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Opinion

Our opinion: Grads stay ‘strong’ in a year of transition

Our Opinion

Maybe it was Nate Leamon who said it best. In delivering the closing remarks at the Eisenhower graduation earlier this month, he acknowledged the challenges this group of seniors faced. With Youngsville High School closing, it brought potential rivals together. “Nothing great happens when you stay in your comfort zone,” he said. “... This class is full of strong, capable, determined individuals and I truly believe that every single one of us has what it takes to be successful.” It was far from perfect, but it had to happen. The closing of Sheffield and Youngsville high ...

Our opinion: City cannot repeat RDA mistakes

Our Opinion

There was a laundry list of issues with the most recent Warren Redevelopment Authority meeting that the city should make sure are remedied. It's well within the city's right to call a special meeting at any time it wants. While as much notice as possible should be given for those who aren't living and dying with legal notices in the Times Observer or watching the city's website with a hawk's eye to know when meetings are taking place, we think the city provided enough notice of the meeting. But, if the city is going to deviate from its regular meeting schedule it is incumbent on the ...

Our opinion: Straw purchases fuel gun pipelines

Our Opinion

A recent incident in Warren provides an example of just how easy it can be to skirt well-meaning laws written to keep guns out of the wrong hands. A couple with Buffalo addresses living in Warren were both charged earlier this spring with several felony charges related to alleged false statements made on gun purchase forms, including five purchases in Warren County for firearms then taken to New York state and sold to the sort of people who won’t undergo background checks. What should make people on both sides of our nation’s intractable gun debate consider is that this scheme ...

Our opinion: Small pharmacies need answers

Our Opinion

State lawmakers are considering legislation that would create a single Pharmacy Benefit Administrator model for all state-funded healthcare programs. House Bill 2270, sponsored by Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Ambridge, has an uncertain future both because of a divided state legislature that can make passing major overhauls of state government programs difficult but also because the Shapiro administration says the change isn’t needed. Our question after last week’s House Health Committee hearing is this: if not pharmacy benefit manager reform, then what? If the existing system isn’t ...

Not nodding off on the important questions

Local Commentaries

Questioner: Who won the 2020 Presidential election? Respondent: I did but the outcome was false – “the big steal.” “And everyone knows it.” Q: What happened at the Capitol January 6, 2021? A: Patriots tried to prevent the illegal transfer of governmental power. Q: Can a President, any person, be infallible? Make no mistakes, be the smartest man in all rooms who doesn’t need advice or briefings from others, can correct the Pope’s theology, etc. A: “Yes.” Q: Does your past illegal actions, both court proven and alleged, bother you? A: No. I am ...

Readers’ Speak

Letters To Editor

Dear Editor, I’d like to send a shout-out to Officer Charles Andersen of the Conewango Police Department for providing shelter to myself, my sisters and mom, and two other people on Sunday, June 14, during the tornado warnings. My family was on our way home when we got the tornado warning and “take cover” alerts while passing through Starbrick. At the same time, the tornado siren sounded at the Starbrick VFD. We decided we better take cover at the VFD rather than attempt to drive down Route 62 to Tidioute since there were also tornado warnings there. We tried knocking on ...