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Our opinion: State politics come home to Warren

As we consider the election race between challenger Destiny Howard and Kathy Rapp for the state House of Representatives, the current dynamic in Harrisburg weighs heavily. The state House currently includes 102 Democrats and 101 Republicans. That number is important for rural Pennsylvanians. Even though Republicans don’t have the ability to set the agenda in the House, the slim margin means the House is a proving ground for bills before they get to the state Senate, which Democrats hope to flip in the Nov. 3 election. It’s important for Republicans not to lose any ground in the ...

Our opinion: Senators’ partnership has some plusses

As the state and nation gears for the midterm elections, there’s one location where divisiveness between parties is not evident. That is right here in Pennsylvania. U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick “have forged a rare bipartisan partnership,” Spotlight Pa. reported earlier this year. The Republican and Democrat from a politically important state represent one of only three split states by party in the Senate. They have sponsored bills and booked joint media appearances in recent months. “We’re very, very good friends, and we get along, and we always try to find ...

Our opinion: Remember boaters, anglers and hunters

The state Fish and Boat Commission and the state Game Commission should absolutely consolidate as many of their functions as they can. In our opinion, these are moves that should have happened years ago - especially considering that both commissions have costs increasing faster than expenses and will operate at a deficit within the next 10 years. On the current path, the Game Commission would lose roughly 95% of its Game Fund balance by 2034 while the Fish and Boat Commission would exhaust its combined reserves by about 2034. A study by the Wildlife Management Institute recommends ...

Our opinion: Time to find common ground on Youngsville school

After a year of planning, Warren County officials have a plan for the former Youngsville High School building. The first phase of the project will move the county's Department of Human Services, Children and Youth Services and Penn State Extension office into the building. County officials are also reaching out to other potential nonprofit organizations to gauge interest in using space in the former school. It’s a good start to keeping people coming in and out of the building - which was always the preferred outcome rather than the former school building sitting dark and simply ...

Our opinion: State needs option for rural hospitals

Let us say up front that we hope the day never comes when Warren General Hospital leadership would need to consider a transition to becoming a Rural Emergency Hospital. Such a move would say a lot about efforts to reverse our region’s longtime trend of population loss and struggles to secure high enough reimbursement rates from the federal government. Pennsylvania currently has no Rural Emergency Hospitals, with legislation introduced recently by Sen. Lisa Baker creating a new state license category for Rural Emergency Hospitals. The designation would allow a Critical Access ...

Our opinion: Voters have options for Election Day

How did the first Tuesday of November become the traditional Election Day? According to a Campaign Legal Center online article from 2021, Congress in 1845 selected the most convenient day to hold a vote for the greatest number of voters at the time -- farmers. Saturdays and Sundays were religious days and Wednesdays were market days. Since farmers may have needed Monday to travel to a polling location, the first Tuesday after the fall harvest proved to be the most convenient day for most voters. Now, in many states across the nation, early voting is offered. It allows those ...