Virginia Avenue thrived back in the day; will it again?
Growing up on Arch Street in South Cumberland, I knew all the shortcuts, all the yards that were never to be trespassed, all the places to locate my friends if they were anywhere in the neighborhood to be found on a hot summer day.

Sometimes the obvious isn’t so obvious
Having spent the last 26 years as a police reporter, now more commonly referred to as a public safety reporter, I have enjoyed a unique perspective on many stories that have been published over the years by the Times-News.
To no surprise, there often are many things that one learns while covering a story that do not always make it into print. There are many reasons, one being it’s just not the time nor the place.

Delivering newspapers pays off in more ways than one
As a young boy, I enjoyed reading The Cumberland News, Cumberland Evening Times and the Cumberland Sunday Times. The printed page fascinated me, particularly the sports page, where I could quickly check to see if Mickey Mantle and the boys had won another one.

In me-first, win-at-all-cost world, respect, courtesy often seem forgotten
Long before Wal-Mart, there were small discount store chains in the land. One was based in Altoona, Pa., operating its stores as Tri-State Discount Center. One of those was located at 917 Gay St., a structure in the news recently as a possible site for residential development into loft apartments.

Trail ride turns into a trip down memory lane
Recent leisurely rides along the Allegheny Highlands Trail have been more for me than a journey from the Frostburg trail head to the Borden Tunnel or beyond to the Big Savage Tunnel. They have been a surprising trip down memory lane.