Despite the frigid cold economy that is holding many back from giving, Mercury readers dug deep into their pockets to help those less fortunate through Operation Holiday. The Mercury this year helped a record number of area residents have a Merry Christmas.

The revolving door through administrators’ offices at the Phoenixville Area School District keeps spinning, leaving more questions than answers. At the end of 2009, two more principals were leaving the district, and it's still not clear why this is happening.

For more on this story, read "Turnover at the top marks 2009 in Phoenixville."

Pottstown's borough finances have experienced more ups and downs than an adventure film as borough officials have discovered missing funds, then realized impending deficits, then learned they'd lost money or forgotten to send out proper bills to area townships for water. In the latest news, the borough realized it would have a large deficit for 2010, which might be made worse by declining property values and reassessments boroughwide.

This cartoon was in response to the fiasco involving Owen J. Roberts superintendent decisions. The school board let Myra Forrest go and bought out her contract in the spring, saying it was a financially motivated move, but the decisions they have made since proved more costly than retaining Forrest would have been.

Complaining is easy, but standing up and changing government is hard, something The Mercury finds its readers feel when they call Sound Off instead of their elected officials whenever they have an issue. Exhibited in this Halloween-themed cartoon is that attitude in terms of what children choose to where and say at a resident's door while trick-or-treating.

While the state budget impasse caused a great many problems for state workers and state programs, as well as those who depended upon them, one good thing came out of the negotiations: more funding for disadvantaged school districts, including Pottstown and Daniel Boone.

I created this cartoon to celebrate the Mercury's new look, which premiered Sept. 30, 2009.