Author

John Micek
A 3-decade veteran of the news business, John L. Micek is the Pennsylvania Capital-Star's Editor-in-Chief. An award-winning political reporter, Micek’s career has taken him from small town meetings and Chicago City Hall to Congress and the Pennsylvania Capitol. His weekly column on U.S. politics is syndicated to 800 newspapers nationwide by Cagle Syndicate.
Bullies understand one language. The U.S., West must speak with one voice
By: John Micek - February 25, 2022
There are days when big news events just swallow up your entire schedule. Thursday was one of those days. As was the case at the onset of the pandemic, and again with the 2020 election and its aftermath, and the violence of Jan. 6, it felt like the only thing we could do as a […]
Opinion: Four more children dead, and a nation shrugs. Is enough finally enough?
By: John Micek - December 10, 2021
Families in Michigan will set an empty place at the table this holiday season in the wake of the mass shooting at Oxford High School in southeast Michigan that left four children dead and seven more injured. The deaths at Oxford this week came a little more than two weeks before the ninth anniversary of […]
Everything we know about work is wrong. The pandemic proved it.
By: John Micek - September 7, 2021
So what can the plight of a little cafe tell you about the state of the American economy and the changing face of work? A lot, as it turns out. The other week, the bistro where my family and I have been grabbing brunch every Sunday since the start of the pandemic announced that it […]
‘A once in a generation investment’: Biden unveils $2T infrastructure package; creating millions of jobs
By: John Micek and Jacob Fischler - March 31, 2021
Unveiling what he called the boldest domestic spending package since the construction of America’s interstate highway system and the dawning of the space race, President Joe Biden released broad details of a $2 trillion infrastructure package that would rebuild highways and bridges, along with providing funding programs for housing, broadband and schools and increasing U.S. […]
Biden taps Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania’s top public health official, for federal post
By: John Micek - January 19, 2021
President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania’s top public health official for a cabinet-level post, the incoming administration said early Tuesday. Biden has named state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine as his assistant health secretary, putting her on track to become the first openly transgender official to face confirmation by the U.S. Senate. The news was […]
Building back the Blue Wall: How Joe Biden won Pennsylvania | Analysis
By: John Micek - November 9, 2020
Joe Biden built back the fabled “Blue Wall” of the Upper Midwest on his way to becoming president-elect on Saturday. But as important as Biden’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin were, no state played a more important role in the former vice president’s victory than Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes. The Associated Press called […]