This wasn’t how my column was to begin this week, but as I drove into work this past Friday, my Father and Chris Downs were on my mind. It was on October 25th — my dad left us 12 years ago, which is hard to believe in so many ways. A day doesn’t go by
READ MOREMercifully, the long, contentious Presidential election contest is winding down, but it might be interesting to look back and see how Lycoming County has voted in previous Presidential elections. Webb Weekly has researched how Lycoming County has voted in Presidential races since 1860. We have found that the Republican Presidential candidate carried this county in
READ MOREWhen a potential presidential candidate chooses a vice president as their running mate, they have to select one that they know has a good record, is articulate, especially on difficult issues, and has leadership characteristics that would be needed just in case something tragic happens and the vice president has to take over. Arguably, this
READ MOREWith just a few more weeks to go, the every-four-year, mind-numbing marathon known as the United States presidential campaign will (hopefully) reach its conclusion. American presidential election campaigns are much longer than in other countries. Many nations have laws on the books that strictly curtail how long campaigns can be conducted. But in the good
READ MOREFor those of you who might skip my column this week because I’m writing about sports, there’s a message in here for most everybody. Actually, there may be more than one when it comes to those who want to use athletic competition as a hot button to divide the American people. As I was watching
READ MOREAs I noted in this column two weeks ago, polls are about as reliable as palm readers. One thing that appears to be true, however, is that the Keystone State will be the key to whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump becomes president of the United States. The popular vote is interesting, but it has
READ MOREThe history of polling in national elections has a troubled history. Presidential polling started back in 1936 with the Literary Digest, a national magazine of the time, which sent out to their 10 million patrons a “straw” ballot asking them who they planned on voting for in the 1936 presidential election. Some two and half
READ MOREAs the cover date reads 9/11, I want to begin this week with my thoughts and prayers for the families and all those affected by the tragic events of 9/11. The number of Americans lost that day continues to climb as a result of the toxic dust breathed in on-site. The 9/11 Memorial Ride, my
READ MOREGiven that the Kennedy assassination has been deeply debated and discussed for 61 years now, we should not expect that after just seven weeks, we would know how and why on July 13th, at an open-air campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, a 20-year young man named Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate Republican candidate for
READ MOREThe exciting “Vibe Campaign” of Vice President Kamala Harris was best outed by the popular author and columnist Mark Steyn when he identified it as the “Vibe as Veil Campaign” because it did not seem to have anything behind it. All of her speeches centered around the dangerous, no-good, very bad former President Donald Trump.
READ MOREWell, the only thing hotter than the month of July was the madness we witnessed in the world. I left off last week talking about common sense; I’m going to pick back up right there. Please remember, if you missed my column or just enjoy reading online, every issue of our publication can be found
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A few weeks ago, we had just come home from the river, unpacked our things, and were grabbing showers before our Sunday night tradition of nachos, cheese, and ice cream in the living room while watching our favorite shows. Kenzy came running inside, all excited. “Mommmmmmaaaaa!! Look what I found!” she exclaimed. She had this
READ MOREIn our time, there have been several transformational elections: John F. Kennedy over Richard Nixon in 1960, Ronald Reagan’s victory over President Jimmy Carter in 1980, Barack Obama’s triumph in 2008, and Donald Trump’s shocking victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016. These were the ones in our era that significantly changed the direction of the
READ MOREAfter the events I witnessed last week, I felt compelled to focus on a couple of things that were discussed everywhere. Topics that I feel strongly about and try to provide each week within our pages. First up, we are all on God’s time. The expression that we are all day-to-day is one I commonly
READ MOREThe picture of Donald Trump’s fist in the air and the blood on his face moments after the assassination attempt on him has already become an iconic symbol that will be seen for generations to come. Some have even gone so far as to believe that it may go down in history, like the raising
READ MOREPresident Biden may have tipped his hand with some of his comments last week. The President, under increasing pressure from his own party and those who support the democratic effort, has been blatantly defiant that he will remain in the race. Before I get to my thoughts on where that’s heading, I’d like to give
READ MOREBefore I get to another issue involving age, I have a joyous occasion to begin this week: Happy 80th birthday to my stepmother, Carol. This from Billy, Jodi, Brian, Morgan, and our entire families. Wow, that is hard to believe. As is so often said, it seems like only yesterday. We all wish you great
