Category Archives: Economics

2023 Campaigns and Beyond – Quaker Valley School Board

Posted on December 1, 2023 by John Linko

Your Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while all the Company is true. – Galadriel, from The Fellowship of the Ring by … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Censorship, Civil Liberties, Community, Economics, Education, Government, History, Local, Media, Personal, Politics, Public Safety, Schools, Security, Youth | Tagged Bud Smith, Edgeworth Borough, Gianni Floro, Jessica Webster, John English, Leet Township, Leetsdale Borough, Melissa Walls, Muottas, Quaker Valley GOP, Quaker Valley High School, Quaker Valley School Board, Quaker Valley School District, Sewickley Valley Historical Society, Thomas Tull, William Jasper | Leave a comment

October Shorts – Books, Babies, Backpedaling, and Basketball

Posted on October 17, 2023 by John Linko

Banned Books Week – Muted Locally? This corner has made banned books a focus, especially over the last year or so. As such, the recognition of Banned Books Week here should be of no surprise to any regular visitor. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Community, Development, Economics, Environment, Government, Growth, Health, History, Local, Media, Personal, Politics, Public Safety, Schools, Sports, Youth, Zoning | Tagged Allegheny County Library Association, Allegheny Health Network, Andy Sheehan, Ashley Birtwell, Avalon Public Library, Banned Books Week, Blacksmith's House, Buncher Commerce Park, Citizens Concerned for EMS, Edgeworth Borough, Heritage Valley, KDKA-TV, Kris Mamula, Leetsdale Borough, Leetsdale Industrial Park, Little Sewickley Creek, Miller's House, Moon Township Public Library, Norm Mitry, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Preserve Edgeworth, Rize Sports, Ruth Neely, Sewickley Academy, Sewickley Public Library, Sewickley Valley Historical Society, Thomas Tull | 1 Comment

Summer Shorts: EMS IS Public Safety, and Other Inconvenient Truths

Posted on July 25, 2023 by John Linko

Every couple of years stories appear in the media concerning the challenges faced by Emergency Medical Services providers, who are largely dependent on health insurance billing for the bulk of their operating revenue. This year has seen increased media coverage … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Economics, Government, Health, Justice, Local, Media, Pittsburgh, Politics, Public Safety, Security | Tagged Aspinwall Borough, Beaver Valley Regional Police, Bellevue Borough, Ben Avon Borough, Edgeworth Borough, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Service, McKees Rocks Borough, Quaker Valley Ambulance Authority, Ross/West View EMS Authority, Sharpsburg Borough, Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services, Valley Ambulance Authority, volunteer fire departments | Leave a comment

Loose Ends for a Better Year, Part 2 – Old Files, Empty Spaces

Posted on April 26, 2021 by John Linko

My wife is currently on a mission to clean and de-clutter several areas of the house. We have been shuttling items and materiel to various locales for recycling, reuse, or resale. Leslie calls this “up and out”. I’m going to … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Community, Economics, Government, History, Local, Politics | Tagged Sewickley Borough, Sewickley Parking Authority | Leave a comment

Summer Digest – Litigation, Preservation, Rehabilitation, Reflection, Intrusion

Posted on September 5, 2017 by John Linko

UPDATED Sept. 6, 2017 to clarify comments made by Anne Clarke Ronce. The past several weeks have included some out-of-the-ordinary activities, including some time off from work along with some medical tests and procedures. To say that me and mine … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Economics, Government, Growth, History, Local, Media, Personal, Politics, Schools, Sports | Tagged Edgeworth, Heritage Valley, Quaker Valley, Sewickley Borough, Sewickley Herald, Trib Total Media, Zamagias Properties | 2 Comments

Leetsdale – The Fire Next Time

Posted on December 9, 2015 by John Linko

Living in close proximity to a fire station can give you a familiarity with the routine of the people responding to fire and other emergencies. You can get a sense of the severity of an incident just by listening to … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Local, Media, Personal, Politics, Public Safety, Schools, Security | Tagged Leetsdale Borough, Leetsdale Industrial Park, Lubrizol, Port Ambridge Industrial Park | 4 Comments

The Paths of Resistance

Posted on October 15, 2012 by John Linko

Would it then follow that climbers take the hard way, but have their ups and downs? Is it necessarily an advantage to prefer a steadier path, even though you may never see anything from the top? Credit – Wikipedia … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Faith, Local, Personal, Politics | Leave a comment

The Power of Teamwork

Posted on February 8, 2011 by John Linko

A multiple-choice question has been going through my head: What were factors in the Steelers‘ loss to the Packers in the Super Bowl? A. Me putting my Steeler jersey on backwards by accident (I did)B. Pittsburgh native Christina Aguilera mangling … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Community, Economics, Energy, Government, Local, Pittsburgh | Leave a comment

Rocks and Hard Places – An EMS Paradox

Posted on December 4, 2010 by John Linko

This past Tuesday Rick Wagner posted a story from Face the State to his blog, detailing the nature of EMS operations at the Thornton Fire Department in the northern Denver suburbs. The story carried the headline “City-Run Ambulance Services Double … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Health, Local, Public Safety, Rural | 1 Comment

Sentinel Goes Behind the Paywall

Posted on October 4, 2010 by John Linko

Leetsdale, PA – Happy October. When Daily Sentinel publisher Jay Seaton announced in a column last week that his newspaper would be charging a fee for access to much of its online content, I was disappointed but not surprised, in … Continue reading →