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Articles by Dan Laughlin
Dan Laughlin: Pennsylvania needs a Cannabis Control Board
Legalization of adult-use cannabis in Pennsylvania is no longer a matter of if, it is when. And when that day comes, the state should not be scrambling to build a regulatory system from scratch. A transparent, efficient framework should already be in place, one designed to support a safe, well-regulated cannabis industry from day one. Pennsylvania should be ready to act when legalization becomes law, by creating a Cannabis Control Board now, before legalization.
Letter: Let’s rename Columbus, Ohio. Let’s call it Hammond.
I find it interesting that the congressional delegates from Ohio are appalled that we would want to change the name of our great mountain back to Denali, its original name. I would suggest that Trump issue one more executive order changing the name of the capital city of Ohio from Columbus to the capital city of Hammond. I don’t question that McKinley may have been a great president, but most of us older Alaskans consider Jay Hammond to be one of our greatest governors.
How did Pa. Senate candidate Dan Laughlin answer your questions on taxes, schools, voting?
The Erie Times-News asked voters to submit questions to the candidates running to represent Erie-area residents in the Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives. Here, incumbent state Sen. Dan Laughlin, the Republican nominee running in the 49th Senatorial District race, offers his answers. The district covers all of Erie County except the city of Corry, Elgin borough, and Concord and Wayne townships. Question: What legislative issues are most important to you?
Dan Laughlin: People are being sex trafficked in Pa. - maybe just down your street
Your television is flooded with reports of sex trafficking rings on private islands, but the grim reality is there’s human trafficking happening down your street. January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and although it would be easier to ignore it, human trafficking is very real and close to home. According to the Department of Homeland Security, human trafficking is defined as the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain some type of labor or sex act.
Primary elections are closed to independent voters. That has to end
Do Something Demand a say in who's running Closed primary elections mean millions of Pennsylvanians don’t get to choose the most qualified candidates to run in the general election. We need more democracy, not less. The Pennsylvania General Assembly has an online tool to find your elected state reps. Reach out and let them know you want to see an end to closed primaries. And be sure to vote by May 16. See who and what is on the ballot here.
State Sen. Dan Laughlin: 'Audit' the 2020 election results? Let's be real Republicans.
The emerging spectacle of a state senator trying to audit Pennsylvania’s 2020 election absent credible evidence of fraud isn’t going to change the 2020 outcome and will only further the paranoid atmospherics, poisoning both parties. I’m a Republican. I believe in my party’s core values: personal liberty, free markets and economic opportunity.
Conversations with Candidates
Still Standing: Protester Hannah Silbaugh 16 Counties Including Pittsburgh Area Set to Green While Erie Remains Yellow Wolf Announces 17 Counties to Green Phase, Plan for Statewide Stay-at-home Order Lift From Erie to Selma in 1965 Local Government Officials React to Green Phase Exclusion
Conversations with Candidates: Andre Horton
Campaigning is hard. Campaigning during a global pandemic is something else. All of the doors that volunteers and supporters promised to knock for candidates are now closed for the foreseeable future. The strategy that people spent months – and in some cases years – developing is now moot.
Conversations with Candidates: Julie Slomski
Campaigning is hard. Campaigning during a global pandemic is something else. All of the doors that volunteers and supporters promised to knock for candidates are now closed for the foreseeable future. The strategy that people spent months – and in some cases years – developing is now moot.
Bill would require drivers clear snow from their vehicles
I know many of my friends and neighbors think Harrisburg is a strange place -- and there are plenty of times I just have to agree with them. For example, just a hint from a television weatherman that the Capitol Region may get an inch or two of snow results in near mass hysteria. Schools close down. Travel restrictions are put in place and good luck finding a jug of milk or loaf of bread in the neighborhood grocery store.
From the Editors: A Long Time Coming
This moment has been anticipated for a long time, and we don’t mean Halloween. Erie’s mayoral race has been at the forefront of our minds for years now. Ever since Joe Sinnott ran unopposed for his third and final term, Erie has looked ahead to this decision. Speculation ran rampant for years, as various people threw (and sometimes withdrew) their hats from the ring. By the time of the May 16 primary election, there were nine candidates running.
A Sewage Treatment Plant
I am excited to share with you what I consider to be an environmental breakthrough that took place over several years during my time as a private citizen in Erie County. As a small business owner and landlord, I was required to install and maintain a small sewage treatment facility. Small flow treatment facilities (SFTFs) are sewage facilities designed to treat 2,000 gallons of sewage per day or less.
