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Our opinion: Vaccination website brings mixed results

Proficiency rates from schools across the state are not the only items the public will have access to at the moment. Earlier this month, the state announced it has launched a tool that makes it easier for parents and community members to view annual vaccination rates at individual schools -- not just at the state or county-level like before -- boosting transparency and giving families a clearer picture of how well protected their children's classrooms are. "Knowledge is power, and Pennsylvania parents deserve clear, accessible data about the health of their children's schools," said ...

Our opinion: Time to come up big for children

Warren County’s Court Appointed Special Advocates is looking for a few good advocates. CASA volunteer advocates are appointed by the court to represent the best interests of children involved in abuse and neglect cases, providing consistent support throughout the legal process. The organization currently serves 22 children, with 12 still waiting to be matched with volunteer advocates. At present, CASA has only eight active volunteers. Children who need CASA’s help are children who need someone to speak up on their behalf, something that requires an empathetic ear and an ability ...

Our opinion: State can go further on CDL safety

Gov. Josh Shapiro recently signed legislation cracking down on unlicensed “CDL mills.” Act 50 of 2026 increases the penalty for running a CDL training center not approved by the state Board of Private Licensed Schools from $2,500 to $25,000. It does not impact private employers that provide CDL training to their own employees at no cost. The bill will help decrease the number of poorly trained commercial driver’s licensees coming from Pennsylvania - a point of contention after a CDL holder issued in Pennsylvania to a migrant from Uzbekistan was involved in an accident and ...

Our opinion: Home care worker charges shocking

Let’s say up front that the charges filed against four direct care workers at a Conewango Township facility still have to be proven in court. But the details included in supporting documents filed by investigators in the case paint a shocking picture of the final days of an area man’s life and should prompt state action to ensure that proper care is being given in such facilities around the state. As sad as it is to say, while the care in Conewango Township is likely a worst-case scenario, we’re not sure state oversight in its current structure is enough. Those who read our ...

Other voices: Democracy doesn’t require truth police

It became fashionable a few years ago for people to blame “misinformation” for others holding views they find wrongheaded. Social media platforms, sometimes jawboned by the federal government, invoked this supposed crisis to justify censorship, especially during the pandemic. This insulted the intelligence of the American people, who can make up their own minds without being told what to think. A new study explores how exposure to “misinformation” on social media affected voters in 2020. The answer, drawn from a three-month experiment on nearly 16,000 users, is very ...

Our opinion: Dialing up a policy on cell phones

Without a statewide edict regarding cell phone use in schools, Warren County district board members broached the topic last month. At the July meeting, members discussed several reasons driving the proposal, including classroom distractions, excessive screen time, the effects of social media on student mental health and the challenge teachers face in keeping students focused during instructional time. In Harrisburg, officials have the item on the radar, passing a bill on a bipartisan vote to restrict cell phone use in state schools in June. According to the bill, students would be ...