The Herald, Sharon, Pa. Opinion

Juicy tips will be far fewer without ‘Scoop’ on the phone

2012-02-05T23:12:00-05:00

I enjoyed calling him Scoop. I was the newspaper guy, but for more years than I can remember, Gary Douglas was at the other end of phone calls on a regular basis.

“Did you hear about this? Did you hear about that? Did you hear about so-and-so? Better check this out. I’ll bet you haven’t heard about this.”

That usually was the flow of the conversation. Most of the time he was right. Some of the tips turned into stories that were fit to print, and others not so much.

The only thing we have to fear is fear-mongering

2012-02-05T09:00:00-05:00

To hear some folks tell it, it’s no longer morning in America, it’s five minutes to midnight. They say the United States, once the greatest nation on Earth, is today on a glide path to the ash heap of history.

Super Bowl Sunday brings a super boost for the local economy

2012-02-05T06:00:00-05:00

The game is more than a glitzy international event. It serves as a one-day boon to local economies like ours here at home.

Punxsutawney Phil, Mitt and a litany of bad GOP hopefuls

2012-02-04T09:00:00-05:00

Here are some thoughts from a guy who doesn’t put a whole lot of stock in rascally rodents that make weather forecasts.

In Ed Likovich’s yard, apples don’t fall very far from the tree

2012-01-30T09:00:00-05:00

Adage tells us that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. It really applies to the Likovich family of Hermitage, specifically Ed the father and teacher and Ed the son and student.

A smaller state legislature? Don’t hold your breath

2012-01-28T09:00:00-05:00

Don't tell me that our state General Assembly is finally going to do what should have been done many years ago – cut the size of the Legislature.

A sad end to life: History will determine JoePa’s legacy

2012-01-22T23:46:45-05:00

I had the privilege, yes privilege and honor, of meeting Joe Paterno several times in my life, both as a student at Penn State and in my role as editor of The Herald. It was with a heavy heart when I learned that he was near death during the Mercer County Hall of Fame’s annual dinner at the Park Inn by Radisson Saturday, and that he had died Sunday.

OUR VIEW: Dearth of candidate interest defies worth of legislative races

2012-01-22T09:00:00-05:00

In case you hadn’t noticed, this is an election year. Actually every year is, but this is one of the big ones. Sure, there’s some sort of presidential race going on, but that’s just a sideshow to where the real action in this year’s election is – or at least should be.
Voters across the country will be electing every member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and here in Mercer County voters will help decide who represents three state House districts.

Hall of Fame weekend stirs memories of ‘good old days’

2012-01-21T09:00:00-05:00

Is there anything better than reminiscing about the “good old days”? That’s why I love the Mercer County Hall of Fame’s annual induction weekend.

We couldn’t fool anyone - the neighborhood always snitched

2012-01-15T23:46:23-05:00

An old African proverb tells us that it takes a village to raise a child. At least two books drawing lessons from the proverb have been written, including the most famous in 1996 by Hilary Clinton, “It Takes A Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us.”