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Our opinion: Streambank work vital to area

There are some who question the value of streambank stabilization projects like the one taking place along Brokenstraw Creek. Diane Brant of Warren isn’t one of them. Two members of Brant’s family were walking along a trail near Brokenstraw Creek in late May when a family member walked up to the bank, unaware it had been undercut about 18 inches by high water. The bank gave way and the woman fell 8-10 feet, breaking five vertebrae and five ribs. She wrote in a letter run in the Times Observer on Saturday that a nurse told her of similar streambank mishaps, including one on ...

Our opinion: Only court must stop senior project

Once again last week the Warren City Council heard arguments from city residents who want the city to step in and stop a senior housing development downtown. This time, those with concerns asked the council to commission an independent study on the proposed senior housing project proposed by Hudson Companies that would result in two buildings with 40 units on Liberty Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. Developers say all of their permits and funding applications are tied to the site. Attempting to move it now would result in going back to the starting blocks with no guarantee that prior ...

Our opinion: Properly rewriting the records

In a distant corner of Pittsburgh’s sprawling Allegheny Cemetery, you have to march up a steep hillside to find the grave of Josh Gibson. It’s a flat stone, set in the ground, and has Gibson’s game engraved on it, his dates of birth and death and the words “Legendary Baseball Player.” It’s decidedly low-key when you consider that, indeed, Josh Gibson is among the most legendary of baseball players, his feats on the field spoken of in awe. He was among the greatest hitters the game has ever seen, not merely hammering hundreds of homers, but swatting them way out of the ...

Our opinion: Mixed bag for ambulance incentive

Troy Clawson, Youngsville councilman, has an interesting idea to boost volunteer ambulance responses. Clawson suggests the borough set aside money and pay the Youngsville Volunteer Fire Department $150 for each call it responds to in the borough limits. The money would then be distributed in some way to those responding to EMS calls. Clawson called it a way to “navigate the animosity from volunteers” and “something we need to start moving forward.” “If you look at the numbers, we’re not looking at a lot of money,” he said, calling the idea an effort at “trying to ...

Our opinion: Wage plan could impact inflation

Pennsylvania’s lawmakers are considering a $20-an-hour minimum wage. We believe proponents of the increase are correct that an increase to the now-$7.25 minimum in Pennslvania is overdue. But, as we’ve editorialized when a $15-an-hour minimum wage was proposed in past years, our state needs to be mindful not to place an excessive burden on employers, particularly small businesses, and to be realistic about what the workforce in rural Pennsylvania truly needs. We believe the minimum wage should be increased. We do not believe $20 an hour or even $15-an-hour makes sense for the ...

Our opinion: Volunteer shortage unsurprising

Discussion at a recent Warren County Council of Governments meeting about volunteer firefighting equipment being unavailable because there were no firefighters to man it shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone. We’ve been writing about shortage of EMTs in volunteer fire departments for long enough that the handwriting may not have been on the wall for volunteers being able to fight fires - but they had taken the cap off of their red magic marker. Now, the handwriting is on the wall. Ken McCorrison, Warren County public safety director, recently told Council of Governments ...