This Friday, May 16, Ron Morris fills in for the Afternoon Drive Time slot (3 PM - 6 PM) on AM News Talk 1360 (WPTT). As with other "pinch-hit" appearances, this appearance will give Ron a chance to explore some discussion topics that aren't normally covered on the Saturday show.

First, we'll visit with one of Pittsburgh's most respected print journalists, Dennis Roddy of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Dennis will talk to Ron about the case of James Platts, a local real estate dealer who was indicted this past winter.  It's a local story that Dennis has been following since last summer, a tale of "buyer (and seller) beware" that is a must-read (or on Friday, a "must-hear") for anyone looking for a quick-fix shortcut when buying or selling a piece of real estate.  If you're not careful, you could walk right into the kind of situations that James, and many like him, set up to take advantage of those unaware of the real estate business. Plus, Dennis will discuss other key local issues, including the fallout from last month's Pennsylvania Presidential Primary election, a race that he covered in-depth from the trenches.

Next, we'll get to the root of an issue that seems to be on the tips of everyone's lips, if not their wallets: the rising cost of gas.   Anytime we fuel our cars up, we feel the pinch, and as bad as it's gotten in recent months and years (Upwards of 90% increases in price the past 12 months?  That's bad!), forecasters predict that it's only going to get worse.  Reports that the current $120 barrel of oil could reach $150 - $200 in just a few months are getting more and more frequent.  On Friday, Ron will talk with Neil King Jr., a writer for the Wall Street Journal who has covered the global trends and changes in the oil and crude industry.  He'll talk about how we got here, where it's headed, and what we as consumers can do about it.  Along those lines, Ron will also reconnect with Jack Knight, a local entrepreneur whose business, Lynx Energy Partners, is in the business of doing something about the rising cost of oil.  Jack will talk about some alternative fuel sources that can be found right here in Pennsylvania, and what is being done to access that fuel.

Finally, we'll revisit an issue we first discussed during Ron's previous pinch-hit appearance on May 2, that of the 670-mile fence that is currently being built along the border between the Southwest United States and Mexico.  It's a divisive issue (no pun intended) that has many locals on this side of the border crying foul over what the Department of Homeland Security is trying to accomplish.  While the U.S. Government is using the fence to curb the country's illegal immigration problem, their means of buying up the land around the fence, and suing those landowners who won't sell has many up in arms.   One of those who is up in arms is Chad Foster, Mayor of Eagle Park, TX (Motto: "Where Yee-Hah Meets Ole") and head of the Texas Border Coalition, a group of border town mayors and civic leaders who will go to any length to stop this fence.   On Friday, Chad will talk to Ron about his efforts, efforts that generally go unnoticed in Western Pennsylvania for geographically-valid reasons, but still speak to an issue of fundamental civic freedoms nonetheless.

It will all be on the table this Friday, as Ron fills in for the Afternoon Drive spot on AM News Talk 1360. Again, we'll be on from 3 PM to 6 PM on the radio, as well as via interactive podcast on TalkShoe.

Don't miss it!