The experts call Erie a mid-sized city, but I must admit there are times when it feels more like a cozy neighborhood to me. I'm speaking as a member of the editorial staff of the Erie Times-News. As a columnist in Erie, there have been occasions when people I know, grew up with, or are close friends with, have made the news. Sometimes big news.

Unfortunately, some of the stories have been tragic. I'm thinking of the murder this summer of Josh DiBello, who was shot in the parking lot of Herman's Cafe -- right in the heart of my old neighborhood. Josh and his twin brother, Jeremy, and the rest of his family grew up across the street from my family. The DiBellos are a terrific family -- they were young, energetic kids back then, and watching them grow up was exciting. They were all talented athletes and good people. Their parents are two of the nicest people I've ever known. When Josh was killed, it almost felt as if we lost a member of our own family.

It also put my brother, Patrick, a news assignment editor at the Times-News, into an odd position. As newspaper staffers, we were involved in the coverage of a fine young man we'd known for years. That's how Erie differs from Philadelphia or New York. The chances of knowing the people in the news is much higher in this town.

With the publication today of the front-page story on Michael Kohlmiller, who faces 57 charges that he used friends and employees to take out more than $800,000 in fraudulent auto loans at his dealership, it happened again.

I've known Mike Kohlmiller since high school. We worked on the staff of our high school paper together and became good friends. He and my brother, Pat, later roomed together at college.

In recent years, I've renewed my friendship with Kohlmiller, as our children attended the same school. He's always been a fun guy to be around, and he comes from a terrific family. That's why I'm heartsick about his ordeal and the fact that he must be featured on the front page of this newspaper.

At the same time, because of the charges, it's a story that must be covered. Nobody could dispute that. When a friend is involved in stuff like this, a reporter has to swallow hard and just do his job.

As I say, I'm not directly involved in the coverage here, and neither is Pat, as the reporter who wrote today's article does not report to him. I must say that today's story in the Times-News was an excellent piece of reporting. Kohlmiller has a wide circle of friends, yet all but a precious few refused repeated attempts to be interviewed. And some of these people were in a position where they might have really wanted to tee off on Mike. But they didn't, out of respect for his family.

It could be a lot worse. One of the first stories my brother ever covered as a news reporter was the drowning of our older brother, Mike Cuneo. As soon as it became apparent what had happened, another reporter was dispatched to the scene, but Pat had to identify Mike's body for the police. It was one of the worst nights of his life.

As I say, this can be a very difficult business -- especially when Erie seems more like a tiny town than a mid-sized city. You just do your level best and try to be the journalist you were trained to be.

-- Kevin Cuneo