Friday, May 17 2013 12:33 PM EDT2013-05-17 16:33:20 GMT
There aren't many of us who think that drinking and driving is a good idea but finding the right place to draw that line is proving to be a tough choice in a country that zealously protects individualMore >>
A new initiative for stricter limits on drinking and driving makes for some tough choices for lawmakers.More >>
Friday, May 17 2013 4:34 PM EDT2013-05-17 20:34:30 GMT
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ended about a dozen legal challenges this week by okaying a revised 10-year plan to redraw the state's political boundaries. The first plan was considered to be too bizarreMore >>
Drawing political boundaries for personal gains makes it hard to say we support free and open elections.More >>
Friday, May 10 2013 5:03 PM EDT2013-05-10 21:03:20 GMT
You hear the word "potential" a lot when talking about the problems facing young people and their decisions of staying on the straight and narrow or veering off into life on the streets. Few lives showMore >>
The man with a once promising career now faces years in jail, raising more questions about how to keep young people focused on achievement.More >>
Friday, May 3 2013 11:47 AM EDT2013-05-03 15:47:51 GMT
A lot of the stories we cover aren't fun. Some days you're slogging through municipal budgets. Others require that we cover a tragedy in the community. But then there are those rare times when you hitMore >>
A story on the frustrations of Erie's red lights proves a unifying experience.More >>
Friday, April 26 2013 12:06 PM EDT2013-04-26 16:06:02 GMT
The chaotic and sad events in Boston this week are once again a reminder of the need to trust your source of information as well as a reminder that those who give out the information must double checkMore >>
The premature announcement of an arrest in Boston is a strict lesson in trusting sources especially over the Internet.More >>
Friday, April 19 2013 2:59 PM EDT2013-04-19 18:59:56 GMT
For Erie's unionized General Electric workers, leverage is something in short supply these days. The latest example of that is the company's announcement that one of its premier locomotive lines willMore >>
Erie has an uphill battle trying to make trains against leaner and newer competition.More >>
Friday, April 12 2013 2:24 PM EDT2013-04-12 18:24:31 GMT
It's becoming clear this week that there are a lot of moving parts as lawmakers try to decide how or if to change how alcohol is sold in Pennsylvania. What will be a boon for some can quickly become aMore >>
Sales for beer distributors could be going flat if the current proposal to change the state's alcohol monopoly is passed.More >>
Friday, April 5 2013 11:32 AM EDT2013-04-05 15:32:00 GMT
The WSEE family lost one of the pillars of its history this week with the passing of legendary investigative reporter Carol Pella. Carol came out of Penn State about the same time Watergate came out inMore >>
We lost a legendary investigative journalist with the passing of Carol Pella, but her lessons in tenacity and accurate reporting live on.More >>
Friday, March 29 2013 2:09 PM EDT2013-03-29 18:09:31 GMT
If there is anything good that can come from the recent loss of an Erie teenager, it's further proof that neighbors here can and do care about each other. I'm talking of course about the death of 17-yearMore >>
The tragic loss of an Erie teenager proves both the power of neighbors caring for each other and the power of the new ways in which we communicate.More >>
Friday, March 22 2013 5:02 PM EDT2013-03-22 21:02:35 GMT
It is the calm before the storm in the Vatican. A brand new Pope, fresh from a hectic two days that ended in a plume of white smoke, now meeting with cardinals for the first time since that historic voteMore >>
Pope Francis may have his last quiet weekend for a while, as the burdens of leadership settle in.More >>
There is still only one place where you can get money; ultimately from someone who has it. That's becoming more and more of an issue for cities and schools looking to balance budgets amid growing costs and dwindling ranks from those who have. It's causing city leaders to revisit one of the long standing sacred cows in the tax law: that being tax exempt properties. From Boston to Chicago, Providence to New Orleans, cities are making the argument that as costs for snow removal, police and fire protection go up churches, universities and medical centers are buying more of the available properties, dropping them from the tax rolls. Boston is already looking at non-profits owning more than 50 percent of the parcels within the city limits. In our area the movement has manifested itself in the form of a letter from the Tax Assessment Appeals Board telling Hamot Medical Center that its tax exempt status will be revisited because Hamot is now UPMC-Hamot, having affiliated with the health care giant to the south. It may be a bad example for making a good point. UPMC-Hamot has a PILOT agreement, that's Payments in Lieu Of Taxes of more than a million dollars, meaning the system pays roughly 50 percent of what it would owe if all 60 of Hamot's buildings were fully on the tax rolls. That's far more than most here and a much better deal per capita than Pittsburgh has with the 21 system, 8 billion dollar UPMC giant. There is no PILOT agreement there, and tax cops have to go building by building looking for any for-profit uses of UPMC-owned facilities, like if a doctor's office rents unused space to a coffee shop. While UPMC pays taxes on any square footage used for for-profit purposes, I can't imagine that even remotely coming close to what the system would owe if it agreed to a 50 percent split. It's touchy business. These are the places that heal us when we're sick, educate our children and nurture our souls. They are much of what makes up the quality of life in a place. But inevitably, money can only come from the places that have it. And as the pressure continues to build, eventually something, or someone, is going to have to give.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WICU. All Rights Reserved.
