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Patriot-News: Dialogue on drinking

Front-page story for the Patriot-News:

This isn’t about lowering the drinking age. That’s what Dickinson College President William Durden will tell you.

This is about watching parents follow their freshman sons and daughters into dormitories with beer in tow.

“We have a societal problem towards the attitude of alcohol that we have to fix,” Durden said. “It’s not just have a drink. It’s drink until you’re unconscious.”

More than 100 other college presidents agree. They’ve formed a group, numbering 123 at last count and growing, that has come together to encourage a public dialogue about altering the country’s drinking laws.

The Amethyst Initiative is a petition of sorts. These college chief executives say the current drinking age isn’t working and is creating a dangerous culture of intoxication on college campuses… More.

See the rest on PennLive.com. See the front-page placement at Newseum.

10 people on TV I don't hate

Photo from Akira's Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/akira1985/2105526680/

*Addition amended (9/5/08, 7 P.M.)

PEOPLE ON TV ARE OFTEN VILIFIED, criticized and laughed at by others. I have been known on occasion to do the same, considering most less than those in the print news tradition I so admire. As penance, after the jump, in no particular order, are the 10 people on TV I like most.

Continue reading 10 people on TV I don't hate

Patriot-News: No-fly list keeps pilot grounded, he claims

Erich Scherfen, right, and his wife, Rabina Tareen, listen as Witold Walczak of the ACLU of Pennsylvania describes the effect of a federal flight restriction on his career as a pilot. (Photo by Chris Knight of the Patriot-News)

This on Page One of today’s Patriot-News:

Erich Scherfen developed a love for flying early. Growing up in New Jersey, he would play outside and watch airplanes fly toward John F. Kennedy Airport.

After military service, he became a commercial airline pilot. Today, the Gulf War veteran is fighting to keep his professional life in the clouds.

He was suspended without pay in April after being placed on a federal watch list.

“My livelihood depends on getting off this list,” Sherfen said.

On behalf of Scherfen and his wife, Rubina Tareen, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and attorney Saul Ewing filed a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Tuesday claiming the federal government unfairly placed the Schuylkill County couple on a government list that limits their commercial flight access.

The suit hopes to answer two questions, lawyers said: Why would a couple with no criminal background or ties to terrorism be put on such a list, and how do they get removed? More…

See the rest on PennLive.com. See today’s front page on Newseum.com. See the breaking Web brief I wrote right after a press conference yesterday.

Patriot-News: Muslim airline pilot, wife file suit

This Web brief for the Patriot-News, officially filed one minute after Associated Press Harrisburg correspondent, PLCA president, and Pennsylvania Capitol legend Peter Jackson filed his own to the wire:

A Gulf War veteran and his wife say they’ve been unfairly placed on a federal list that limits their commercial flight access. To fight back, the Muslim couple filed a lawsuit against a host of U.S. government agencies on Tuesday.

“We don’t know why they’re on the list. They don’t know why they’re on the list. The government won’t tell us why they’re on the list,” said Amy Foerster, an attorney with Saul Ewing who is providing pro bono counsel and working with the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and the Schuylkill County couple on the case, which was filed in U.S. district court. More…

See the rest on PennLive.com. Full story tomorrow.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Boydston.

Capitol Ideas: Interview with state Senate reading clerk

A Q&A session for the Allentown Morning Call, posted last week on Capitol Ideas, the state government blog by John L. Micek.

Name: Rob Green
Position: Reading Clerk, 1994; Assistant Director of Pages, 2006
Education: Alvernia College, Communications, 1990

Q: What are your favorite parts of the job?
A: My favorite part is when they’re going at it and they’re really getting into the debate. I don’t mind staying late mostly because that’s when the action is. You get to see things first hand. You pay attention more. I didn’t have a lot of government classes in college – they were all early [laughs]. But in this job, you see things happen so closely and get to know the personalities.

Q: What is your least favorite part?
A: Well, [laughs] I guess … No. No least favorite. … Oh, I know… I don’t like when I have to read the long resolutions, like when someone retires. You usually get them cold, and they’re always long, so it gives you more of a chance to screw up.

