PA BOOKS on PCN

Why Are You Here? A Primer for State Legislators and Citizens is a challenge to America’s 7,382 state legislators and their constituents to critically examine their state legislature and take appropriate action to improve it. This is a handbook telling how legislatures came to be, how they function, and discussing how they have fallen in public esteem. The book provides an analytical discussion for evaluating how any legislature deals with four issues: personal greed, criminal and ethical scandal, the influence of money and lobbying, and self-serving legislative seat apportionment. The last section is a “Legislative Toolbox” that provides information helpful in evaluating legislatures and readings of a patriotic nature that enhance idealism and spirit.

Franklin Kury served six years in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and eight years in the Pennsylvania State Senate. He was a leader in environmental and government reform legislation. His first book, Clean Politics, Clean Streams, was cited by name and used by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in the landmark environmental law decision in the Robinson Township case in 2013.

But there was another Fields, the man behind the character of the red-nosed card sharp, who wrote, directed, and performed in some of the most enduring comedies of all time, including "It’s a Gift", "My Little Chickadee", and "The Bank Dick".

But there was another Fields, the man behind the character of the red-nosed card sharp, who wrote, directed, and performed in some of the most enduring comedies of all time, including "It’s a Gift", "My Little Chickadee", and "The Bank Dick".

The most exciting vegetable cooking in the nation is happening at Vedge, where in an elegant nineteenth-century townhouse in Philadelphia, chef-proprietors Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby serve exceptionally flavorful fare that is wowing vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores alike. Now, Landau and Jacoby share their passion for ingenious vegetable cooking. The more than 100 recipes here—such as Fingerling Potatoes with Creamy Worcestershire Sauce, Pho with Roasted Butternut Squash, Seared French Beans with Caper Bagna Cauda, and Eggplant Braciole—explode with flavor but are surprisingly straightforward to prepare.

At dessert, fruit takes center stage in dishes like Blueberries with Pie Crust and Lemonade Ice Cream—but vegetables can still steal the show, like in the Beetroot Pots de Crème. With more than 100 photographs, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and useful tips throughout, Vedge is an essential cookbook that will revolutionize the way you cook and taste vegetables.

Husband and wife Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby are the chefs and owners of Vedge in Philadelphia. Landau has been at the fore of vegetarian dining since he opened Horizons Café in 1994. In 2009, he served the first-ever vegan dinner at the James Beard House. In 2012, he received Cooking Light’s Trailblazing Chef Award. Jacoby acts as pastry chef and manages Vedge’s unique cocktail program, which features housemade syrups and bitters. They live in their native Philadelphia.

The most exciting vegetable cooking in the nation is happening at Vedge, where in an elegant nineteenth-century townhouse in Philadelphia, chef-proprietors Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby serve exceptionally flavorful fare that is wowing vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores alike. Now, Landau and Jacoby share their passion for ingenious vegetable cooking. The more than 100 recipes here—such as Fingerling Potatoes with Creamy Worcestershire Sauce, Pho with Roasted Butternut Squash, Seared French Beans with Caper Bagna Cauda, and Eggplant Braciole—explode with flavor but are surprisingly straightforward to prepare.

At dessert, fruit takes center stage in dishes like Blueberries with Pie Crust and Lemonade Ice Cream—but vegetables can still steal the show, like in the Beetroot Pots de Crème. With more than 100 photographs, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and useful tips throughout, Vedge is an essential cookbook that will revolutionize the way you cook and taste vegetables.

Husband and wife Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby are the chefs and owners of Vedge in Philadelphia. Landau has been at the fore of vegetarian dining since he opened Horizons Café in 1994. In 2009, he served the first-ever vegan dinner at the James Beard House. In 2012, he received Cooking Light’s Trailblazing Chef Award. Jacoby acts as pastry chef and manages Vedge’s unique cocktail program, which features housemade syrups and bitters. They live in their native Philadelphia.

