Breaking News

Our Opinion

Our opinion: Bullying bill leaves too much to imagination

We like the idea behind Rep. Jennifer O’Mara’s bill that would require schools to notify parents if their child has been bullied at school. Too many parents find out about incidents in school after the fact from their child, if they hear about them at all. That’s because, unless you’re reenacting your favorite episode of Colombo, getting children to talk substantively about their day is about as useful as talking to a brick wall. It’s not uncommon for parents to find out about bullying only after months of behavior that should have been stopped when they started. The problem ...

Our opinion: Remembering a record holder

Records are made to be broken, as the old saying goes. But records are also made to preserve the memories of former record holders. That one's our own thought, but it held true as we thought about Leyton Salvatore, a Warren Area High School sophomore who broke the school's 800-meter record by more than 2 full seconds during Friday's Altoona Invitational. It's quite a feat for Salvatore, especially considering the sophomore has two more years to compete. As we celebrate Leyton’s accomplishment, it’s a good time to take a look back at the athlete who used to hold the 800-meter ...

Our opinion: Put the phone down when driving

Imagine driving 55 miles per hour with your eyes closed for five seconds – the equivalent of the length of a football field. Sounds terrifying, doesn’t it? Now, imagine reading or sending a text message while behind the wheel. The five seconds spent looking at your cellphone and not the roadway carry the same potential for tragedy as driving a speeding car with your eyes shut, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And that is equally terrifying. Not only that, it also happens to be illegal to use a phone or hand-held device while driving, per Paul ...

Our opinion: Torchlight shines through yet again

It certainly wasn’t easy for the United Fund of Warren County’s Torchlight Campaign to meet its $735,000 goal. The cost of living and doing business has gone up over the past year. As a county we deal with high poverty and a crippling loss of population that has led to some difficult choices over the past year for local governments and the agencies that work in our county to help people through tough times. Yet, once again, Warren County came through with the successful completion of the United Fund of Warren County’s 101st annual campaign. All of the $735,000 raised from ...

Editor’s corner: New York’s despair is getting desperate

Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race is off to a cool start. Both incumbent Josh Shapiro and challenger Stacy Garrity are taking their shots at one another, but both seem to be holding back until the real campaign season begins later in the summer. To our north, it is a similar scenario as ...

Our opinion: Dementia training for EMS makes sense

Legislation being drafted to require EMS personnel to undergo training to help them better interact with those living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias makes sense, at first blush. Sen. Lynda Culver and House members Maureen Madden and Kyle Mullins are looking for Pennsylvania to join Virginia by requiring training to help EMS providers recognize cognitive impairment and communicate effectively during emergencies. While fire departments can take the training on their own under current law,, Culver, Madden and Mullins want to make the voluntary training a requirement. ...