Capitol Ideas: Farm Show wind turbine

A recent post on Capitol Ideas, the popular state government blog by Morning Call reporter John L. Micek.

Behold The Power Of Wind.

The wind turbine near the Exposition Center on the grounds of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex has been blowing for nearly two years, but with interest in energy conservation growing, its popularity may have never been higher.

“It serves as an example of this emerging technology,” said Patrick Kerwin, the executive director of the Farm Show Complex. “It’s a demonstration project to show that wind does produce real electricity and work well.” More…

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Read the rest on Capitol Ideas.

Patriot-News: Rendell criticism brief

A brief in Friday’s Patriot-News:

A group of local state Republican lawmakers accused the Rendell administration of attempting to spin the Commonwealth Court ruling on furloughing state workers during a budget impasse.

Wednesday’s ruling by Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt said when a budget impasse extends past the July 1 deadline, the governor can choose between furloughing state workers or requiring them to work without pay until a spending plan is passed.

The statement issued Thursday by Reps. Ron Marsico, R-Dauphin, Jerry Nailor, R-Cumberland, Mark Keller, R-Franklin, and Glen Grell, R-Cumberland, said the ruling is not a vindication of Gov. Ed Rendell’s decision to furlough state workers if the budget is delayed… More.

Brief in tomorrow’s Patriot-News. Photo courtesy of PennLive.com

Patriot-News: Howard Dean in Harrisburg

This for the Harrisburg Patriot-News, in today’s edition.

Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, spelled out the Keystone State’s importance for Barack Obama during a stop in Harrisburg on Friday.

“We must win Pennsylvania,” Dean said at SciTech High. “Pennsylvania is very important to us. … Only you can win it.”

Dean spoke before about 200 supporters, who broke out in chants for Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Dean’s comments about Pennsylvania’s importance for Obama aren’t an exaggeration, said Christopher Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College.

“As much as party chairs are noted for their hyperbole, this time Howard Dean is absolutely accurate,” Borick said.

“Obama is successfully opening doors in states like Colorado, Nevada and, to a lesser extent, New Mexico,” Borick said. “But all that would be washed away if he is not able to win Pennsylvania.” More.

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This clip featured in today’s Patriot-News. I filed a Web brief right after the event. Photo from Wikimedia.

False Story — Rendell named vice-presidential nominee

I was tricked into writing this story by the Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents’ Association in the Harrisburg, Pa. state capital newsroom on Aug. 15, 2008. This article is not true. All those interviewed were in on the joke.

Sen. Barack Obama embraces Philadelphia City Councilman Bob Brady and is applauded by Gov. Ed Rendell before speaking during a Democratic Unity Rally at Temple Universitys McGonigle Hall October 21, 2006 in Philadelphia. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images) — Sen. Barack Obama embraces Philadelphia City Councilman Bob Brady and is applauded by Gov. Ed Rendell before speaking during a Democratic Unity Rally at Temple University's McGonigle Hall October 21, 2006 in Philadelphia. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

By Christopher Wink | Harrisburg Patriot-News | Aug. 15, 2008

Gov. Ed Rendell will be named Sen. Barack Obama’s vice presidential running mate, a high-ranking source in the administration told the Patriot-News.

“Next Monday could be a very exciting day for Pennsylvania,” said Mary Isenhour, the commonwealth’s Democratic Party executive director. She wouldn’t corroborate the offer or Rendell’s acceptance of the position, but confirmed the governor was meeting with high-level Democrats in Washington D.C. Friday.

Continue reading False Story — Rendell named vice-presidential nominee

Patriot-News: Brief on Comcast and Big Ten Network partnership

Blurb for tomorrow’s Patriot-News:

JUST THE FACTS Penn State fans who happen to be Comcast subscribers are now able to view the Big Ten Network on basic cable, which means no additional charge on your cable bill. BTN will broadcast the first game of Penn State’s football season on Aug. 30, when the Nittany Lions host Coastal Carolina. BTN will also air the Sept. 20 matchup with Temple and a conference game yet to be determined. The network’s Big Ten Tonight show will air a Penn State football practice at 9 p.m. Thursday, and Big Ten Tonight will preview Penn State’s season at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 25… More.