I swear this is the truth. It was February 2, 1975 and I was managing a regional planning and development commission in rural Pennsylvania. We covered a six-county area that included Punxsutawney, so we thought it would be fun if everyone in the office attended Groundhog Day. Most of the 15 of us who were going stayed up the night before, playing a vicious Monopoly tournament (that's the kind of stuff we did for fun back then, before anything was invented). At about 4 am, we started the 90 minute drive down - it was bitterly cold, a bit below zero, and there was fresh snow on the ground. We got to Gobbler's Knob well before the sun came up, and at that time, Gobbler's Knob was somewhere outside of town, a large clearing about a quarter mile walk into the woods from the field where every... 02/01/2014

Looking to buy a home in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania? You might want to make a quick check to see if you and the property are eligible for a Pennsylvania USDA Mortgage, also known as a Pennsylvania USDA Rural Development Loan. Here's Why...  USDA home loans offer a few benefits that other mortgage programs cannot match, including no down payment and financed closing cost. If the home appraisal allows, the closing costs can also be wrapped into the mortgage resulting in no money needed at the closing table. USDA is the only mortgage program that allows for all closing costs to be financed into the loan amount on a home purchase.  Interest rates for USDA mortgages are comparable and often lower than the low fixed rates of Conventional, FHA and VA financing. The USDA Mortgage program do... 12/18/2011