Friday, June 14 2013 1:00 PM EDT2013-06-14 17:00:40 GMT
I spent some time this week looking into the expenses that go along with a death penalty trial. The issue came up during a hearing for James Duncan, in which his taxpayer funded attorneys argued thatMore >>
Death penalty cases cost more money for taxpayers but death penalties are rarely carried out. Does that make sense?More >>
Friday, June 14 2013 1:17 PM EDT2013-06-14 17:17:58 GMT
Well, if last week's tornado wasn't enough proof of how suddenly the weather can change things around here, I offer for your consideration this week, a stretch of heavy rains and suddenly high water. YouMore >>
It was Rain, Rain Go Away after heavy rains and fog stranded hikers in Wintergreen Gorge and quickly flooded low lying areas.More >>
Friday, June 7 2013 5:12 PM EDT2013-06-07 21:12:58 GMT
My irritation was surpassed only by a sense of sadness this week as I watched a national news network go about its business of covering the news of the day. The anchor went on about two major storiesMore >>
How far have we slid when the devastation of Oklahoma and the Jody Arias trial is given equal billing on national news shows?More >>
Friday, May 24 2013 1:45 PM EDT2013-05-24 17:45:59 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 >>
I've been to Ricardo's for the marinated filet steak. I've been to Ricardo's for the pasta. But before this week I had never been to the East Lake Road restaurant for this: To cover what remained of the place after fire pretty much gutted the kitchen. Located between General Electric and where Hammermill used to be, Ricardo's is an east Erie blue collar mainstay in what has become an otherwise disposable world. It first opened in the 1940's, and over the years it grew into a fixture as certain as anything. Perhaps that's what made this loss so devastating for the neighborhood; you could count on a full parking lot at Ricardo's on Friday or Saturday night in Erie the way you could count on the sun coming up or the six months of winter we have around here. Some of the original glitz may have faded from the place's glory days; now you can get away with wearing jeans in the place. But you could always count on good food at decent prices, a drawer always full of coloring books to keep the kids occupied, and free breaded zucchini sticks before you order. Owner Pete West told me that as he stood there watching the flames go out the firefighters would walk by and tell him how this one had his first date with his wife there or that one took his prom date there. When I relayed that story to the Chief Fire Inspector, his eyes brightened. "Hey," he said, "I brought my prom date here too!" You would think the history of the place would deserve some deep intrigue into how the fire started. Life rarely works that way. Turns out a dryer vent overheated, no more mystery than that. West says he'll remodel or rebuild but that's a long journey, one full of damage assessments and insurance negotiations. For this year at least, eastside prom dates will be eating somewhere else. But I hope for the best. At some restaurants its just business. But some can become more than a place to eat.
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