HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania—Eugene DePasquale and Sean Parnell couldn't be more different politically. DePasquale is a seasoned statewide-elected official and Democrat from York County, Pennsylvania, while Parnell is a western Pennsylvania Republican newcomer who has never run for office. Yet they share one very important thing this year: They are both challenging incumbent members of Congress in
TARRS, Pennsylvania—Five years ago, the plot of land where the Dollar General store sits on Glades Pike was just that: a plot of pastoral greenery located near a row of neatly kept homes in an unincorporated village that once briefly boomed as a coal town. The store's familiar yellow sign with bold, all-capitalized black letters
PITTSBURGH—Darrin Kelly, president of the powerful Allegheny-Fayette County Central Labor Council, says that not one of the Democratic candidates running for president has reached out to him to ask about or listen to what union families in western Pennsylvania are looking for in a nominee to challenge President Donald Trump in November. "Not one," he
WESTBY, WISCONSIN—In a country increasingly engaged in national politics and divided, the next 12 months may feel like 12 years. Voters in both trenches are eager to vote, convinced not only of victory but also of vindication. The shocking result in 2016 wasn't a black swan, an irregular election deviating from normalcy, but instead the
EVERETT, Pennsylvania—For the past two years, items on layaway for over 200 families at the Walmart here have been paid for by some generous soul who won't reveal his or her identity. Last year, this modern St. Nicholas paid off $46,000 in items placed on layaway by local residents. This year's total was $40,000. Nestled
RUSSELLTON, Pennsylvania—Despite his natural shyness, Trevor Donovan has shined in an occupation that demands extroversion both on the job and off. The Hollywood actor, who is currently best known for his roles in the highly popular Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, overcame his social awkwardness by deciding to use his high profile for a greater purpose.
SAVANNAH, Georgia—Tyler Merritt has taken the saying "It takes a village to raise a child" and turned it a bit sideways. He's building a village, literally, to allow adults to raise themselves up. His village is a stabilizing rail, or a stepping stone to a better life. Merritt, a former Army captain and special operations
COLUMBIANA, Ohio—The thing about a city earning a title such as the "nicest place in America" is that outsiders often assume the people who live there don't have to work at being nice. Well, anyone in this lovely city that straddles both the Mahoning and Columbiana Counties would say you do have to work at
When Dr. Laura Schlessinger got her foot entangled with shards of broken glass a few months ago, she cleaned the wound, cringed at the amount of blood and went about her business despite a lingering, stinging pain that nagged at her to do something. Apropos of what she does in her professional life as the
CRESCO, Iowa—If you come to this rural Iowa town, you'll learn about a problem that may sound familiar. In The New York Times, for instance, you've learned that many residents in Newark, New Jersey, have gone nearly two years without being able to turn on the faucets in their homes to take a drink of
