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Imagine this scenario: you get a letter from an attorney representing someone. You cannot afford to hire a lawyer. What do you do? Jessica Steinberg, associate professor of clinical law at George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., says 70 to 98% of state cases dealing with areas of civil law such as family law, domestic violence, landlord–tenant and small claims issues involve at least one unrepresented litigant. Money is often an issue. According to the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, 80% of criminal defendants cannot afford to hire a lawyer. Such ...

Our East Coast ocean fascination

As you scroll through social media this time of year it seems as though every other picture contains something beach related and many conversations center around which beach you are headed to or just came from. It usually is not a question of if you are headed to the beach, but when. Many of our families have returned to the same beach location for many generations. Have you ever wondered why we are so drawn to water? It does not necessarily have to be the ocean, it can be a river, stream or lake. There is just something about water that seems to calm the soul. I just returned ...

Responsible state budget reflects the needs of today and tomorrow

When discussions on the recently passed state budget began five months ago, Republican leaders warned against the dangers of caving to temptation in spending too much while we face so much economic uncertainty. I am glad to say that the Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget and related legislation met that goal while still being historic in its scope of helping Pennsylvanians struggling today while setting the Commonwealth up for a secure future tomorrow. Despite having a large budget surplus, I am proud to say spending was kept in check, matching spending growth with our population change and ...

July, national anti-boredom month

Just reading those words causes me to break out in a cold sweat and my left eye to begin twitching! Never, and I do mean never, did you ever hear my brother or I saying that we were bored. First, we never were, there was always something to do and second of all my mother would have found something for us to do, something that we probably would not enjoy. If we weren’t working around the house, picking rocks out of the garden, or digging the dandelions out of the yard, we were reading or playing. My mother would do her best to make our chores into games. If we were delivering folded ...

Put a little gravel in your travel

There is a lot of wisdom to be found in country songs. For instance, there are so many country songs that talk about back roads. It’s like the words to Rodney Atkins’ song, “Take A Back Road.” The chorus goes like this, “And it makes me wanna take a back road, makes me wanna take the long way home, put a little gravel in my travel, unwind, unravel all night long.” I know one of my favorite things to do on a warm summer evening or weekend is to travel the back roads of Juniata County. The expansive landscape comprised of rolling hills and valleys, surrounded by beautiful ...

What is it with bears and baskets?

A tisket, a tasket, what is it with bears and baskets? I grew up watching Yogi and Boo Boo Bear terrorizing Jellystone Park as they attempted to steal visitors’ picnic baskets. So obviously there must be some innate correlation between the two, right? As we are now in the throws of prime picnic season here in central Pennsylvania, I am reminded of one very special picnic experience I had with my family. It was a warm summer day and we had packed the car with all our favorite picnic necessities and piled in, the whole family including the dog. Our destination, as was often the case, ...