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Other voices: Democracy doesn't require truth police

Our Opinion

It became fashionable a few years ago for people to blame “misinformation” for others holding views they find wrongheaded. Social media platforms, sometimes jawboned by the federal government, invoked this supposed crisis to justify censorship, especially during the pandemic. This insulted the intelligence of the American people, who can make up their own minds without being told what to think. A new study explores how exposure to “misinformation” on social media affected voters in 2020. The answer, drawn from a three-month experiment on nearly 16,000 users, is very ...

Bipartisan healthcare transparency bill would protect patients

Local Commentaries

Members of Congress have many legislative priorities to consider while back home in their districts during their summer legislative recess. One piece of legislation would have the biggest effect on Americans: A bipartisan effort to reduce crushing healthcare costs by requiring systemwide price transparency. The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, which recently passed a Senate committee, requires hospitals and health insurers to publish their upfront prices, including their negotiated rates by health plan, for all services. Such meaningful price transparency can protect patients from ...

Our opinion: Dialing up a policy on cell phones

Our Opinion

Without a statewide edict regarding cell phone use in schools, Warren County district board members broached the topic last month. At the July meeting, members discussed several reasons driving the proposal, including classroom distractions, excessive screen time, the effects of social media on student mental health and the challenge teachers face in keeping students focused during instructional time. In Harrisburg, officials have the item on the radar, passing a bill on a bipartisan vote to restrict cell phone use in state schools in June. According to the bill, students would be ...

The marauding creatures of the night

Local Commentaries

They are thieves. The bigger ones are bandits. What’s more surprising is that they are assisting our housekeeping efforts. I’m talking about the fact that we seem to be hosting a mini traffic jam on our deck in the middle of the night. They are eaters, but so far, the good kind. Two nights ago, as darkness set, Dear Richard was heading inside from our dinner on the deck. Since we had chomped down two luscious cobs of corn each, he was carrying the butter dish along with his dishes. Somehow, between the table and the living room door, he tipped the butter dish and the ...

Our opinion: City wastes no time with Sunshine Law training

Our Opinion

It’s encouraging that the city is taking quick action after questions arose over the way the city Redevelopment Authority applied the state’s Sunshine Act during a recent, contentious, meeting. The city Parks, Recreation and Landscaping Commission received a refresher on Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act during a recent meeting. The training follows criticism surrounding the Redevelopment Authority’s June 10 special meeting, where residents raised concerns about the meeting’s location, public access, and adherence to open meeting procedures. During a subsequent City Council ...

Our opinion: Missed deadline on murder sentencing fix inexcusable

Our Opinion

Missed deadlines are nothing new for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. But missing a court’s deadline to rewrite sentencing laws for those convicted of second-degree murder is a bridge too far, even for Pennsylvania lawmakers. In Commonwealth v. Lee, the state Supreme Court struck down mandatory life sentences for people convicted of second-degree murder as unconstitutional under the state constitution. The ruling stems from the conviction of Derek Lee, who is serving a mandatory life sentence for the death of a man in a 2014 home invasion in Pittsburgh. Attorneys for Lee argued ...