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Our opinion: Phone ban worries can be addressed

Our Opinion

State lawmakers across the country are considering bans on the use of cell phones by students during the school day. Pennsylvania is one of those states, with a joint legislative committee hearing testimony on the issue recently that included several education officials pushing state lawmakers to implement a bell-to-bell ban on cell phones in schools. Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-Warren, was part of that hearing, saying afterward she has concerns about the state implementing a bell-to-bell ban. Some of her concerns - who pays for the systems to secure student cell phones or who is responsible ...

Our opinion: Waiting periods won’t reduce crime

Our Opinion

Legislation before both the state House and state Senate would set a 72-hour waiting period before law-abiding Pennsylvanians could complete a purchase of a firearm. Similar bills have been considered — and failed to secure passage — before. We are skeptical this measure warrants the time and effort for debate and voting. Supporters have given no indication that the additional time is necessary or valuable in conducting background checks. Assurances that a waiting period is constitutional hinge on how reasonable the length of the mandated wait is — and considering the aversion ...

Our opinion: When Jackson gained global legacy

Our Opinion

Robert H. Jackson had already etched a lasting legacy in United States history before November 21, 1945. Up to that point Jackson - who mind you never attended college before becoming a lawyer in 1913 - had already served as general counsel for the Bureau of Internal Revenue, argued 17 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court during two years as Solicitor General and then defended many of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal programs and argued other federal matters during two years as U.S. Attorney General. Jackson argued 44 cases in front of the Supreme Court, losing only six before ...

Editor's corner: Just like Trump, nation has to root for Mamdani

Our Opinion

New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump certainly knew how to put on the charm last week in the nation’s capital. During a visit held at the Oval Office, both were stunningly able to find common ground despite publicly stating their grievances against each other ...

Parenting diabetic child offers lessons

Local Commentaries

When my son was first diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, I didn’t sleep for weeks. Every beep of a monitor, every minute his blood sugar was slightly off, every outing with friends felt like a risk I couldn’t control. The fear was constant because unlike the skinned knees and scraped elbows of childhood, this was something invisible, unpredictable, and potentially deadly. Like so many parents of children with T1D, I had to learn to balance vigilance with trust. I wanted to wrap him in bubble wrap and keep him close to where I could watch over him. But I also knew that my job ...

Getting red over blue

Letters To Editor

Dear Editor, Numerous “progressives,” in print or speech, continue dedication to hypocrisy. It”s obvious as they label President Trump an “oligarch” or a “pathological liar." Bernie Sanders,accompanied by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has regularly urged his “fans” to oppose the Trump “oligarchy.” “Oligarchy” refers to a government run by a small group of “power players” with little regard for those outside of their circle. Consider the following. No “red state” ever tried to remove Biden or Harris from a ballot. But numerous “blue” states tried ...