President Biden visited his hometown of Scranton, Pa., to promote the size and scope of his legislative agenda — saying his policies would create good paying jobs.

In a speech filled with reminiscences about his early childhood, Biden harkened back to something his father told him all those years ago.

“‘Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about your dignity. It’s about respect. It’s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, honey, it’s going to be OK.'”

Jobs like that, the president says, are what Scranton needs most right now since the pandemic has thrashed the local economy. He says if Congress agrees to invest the several trillions of dollars he wants for things like rail construction and clean energy generation, those jobs will come.

Scranton native Justin Howells just managed to find a good manufacturing job but only after six months of looking. He lost his retail job in the pandemic. 

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Almost every inch of the Pennsylvania Capitol is adorned with artwork, from grand landscapes to figures such as William Penn. The halls are also full of hidden surprises for observant visitors, including a window that’s dedicated to one of the state’s most abundant resources: natural gas.

The window in question is a more-than-100-year-old circular, stained glass porthole, which can be seen up close from the floor of the House chamber. The area is typically reserved for state lawmakers and privileged guests, but one visitor managed to snap a few photos of the artwork recently.

The pictures, tweeted by SEIU 668 President Steve Catanese, show a 24-karat-gold leaf-clad panel that hangs above the window, depicting a woman clothed in green. 

Two cherubs hold up a scroll that reads “natural gas.” They sit next to others, holding other scrolls that read things such as “Liberty” and “Justice.”  

“It’s kind of an odd juxtaposition,” Capitol Preservation Committee Historian Jason Wilson said during a tour of the chamber last month. 

Wilson explained that juxtaposition makes perfect sense when you know the history.

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Retired State Police Col. Paul Evanko had a decades-long career with the law enforcement agency and served two terms as commissioner. He was the person in charge of troopers’ response on Sept. 11, 2001.

He vividly remembers the day United Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, in Somerset County, after the passengers and crew attempted to retake the cockpit.

“When we knew Flight 93 was down, then we started putting everybody heading in that direction. As many people as we could get.”

Evanko relived that tragic day when he sat down with WITF’s Tim Lambert for an interview as part of a new exhibit, “Witness to History,” at the State Museum of Pennsylvania.

Sam Dunklau created an audio postcard, complete with natural sound sourced from WITF and the Pennsylvania State Archives, to illustrate Evanko’s interview.

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