Clockwise from left: Distil, The Knight's Bar, Old German Beer Hall PREAMBLEThe best bars in America: We knew it was impossible right from the beginning. To identify the best bars in a country this vast and this thirsty is a task on the order of identifying the best cells in the human body. At the time, we decided to recommend only bars that we knew personally. We still think that was a good call. This meant that best bars was going to be an ongoing project, particularly since we've always preferred visiting bars as part of our regular activities rather than organizing special missions. (If you make a special trip to find something, you tend to find what you're looking for whether it's there or ... Continue reading →

Inside Harrisburg: Insight and perspective on Pennsylvania politics from The Morning Call’s state house reporter, John L. Micek Continue reading →

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Legislation Aimed At Protecting Student-Athletes ... ... from an affliction known as "sudden cardiac arrest syndrome" is on its way to Gov. Tom Corbett's desk. The state House voted unanimously this afternoon to approve legislation sponsored by Rep. Mike Vereb, R-Montgomery, that would mandate training for coaches, trainers and athletic directors; educate parents and student-athletes about the syndrome; and require student-athletes exhibiting symptoms to be removed from the field and not returned to play until they're cleared by a medical professional. The bill is modeled on a similar concussion-awareness measure that was signed into law last year. "This is the No. 1 killer of student-athletes," Vereb said during remarks on the House floor. "This bill is about awareness. It's about education. It's about saving lives." ... Continue reading →

Social conservatives rallied in the Capitol this morning on behalf of legislation that they say would finally shut off the flow of public money to Planned Parenthood and other abortion-providers by making sure "legitimate" women's healthcare providers get first dibs on state funds. "You don't have liberty and the pursuit of happiness without life," House State Government Committee Chairman Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, said today. "The Founding Fathers submitted to the understanding that we answer to God. God gives life and government should protect life." Under Metcalfe's bill, the state Department of Health would be "directed to prioritize authorized family planning funding to health care entities that can best provide comprehensive health care to women." Metcalfe argued that because Planned Parenthood primarily provides abortion services, it ... Continue reading →