not familiar with local history, it just appeared to depict a vintage Fisher Price wooden train set with the words “Dang It” spelled out in lettered wooden blocks across the top of the train. Outside of the train was an angry looking Fisher Price figure surrounded by pennies. But, to those who know the backstory, ...

Thoughts on merger

By the time you read this column, the big merger between Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster publishing companies may be resolved. At this time, however, the U.S. Department of Justice is listening to arguments for and against the merger. In this case, the United States Justice Department needs to convince a federal judge to block a merger of two of the “Big Five” book publishers. It has argued the deal would lead to lower advances for some authors. Why would I feel the need to write about this? After all, businesses merge, change and grow all the time and this particular ...