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Who’s to blame for lack of growth?

For more than 20 years Warren County has seen little meaningful industry or economic development. At the same time, residents and small businesses face growing taxes, fees, and regulations that make it harder to start or expand something here. Voting is important, but voting alone does not guarantee good government. What matters just as much is whether citizens pay attention to what happens after Election Day and hold their elected officials accountable for the decisions made in their name. Many residents are beginning to ask where the progress has been. Young people leave to find ...

Anchors Aweigh — and all that jazz

When the Fredonia Opera House announced this concert, I closed my laptop and picked up the phone. The U.S. Navy Band’s Sea Chanters were at the Opera House for an evening concert last Friday and I wasn’t going to miss it. It seemed a shame for just Richard and me to enjoy it, so we invited two musician friends to join us. No, we weren’t generous big spenders. All tickets to all military band events are complimentary. Our four tickets arrived in the mail two days later. My friend Ann grew up playing the piano. These days she makes music mostly at church in both the choir and ...

Maintaining transparency through newspapers, websites

Life is hectic. Keeping track of work, home, and family commitments is challenging enough. Now imagine adding another task to your daily routine: checking multiple government websites just to find out what your local and state officials are planning to do. You would have to monitor the websites of your school board, township supervisors, borough council, sewer authority, zoning hearing board, county commissioners, and other government bodies that make decisions affecting your daily life. That could become reality if lawmakers weaken Pennsylvania’s public notice law by allowing public ...

School sale puts ban on choice

I see that one of the stipulations governing new tenants in the Youngsville school building bars its use as any kind of educational facility, i.e. charter school. Remember way back when we were told that charter school students’ outcomes were inferior to public schools’? That was proven to be untrue, as evidenced by our successful local charter school, a flower which sprouted and had the chance to flourish despite all efforts to stamp it out, as seems to be the current goal of established public education regarding school choice. Now we see the argument shifting to using poor ...

Postmaster offers stamp of approval for neighbors

I am heartened to read your newest feature, “Meet Your Neighbor Monday.” It is a wonderful example of the spirit and engagement that makes this community so special. As the Postmaster, seeing that kind of local pride is exactly why I am so excited to serve the residents here. In rural communities and small towns, the Post Office is a familiar and trusted part of local life — one that helps connect neighbors, supports local businesses, and provides an important public service people rely on every day. That is not something I take lightly. My goal is to serve Warren with ...

Life advice comes from a wise old frog

When I hop to my computer each morning, I promise myself I won’t fritter away my time. Fuggedaboudit. I get some of my best ideas while frittering. On Monday, I didn’t have frittering time to spare. I was cleaning up some of my messier computer files when I stumbled across an article I copied last May from the Baltimore Sun newspaper. I had completely forgotten about it. Upon rereading, I knew why I kept it. It brought back a lot of fun memories. It is about one of my favorite people: Kermit the Frog, star of stage, screen, and swamp. Yes, Kermit acts like he is one of us. ...