READ MOREIn my entire life of following political matters, I do not believe I have ever seen a period of time where federal, state, and local government entities each encountered historical events at the same time. At the federal level, it has been in two areas: the presidential race and Supreme Court decisions. In state government,
READ MOREJersey Shore band, The Cadillac Cats, and solo artist Shippensburg resident, Nick Andrew Staver have been selected the winners of the BBA’s Annual Audition Concert. Both winners will appear on Saturday June 22nd. Both winners are now eligible to participate in the International Blues Challenge in early January 2025 in Memphis TN. The 34th Annual
READ MOREDecades from now, researchers will be trying to figure out how the United States went so far off the rails in the mid-2020s. Without any doubt, we are living in historic times. Never in two and a half centuries of our democracy has one party denigrated an opposing person from the opposite party as the
READ MOREThere are two wonderful ladies I hear from on a regular basis. I believe both give me way too much credit for my writing, creativity, and ability to reach people in a special way. Both pray for me, encourage me, and let me know I’m loved. Both tell me I have a gift that I
READ MOREMy full-time gig is with Susquehanna Marble and Granite. Yes. There is never a dull moment. I have been with the company for eight great seasons. I have been exposed to every facet of the countertop business. I am not the strongest guy, and these rocks are super heavy. I tend to break stuff, and
READ MOREThe 34th Annual Billtown Blues Festival officially begins Friday, June 21st at 6 p.m. The music continues at 12 noon on Saturday, June 22nd offering world class blues music from twelve performances. All festival detail including ticketing options, onsite camping accommodation, a link to our host hotel in downtown Williamsport, and our downtown bus service
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Golf claps to my friends at Pennsylvania College of Technology. The Wildcat Golf Team is on its way to the NCAA Division 3 National Championship. They earned an automatic bid this past weekend, and PCT captured its second straight United East Conference crown. Montoursville’s Peyton Mussina led the way. The lefty sniper is solid. He
READ MORESeven has been called a magic number. There are seven days a week, seven colors in the rainbow, seven musical notes in a scale, seven wonders of the ancient world, seven continents, seven major seas, and even psychologists tell us we can only take in seven ‘bits’ of information at one time. So, it is
READ MORESince the 2020 election, there has been a continuous political battle about the count. Initially, the election results were challenged in the courts, but nothing could be proven to the satisfaction of the judges. A protest in Washington, D.C., over the election certification at the US Capitol was organized on January 6, 2021, supporting Trump
READ MOREOn Thursday, November 10, 2016, just two days after Donald Trump had won the presidential election, Carol Sides, a senior citizen from Williamsport, received a call. “Mrs. Sides, this is the State Police. I am calling to inform you that all your personal information, including your home address, cell phone number, and email, has been
READ MOREThe website for the Center for Immigration Studies listed all sanctuary cities, counties, and states in the United States, updated on March 6, 2024. The site stated, “The sanctuary jurisdictions are listed below. These cities, counties, and states have laws, ordinances, regulations, resolutions, policies, or other practices that obstruct immigration enforcement and shield criminals from
READ MOREThis week is the fourth anniversary of an event that should get more attention. The COVID-19 shutdowns began in Pennsylvania on March 13, 2020. At the time, I thought how appropriate it was that it was Friday the 13th. Believe it or not, there is a word for the fear of this day: Paraskevidekatriaphobia. The
READ MOREI wanted to wait until after the South Carolina GOP primary to pen this column. The polls that I don’t often trust and many people I talked to told me it would be former President Donald Trump in a runaway. This was my gut feeling also; however, it was Nikki Haley’s home state, and I
READ MOREPunxsutawney Phil was a no show. I guess that means it will be an early spring. Sign me up. The weather has been quite unpredictable. We haven’t experienced much cold. I was hoping to get out for some ice fishing, but the conditions drastically changed. I had to bail on my Amish friends. They didn’t
READ MOREIn 1831, a young French diplomat named Alexis de Tocqueville was charged with researching this country’s penal system but found himself more enamored with our judicial system. After going about the country, he returned to France and put his observations into a book, Democracy in America, published in 1835. It would become one of the
READ MOREYes, yes, I know it is a long time out, but believe me, it will be here before we know it. I am speaking about the upcoming Primary Election on April 23rd and the General Election on November 5th. Many political prognosticators, who are wiser than I am, believe this might be one of the
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