Empty Pews The drops have been precipitous Recently, I viewed a photo of a beautiful church in Portage, Pa from many years ago. Not only did this show the beauty of the former Sacred Heart parish, but one commenter noted the large crowds who filled the pews. Those days are long gone. The sad part of this in America is that religious attendance has plummeted over the years to the point where people who express a desire to follow a belief still rarely attend services, if ever.

By HUGH CONRAD On a Friday evening [56] years ago, one day after Thanksgiving, I left a class at Penn State’s Willard Building to return to my dining hall for supper. I heard a large number of sirens near the Pattee Library, which was just about a block away from Willard. I thought that was odd because most students had left campus Wednesday and stayed home, cutting classes the day after Thanksgiving. Only four students out of 66 remainded in the fourth floor of Beaver Hall -

Ken Starr was probably the most powerful force behind Jeffrey Epstein’s secret plea deal. Julie K. Brown The guy acted like an obnoxious preacher screaming about the evils of Bill Clinton’s affair with a young intern more than two decades ago. He spent more than 60 million dollars investigating a consensual affair between a president and a young 20-something. Today, Clinton looks like a choir boy when compared to the sleaze of Jeffrey Epstein as the worst sexual abuser of you

Remembering JFK — 62 Years Later Those of us Baby Boomers who can remember exactly where we were on Nov. 22, 1963, when we learned about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy are becoming fewer and fewer. However, that event was the start of a horribly violent period of American politics and public life. While some say that the 2020s are terribly violent, pointing to the killing of a young conservative a few months ago, that event had none of the national emotional i

Photo from Alamy During my four decades of teaching, I — fortunately — did not have to deal with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) or ChatGBT. Certainly, in my later years, we had to confront the use of Wikipedia, but I tried my best to explain to college students how that should never be used in an academic essay or paper -- as a citation. Today, however, teachers and professors and instructors must deal with the reality that students use these tools to actually write

Claremont students misinformed at the   Center for Writing and Public Discourse (CWPD)   a I first started teaching English grammar and literature in August 1975, more than 50 years ago. Ironically, today I am still communicating the rudiments of the English language to students, albeit in a very different technological environment than I used five decades ago. Thus, I was utterly shocked when I read a headline on the LinkedIn website earlier this year that said this: “Correc

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, leader of the Allied forces When Tom Brokaw created the name of those veterans who carried the United States to victory against Germany and Japan in World War II, it was so apropos. The Greatest Generation. They destroyed the vestiges of the Nazis in Germany and Hirohito’s Japanese who brought us into the battles at Pearl Harbor. The world truly was a bastion of freedom because of not just our founding fathers but because of those who fought to s

Jerry “Brogie” Brogden, RIP As a young teacher, I first heard about this great place to buy suits back in the 1970s when I asked a person had purchased a particularly attractive one. That was when I learned about a store named Brogie’s in Dale, outside of Johnstown. And met Jerry Brogden, whom I forever knew as “Jerry” or “Brogie” In reality, I still have suits that I purchased from Jerry over the years. Since I retired, I had no more use for wearing suits other than for spec

When I confronted an FBI agent, called him duplicitous, and sided with the priests The corrupt case of the Harrisburg Seven and “Molly’ Never in my life could I have such a great opportunity to confront a person whom I abhorred. And never could I express my animus toward the FBI agent whose code name was Molly, who saw his 20+ year career with the FBI careening off the rails because he hated two anti-war Catholic priests. I was able to tell him what I thought of him since I

When a person has family members who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, they naturally become fearful of what can happen to them or to others in the family. Since my family does have a history of this dreadful disease, it is always in the back of my mind. Even at the age of 78, I have been fortunate. I am working with high school and college students every day, teaching them the rudiments of the English language. My communication skills are still strong, and my memory and abilit

If Usha is your greatest blessing. Why wouldn't you then appreciate the spiritual heritage that helped lead her to be that blessing in your life? Suhag Shukla, Executive Director of the Hindu American Foundation Religion can be a strong obstacle to the success of any marriage, particularly when the faith of one is diametrically opposed to that of the other. Some couples solve this by taking religion out of their lives, but others attempt to work through it on their own terms.

Art Rooney, Sr. -- "The Chief" While they may be in first place right now in the AFC’s North Division, the last two games for the Pittsburgh Steelers have shown that the reason for that lofty spot is more due to the woeful nature of their opponents than to their own success. The last two losses, along with upcoming battles against elite teams like the Colts, Chargers, Lions, Bills, and two with the Ravens — yes, they are elite with their QB returning — have fans staying away

Photo by Post-Gazette Is Evelyn Nesbit really haunting this house? Many wealthy people from the Pittsburgh area used to come east to the mountains of Cambria County in the summers because of the oppressive heat generated by the steel mills. This occurred in the 1800s with Andrew Carnegie who ventured to Cresson, but also with a family known as the Thaws a little later who built a mansion a few miles away. Harry Kendell Thaw was railroad tycoon who built a 20-room Tudor Reviva

Remembering Paul Tickerhoof Biology Teacher Superb Having spent approximately 40 years in education, I am proud of what teachers have accomplished over the years. Just yesterday, I mentioned one of my high school teachers who was a fabulous biology instructor for me about 60 years ago. His name was Paul Tickerhoof, and I remember how he taught us to memorize every bone in the body. I saw my grand-niece struggling with that this week, and told her about Mr. Tickerhoof. He woul

Improve Your English and Communication Skills We are now being referred to as "English Tutoring from the Alleghenies" instead of an old, boring name. I have been tutoring students in English for the past five years, and have been educating them for about 40 in all. The new website was designed by a company in Romania, and I have been delighted with their work and customer service. What is very valuable is something that you cannot see: The SEOs. Search Engine Optimization. Th

In a voice choked with emotion, Colin Hortman said his parents embodied the “Golden Rule,” and he read the prayer of St Francis, which...

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Gov. Josh Shapiro This is an important week for religious in America. Those numbers have been dwindling over the past decade, but many...

One reading that students at military academies should engage in are biographies, particularly those of heroes. And Jackie Robinson is a...

Few in America had ever heard of Susan Crawford before 2025. Today, she is known as the little girl who smacked down the wealthiest man...