PA in the WSJ

This is a list of articles regarding Pennsylvania in this week's Wall Street Journal. Chances are I missed something, but these are the articles that caught my eye.

It should be noted that I routinely do not read the editorials in the WSJ. So any discussions of the state, its elected officials, businesses, or citizens, in editorials will not be mentioned here.


PA Politicians

Congressman Joe Sestak (D-07) does the honors this week. In “Economic worries sour mood toward Congress,” by Douglas Belkin, Greg Hitt and Cari Tuna (7/07) we read:

Rep. Joe Sestak, a freshman Democrat from the Philadelphia suburbs, has received 1,000 lettes in the last year about gas prices. He says he is frank with his constitutents, answering their complaints by saying he’s sorry more hasn’t been achieved. I’m not going to shirk it. My party’s the majority party,” he said.

Former Philadelphia Mayor John Street makes a brief appearance in “Costs for conventions threatens to spoil the parties,” by Sara Murray (7/09). He is quoted as saying “Conventions are not what they used to be, and we all know that. You’re in another whole universe now.”

From “Groups push Congress to bar diversion of Great Lakes water,” by Ryan Davis (7/09) we read:

The Pennsylvania legislature approved the compact last week, and backer cite growing congressional support and a dearth of vocal opposition as evidence of the compact’s bright future at the federal level. The compact requires congressional consent.

The compact mentioned is to keep Great Lakes water from being taken to Southwestern states.

A note on Sen. McCain’s new energy ad airing in four states, including Pennsylvania gets a mention as does the company behind it, OnMessage Inc. From “’Independent’ ads tout McCain’s energy policies (7/07)

PA Businesses

The Pittsburgh Steelers got a lot of press this week. “Pittsburgh’s Rooneys quietly shop the Steelers,” by John R. Wilke (7/08), “’Hail, Mary’: Steelers fans face realities of a sale,” by Kris Maher (7/09), “Behind the steel curtain, a rusty belt,” by Matthew Futterman and John Wilke (7/10)

In “Pricey drugs put squeeze on doctors,” by Marilyn Chase (7/08), Penn bioethics professor Arthur Caplan is quoted and we learn that the American Society of Clinical Oncology has named a task force, including Neal Meropol of Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, to develop a guide to help doctors discuss costs with patients.

“Commodity boom passes by Alcoa,” by Mark Gongloff (7/08) and “Higher costs hurt Alcoa,” by Robert Guy Matthews (7/09)

Two Pennsylvania companies, Confluence of Pittsburgh and PMSLIC Insurance of Mechanicsburg are mentioned in “Companies win as workers lose pounds,” by Simona Covel (7/10)

“Dow Chemical to buy Rohm & Hass,” by Ana Campoy (7/11)

Other PA

According to a graphic accompanying “Flight delays and cancellations abound,” by Scott McCartney (/708) 69.4% of flights at the Pittsburgh airport are on time.

Santa Wars in “These Santas are keeping a list, and not all have been nice,” by Jim Carlton (7/10). A trouble association of Santas, the Amalgamated Santas, is having some legal touble in PA.

There’s trouble between Scranton unions and the Catholic Church, as outlined in “Catholic Church, union show strains,” by Suzanne Sataline (7/10)

From “As textbooks go ‘custom,’ students pay,” by John Hechinger (7/10):

Pennsylvania State University recently ended a contract with Person for the roughly 10,000 students taking introducing economics courses. The economic department received a $10 royalty for each custom textbook student purchased, generating about $50,000 a year for the program, says Susan Welch, dean of the college of liberal arts. But Prof. Welch says, the school was uncomfortable “making money on students like that,” and the arrangement discouraged students from buying cheaper, used books.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson is quoted in “Obama is catching up to McCain in television-ad spending,” by Aaron Rutkoff (7/11)

Who knew? “In Pittsburgh, NASA scientists used molecules of atomic oxygen to wipe a Warhold painting clean of the lipstick smear left by a vandal’s kiss, from “The search for a hidden da Vinci,” by Robert Lee Hotz (7/11)

“As governors gather, economic woes loom” mentioned the annual governors meeting held in Philadelphia this weekend (7/12)

“Early TV chef promoted ‘electric cooking’,” by Stephen Miller (7/12) is the obit for Florence P. Hanford, who had a cooking show in Philadelphia from 1949 to 1969.

Other Interesting Tidbits

In “Ray of sunshine emerges in sagging IPO market,” by Lynn Cowan (7/07), five energy related companies in the pipeline for issues an IPO are highlighted. None are based in PA.