Bird’s-Eye View

No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks as they walk the picket line …
Well, if a trio of Republican lawmakers including state Rep. Bryan Cutler of Peach Bottom have their way, teacher unions would no longer be permitted to strike during tough contract negotiations with school boards.
From a news release:
House Bill […]

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Welcome to “Evening Coffee,” which unfortunately has not come out with an instant brew version.
 
But our friends at Starbucks have (you may have heard), and in Chicago they gave away free samples of their VIA instant brew. The on-the-street reviews … not entirely overwhelming, according to the Chicago Sun-Times:
While no one spat it out, reviews […]

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Stopped by Cross Keys in downtown Lancaster to say hello to the proprietor, Jerry. And let me alert you caffeine-heads to something here I like to call a little slice of heaven. A 16 oz. medium roast coffee made from Indonesian beans and a succulent cinnamon-apple muffin cost less than $3, and you’ll be hard […]

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Combatting this chill with a mug of newsroom brew. And if you want to know just how awful this economy is, a Chicago law firm has stopped giving away free coffee to their employees. I sense a mass exodus of lawyers into the Chicago job market is coming soon.

Some time ago, I wrote how Gov. Ed […]

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If I was going to make a difficult sacrifice for Lent, this would be it. I’ve sworn to forsake my beloved lattes for the next 40 days. But, you know, I see this as a good thing because now instead of syrupy goodness I can expand my horizons to the drip coffees.
Time to deal a […]

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Newsroom brew by my side tonight, trying to wrap my mind around Starbucks offering instant coffee. Their brand will be called Via, and at first Colombia (medium) and Italian (dark) roasts will be made available. My take: If you like Maxwell House or Folgers, give Via a try and see what you think. Otherwise, I’ll take […]

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HARRISBURG - Some quick thoughts following the budget presentation by state Secretary of the Budget Mary Soderberg:
-Right now, the state revenue is 7.5 percent below projections or $1.1 billion. But the hammer may not have fallen yet. That could come in March and April when corporate and income taxes start rolling in. Business taxes are […]

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HARRISBURG - Can’t tell you how I know this, but I’ve learned from a reliable source that Gov. Ed Rendell will form a “commission” to look into consolidating school districts, significantly drawing down the number in Pennsylvania from 500 to about 100.
Calling for a “commission” is like saying “I want this, but I know […]

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HARRISBURG - Greetings from the state Capitol, where we’re awaiting a briefing by the Secretary of the Budget on, well, the budget. Today Gov. Ed Rendell unveils his proposed 2009-10 fiscal year spending plan, and all the media buzz this morning is focused on his plan to put video poker in your local corner bar.
The […]

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Remember the race for state Senate? Can’t blame you if you don’t.
Nonetheless, the first debate of the local election season is scheduled for Tuesday night as Democrat Jose Urdaneta, Republican Lloyd Smucker and write-in candidate Bill Neff square off on education. Those three are running for the 13th state Senate seat, which represents southern Lancaster […]

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