THE NEWS last week that state Sen. Jane Clare Orie, R-McCandless, is considering running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democratic convert Sen. Arlen Specter would have made uncomfortable reading in several quarters. Up until now, former congressman Pat Toomey, who came close to knocking off Sen. Specter in the party primary five years ago, seemed ideally placed for a rematch, although Peg Luksik is also running. The lingering question about Mr. Toomey is whether he is too conservative to prevail in a general election if he gets the party nod. Ms. Orie is also pro-life and no liberal, but she has shown a commitment to addressing people's real life needs, including helping battered women and abused children. In short, she would be an appealing, sympathetic candidate. If he survives the Democratic primary, Sen. Specter might have a harder time beating Ms. Orie than Mr. Toomey. This race just keeps getting more interesting.

THE BIG political story in Pennsylvania remains the state budget. But never mind how remote Harrisburg may seem from people's problems back home -- that condition is also literal for the Pittsburgh area. If you want to go, you pretty much have to drive or take a Greyhound bus -- and it's getting worse. On Thursday, the Steel City Flyer, a bus that runs twice daily from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg, will roll its last. The luxury bus service, introduced with fanfare last November after flights from Pittsburgh were eliminated, didn't attract enough riders. Henry Posner III, who helped start the service, told the Post-Gazette's Brian O'Neill that the plan was undone by an unanticipated situation -- employers reimbursing their Harrisburg-bound staff up to 55 cents a mile, more than $200 for the round trip, meaning they would lose money if they took the bus at $138. In addition, the service could not gain access to Amtrak's intermodal terminal in Harrisburg because another bus company had subleased it, forcing the Flyer to drop off passengers 200 feet away. It's a sad end to a good idea.