Author Archives: David Loomis

By David Loomis INDIANA — Three times in the past quarter century, White Township supervisors have sought to hire a forester to “manage ” White’s Woods, the 250-acre, township-owned recreational forest that partly straddles the border between the township and … Continue reading →

By Sara Stewart “In childhood the wilds seemed infinite. Along Crooked Creek in the Allegheny Mountains of western Pennsylvania there was a tract of forest we called the Big Woods. The hemlock, beech, poplar, red oak, white oak, maple, and … Continue reading →

Coronavirus Diary By David Loomis INDIANA – Indiana Mall is a commercial ghost town, lately because “Governor Wolf’s Yellow Phase mandate does NOT permit Shopping Malls to open,” according to the mall’s website. There are exceptions: “(T)enants with external entrances can … Continue reading →

Coronavirus Diary By David Loomis INDIANA – “In just a swoop of a pen we had our rights taken away just like that!” … “Unconstitutional!!!!!” … “Throw out the masks!” Some local social media posts recently read like the latest … Continue reading →

By Sara Stewart INDIANA — As spring slowly comes to Indiana, a battle is reheating over the fate of White’s Woods Nature Center, the 250-acre wooded tract of land owned by White Township. For the third time in the past three … Continue reading →

An opinion By David Loomis INDIANA – On April 20, a federal appeals court in Pittsburgh issued a ruling in a lawsuit brought by Lewis James “Jim” Fogle, the Indiana County man wrongfully convicted in 1982 for the 1976 rape … Continue reading →

By James P. “Jim” Dougherty INDIANA — In 1933, the nation’s fourth year of the Great Depression, 37 percent of Pennsylvania’s workforce was jobless. Those fortunate enough to find work faced declining wages and shortened weeks. In May of that … Continue reading →

Coronavirus Diary  By David Loomis INDIANA – “The virus will tell us.” So responded Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, to questions about when to reopen the U.S. economy and loosen community … Continue reading →

Coronavirus Diary By David Loomis INDIANA — At noon Friday, a caravan of cars and trucks circled a largely shuttered downtown business district, honked horns and displayed hand-lettered signs in support of local entrepreneurs struggling through an ongoing global public-health … Continue reading →

Coronavirus Diary By David Loomis INDIANA – A second front in the commander-in-chief’s “war” on the “invisible enemy” of COVID-19 is an “infodemic” — a global tsunami of misinformation. The infodemic comes in various sizes and shapes, from the president’s … Continue reading →