It Provides More Laughs Than Scares
With the success of the Netflix series Stranger Things, it seems that the look and feel of 1980s Stephen King-style movies are becoming popular again. It was to be expected that we would get more stories in the tradition of King’s “supernatural happenings in American suburbia” style.
Let’s End the City’s Tech Decline
What would convince you to invest in Erie if you were a start-up business, an innovative technology company, or a successful manufacturer? It probably wouldn’t be the city website that gives you a phone number for every single employee, but no guidance on who to call with a concern. Nor would it be the city’s lack of a Facebook page, Twitter account, or YouTube Channel. And it definitely would not be the parking meters that only accept quarters.
Harrisburg Happenings: September 13, 2017
Over the past several months, state leaders have struggled with financial issues, namely completion of the 2017-18 budget. The relatively easy part was reaching an agreement on spending. The spending package that was finalized in late June covered the basic services and programs that meet the needs of Pennsylvania’s citizens. A particular matter of pride for me was that this spending plan included a significant — and essential — increase in state support for the Erie School District.
The Future of Art is Nigh at Erie Movie House and Artlore Studio
“Traditionally, drawing was a way of representing 3D space; to draw in 3D space is a completely different challenge,” Scott McCloud, a cartoonist and author, says in a video produced by Google VR that explains the Tilt Brush. He’s not wrong, and perhaps the first hurdle most people must overcome is wrapping their minds around the concept.
Real-life Friends Play To-the-death Rivals in ‘Sleuth’
Summer in Wiltshire, just 100 miles outside of London. A country estate, inhabited by a celebrated mystery writer with an indefatigable obsession with puzzles and games. His wife’s lover has been invited to partake in a new sort of game — one where the lines between fiction and reality become hopelessly blurred and where the roles of cat and mouse are never fixed. Thus begins the Tony Award-winning best play of 1971, Sleuth.
Erie At Large: August 16, 2017
Here we go, again, on our own. It’s a familiar refrain in this community, but instead of being accompanied by sex symbols grinding to a soundtrack upon luxury vehicles, the lasting image symbolizing Erie’s journey is that of a sacrificial laborer strapped to the pilot of a locomotive rolling out of GE Transportation in Lawrence Park. That enduring imagery – the laborer, not the sex symbol – keeps people up at night, and rightly so.
No Longer Focused Plan
Are you there, Erie? It’s me, Alayna. What would you think of me doing an op-ed on Erie’s Refocused Plan and our local government administration? You wouldn’t mind would you, Erie? I’ll tell you all my perceptions and concerns about it, and I won’t state anything without researching it first. I think it’s time for me to stick up for our community. I can’t go on saying nothing forever, can I? No, I can’t.
Everyone Has a Right to Decent and Fair Housing
In the summertime, with the outdoors calling, it can be harder to appreciate the value of a good roof over one’s head. But regardless of the weather — warm and inviting or cold and drab — all individuals have a right to decent and fair housing for themselves and their families. The federal Fair Housing Act was signed into law on April 11, 1968, by President Lyndon Johnson.
Harrisburg Happenings
The good news is — as I write this column — Pennsylvania has enacted a spending plan for the 2017-18 Fiscal Year that includes $15 million in additional state funding for the Erie School District, which was my number one priority for this budget. Under the spending plan for FY 17-18, which the legislature passed at the end of June and became law on July 10 without the governor’s signature, the Erie School District will receive $14 million in Educational Access Program Funding.
From the Editors: August 2, 2017
Sometimes it’s not easy to push forward. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like you should celebrate. Giving might be the last thing on your mind, but it’s in these times when it’s most important. Last week, General Electric Transportation announced their plans to cut 575 jobs from their Lawrence Park plant. This is coming after 1,500 workers were laid off in 2015.
Why brands will pay top dollar for your in-app inventory
Ad fraud is expected to cost brands over $16 billion this year. The industry is on edge, and brand safety is a top concern. This is especially true after Fortune 500 advertisers discovered their ads appearing next to inappropriate content on Google’s Youtube.The industry has been working on solutions to curb ad fraud and increase brand safety, and yet the problem grows each year. In 2017, ad fraud may grow by 30%.
Why Apple Watch won’t be the next big screen for advertisers
Will the Apple Watch be the next frontier for ads and monetization? Advertisers, agencies, and developers are still wondering after Monday’s launch event in San Francisco. JP Morgan predicts Apple will sell 26 million units in 2015, making it almost as big as the entire Swiss watch industry, and the number one watchmaker in terms of market share.
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