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Budget forgets the hard-working homeowners

By SEN. LISA BOSCOLA The recently signed state budget fails to address Pennsylvania’s most pressing issue, reducing our reliance on local property taxes as the primary source for funding public education. Pennsylvania homeowners remain overtaxed and too many school districts are short- changed by our continued use of this antiquated, unfair, and unconstitutional system. It is hardworking homeowners that are footing the bill for public education. Even worse, the bulk of that is on a select group of property owners due to a provision in the law known as “hold harmless.” This law ...

Don’t put taxpayers on hook for pensions

A June 17 Associated Press article, “Bills introduced to give retired teachers cost-of-living raise,” noted House Bills 1415 and 1416 would increase retired teacher pensions. The issue that teachers haven’t had an increase in two decades belongs to the Public School Employees Retirement System pension fund “that has been saddled with problems, disappointing investment returns and subject to several investigations.” PSERS must get their own house in order. The report uses pre-Act 9 retirees pensions are less than $20,000 a year and seeks COLAs for 40,000 retired educators ...

Politics, governing don’t mix

Local governmental officials are invariably problem solvers. Political affiliation is nearly impossible to detect as locals view situations and seek solutions, be it extending internet and EMT coverage or deciding effective WCSD configurations or how best to deal with blighted properties, or whatever. Disagreements naturally arise but the focus is on the problem and solution, not on those who disagree. At the state level, its a different ball game. Party politics reign and despite the party caucus, power rests in the hands of the small group of party leaders, in both parties. ...

From canning jars to a space telescope

When you look back in history you never know what you will find. I had a surprise as I researched the Ball Canning Co. Not only are Ball jars still being manufactured, but the company is out of that business and into space technology. In 2021 Ball designed and built the advanced optical technology and lightweight mirror system for the James Webb Space Telescope! They have been making glass canning jars since 1884. That business began in nearby Buffalo. Soon the factory moved to Muncie, IN to be able to expand using natural gas resources there. Those familiar glass jars have been ...

All’s fair in evening at the county event

The scrumptious fish fry at the Warren County Fair is reason enough to go. Although we planned a short trip, we still had a small must-see list and plans for people-watching. We only got the fish. Oh yes, we got the aromas of the sausage, pepper and onions on our way to the fish stand. Then we ate the golden, hot, crunchy fish. To die for. Ready to explore, I noticed the black clouds rolling in just as Dear Richard said, “We need to find shelter. It’s going to start any minute.” The gentle folks at the office offered us shelter during the worst of the cloudburst, then a ride to ...

Warren ‘angels’ evident in downtown emergency

Sometimes it’s so easy to be blinded by the problems, conflicts, and struggles unfolding around us in the world that we lose sight of the goodness that lives within us all, isn’t it? So often these days it seems that the darker side of our nature is the stronger side, and the one which drives way too many of the actions and events we sadly witness day to day. But Aug. 2, I was privileged to witness a spontaneous outpouring of selfless kindness and compassion by the people of Warren which served to renew my faith that those “better angels of our nature” are indeed alive and ...