The 2002 revelation at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park that George Washington kept slaves in his executive mansion in the 1790s prompted an eight-year controversy about the role of slavery in America's commemorative landscape. When the President's House installation opened in 2010, it became the first federal property to feature a slave memorial.

Upon the Ruins of Liberty chronicles the politically charged efforts to create a fitting tribute to the place where George Washington (and later John Adams) shaped the presidency as he denied freedom to the nine enslaved Africans in his household. From design to execution, the plans prompted advocates to embrace stories informed by race and address such difficulties as how to handle the results of the site excavation. Consequently, this landmark project raised concerns and provided lessons about the role of public memory in shaping the nation's identity.

Roger Aden is a Professor in the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University. He is the author of Popular Stories and Promised Lands: Fan Cultures and Symbolic Pilgrimages and Huskerville: A Story of Nebraska Football, Fans, and the Power of Place.

The 2002 revelation at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park that George Washington kept slaves in his executive mansion in the 1790s prompted an eight-year controversy about the role of slavery in America's commemorative landscape. When the President's House installation opened in 2010, it became the first federal property to feature a slave memorial.

Upon the Ruins of Liberty chronicles the politically charged efforts to create a fitting tribute to the place where George Washington (and later John Adams) shaped the presidency as he denied freedom to the nine enslaved Africans in his household. From design to execution, the plans prompted advocates to embrace stories informed by race and address such difficulties as how to handle the results of the site excavation. Consequently, this landmark project raised concerns and provided lessons about the role of public memory in shaping the nation's identity.

Roger Aden is a Professor in the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University. He is the author of Popular Stories and Promised Lands: Fan Cultures and Symbolic Pilgrimages and Huskerville: A Story of Nebraska Football, Fans, and the Power of Place.

Erie, Pennsylvania; January 3, 1983: Are you ready for some football? Frank "Ash Wednesday" Dovishaw was more than ready that bitterly cold Monday night. He didn't really care who won or lost the last National Football League game of the regular season. But the man also called "Bolo" did indeed care about local sports betting on the nationally-televised pro game, and more specifically about his "take" on the action. Frank—or "Ash Wednesday" or "Bolo." He had many nicknames and aliases. He was a bookmaker. Not just a garden variety illegal numbers and sports-betting bookie. In partnership with an admitted mob hit man, he ran Northwestern Pennsylvania's most lucrative bookmaking operation, one that easily handled hundreds of thousands of dollars over a busy college bowl and professional football weekend. He was king of the local action. Unfortunately for Bolo, he would never see football that night; nor would he take another bet. Just hours before kickoff, begging for mercy on his knees, Frank Dovishaw lost not a wager, but his life. The execution-style gangland murder set off a series of events for Erie's top homicide investigator that would span nearly seven years, touching upon virtually every aspect of the lakeside city's dark underbelly, and reaching from Pennsylvania to Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia and Florida. Along the way, it became the story of dirty cops, hit men, drug dealers, crooked lawyers, and co-conspirators who abandoned omerta, their code of silence. Yet, despite the many obstacles and detours, DiPaolo's unrelenting quest to identify Dovishaw's killers could not be stopped. Many of the acts DiPaolo encountered were stunningly vicious. Yet other acts, and especially those who inflicted them, would be almost humorous if not so jaw-dropping, brutally true. Here is the extraordinary true story of Dominick DiPaolo, a persistent, unyielding veteran cop who refused to quit through death threats, bribery attempts, false leads and sidetracks, while tenaciously following clues and suspects, from "made" men and wannabes, burglars and armed robbers, arsonists and hired killers, cop and union leader killings, to culmination of the Unholy Murder of Ash Wednesday.

Dominick DiPaolo served with distinction as an Erie, Pennsylvania police officer for a quarter century, much of the time as Erie’s leading homicide investigator. For the past 20 years, DiPaolo has been an elected magisterial District Judge, representing Erie’s Sixth Ward. Jeff Pinski was an award-winning journalist for four decades at Erie, Pennsylvania’s Times Publishing Company. He is the former President of the PA Associated press Managing Editors, and the former longtime Chair of both Leadership Erie and the MS Society’s Northwestern PA Advisor Council. After retiring from the newspaper, he became Edinboro University’s Associate Director for Communications and Marketing for seven years.

Erie, Pennsylvania; January 3, 1983: Are you ready for some football? Frank "Ash Wednesday" Dovishaw was more than ready that bitterly cold Monday night. He didn't really care who won or lost the last National Football League game of the regular season. But the man also called "Bolo" did indeed care about local sports betting on the nationally-televised pro game, and more specifically about his "take" on the action. Frank—or "Ash Wednesday" or "Bolo." He had many nicknames and aliases. He was a bookmaker. Not just a garden variety illegal numbers and sports-betting bookie. In partnership with an admitted mob hit man, he ran Northwestern Pennsylvania's most lucrative bookmaking operation, one that easily handled hundreds of thousands of dollars over a busy college bowl and professional football weekend. He was king of the local action. Unfortunately for Bolo, he would never see football that night; nor would he take another bet. Just hours before kickoff, begging for mercy on his knees, Frank Dovishaw lost not a wager, but his life. The execution-style gangland murder set off a series of events for Erie's top homicide investigator that would span nearly seven years, touching upon virtually every aspect of the lakeside city's dark underbelly, and reaching from Pennsylvania to Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia and Florida. Along the way, it became the story of dirty cops, hit men, drug dealers, crooked lawyers, and co-conspirators who abandoned omerta, their code of silence. Yet, despite the many obstacles and detours, DiPaolo's unrelenting quest to identify Dovishaw's killers could not be stopped. Many of the acts DiPaolo encountered were stunningly vicious. Yet other acts, and especially those who inflicted them, would be almost humorous if not so jaw-dropping, brutally true. Here is the extraordinary true story of Dominick DiPaolo, a persistent, unyielding veteran cop who refused to quit through death threats, bribery attempts, false leads and sidetracks, while tenaciously following clues and suspects, from "made" men and wannabes, burglars and armed robbers, arsonists and hired killers, cop and union leader killings, to culmination of the Unholy Murder of Ash Wednesday.

Dominick DiPaolo served with distinction as an Erie, Pennsylvania police officer for a quarter century, much of the time as Erie’s leading homicide investigator. For the past 20 years, DiPaolo has been an elected magisterial District Judge, representing Erie’s Sixth Ward. Jeff Pinski was an award-winning journalist for four decades at Erie, Pennsylvania’s Times Publishing Company. He is the former President of the PA Associated press Managing Editors, and the former longtime Chair of both Leadership Erie and the MS Society’s Northwestern PA Advisor Council. After retiring from the newspaper, he became Edinboro University’s Associate Director for Communications and Marketing for seven years.

Under This Beautiful Dome tells the true story of journalist Terry Mutchler’s secret five-year relationship with Penny Severns, an Illinois State Senator who mentored Barack Obama. Forced to engage in an elaborate ruse to keep their relationship a secret, the two women constantly fear discovery in their conservative town. Denied legal access to the altar, they face even greater hardships when Penny is diagnosed with cancer and begins undergoing treatment.

Set in the political arena, Under This Beautiful Dome reminds us why the march to legalize same-sex marriage is both personal and political. This vivid, beautiful story paints an intimate portrait of a loving relationship and the vast impact gay marriage legislation has on couples and families in America today. An essential look at how our laws affect our lives, Mutchler’s memoir is a must-read for those interested in politics, equality, and the changes sweeping the nation.

Terry Mutchler is an attorney and former award-winning journalist who was appointed as Pennsylvania’s first Executive Director of the Office of Open Records, ensuring government transparency. A writer for The Associated Press, she covered politics in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Alaska, and Illinois, where she was the first woman appointed AP Statehouse Correspondent. She won several Keystone Awards, Pennsylvania’s top honor for reporting, and was the AP’s state nominee for Young Writer of the Year.