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Our opinion: Crime Stoppers makes return

You’ll be seeing a lot of the Warren County Crime Stoppers this year. The organization wants to be more proactive this year helping law enforcement try to solve cold cases in Warren County and to publicly distribute cash rewards for tips that lead to arrests or cold case closures. You’ll also see the Crime Stoppers at community events such as the Downtown Warren Ribfest and the Warren County Fair, selling tickets for the Steer Dump fundraiser with a goal of 1,000 tickets sold. Those fundraisers help pay for the Crime Stoppers’ rewards along with contributions from local ...

Our opinion: Proper response to gas leak

Thursday was anything but ordinary for students at Warren Area High School after a gas leak was detected in the lower portion of the high school in the morning. Give credit to the school district and public safety officials for their handling of the situation - because things could have gone a lot worse. Students were safely relocated to the Warren County Career Center, where local law enforcement and EMS services were present. EMS personnel evaluated any students experiencing symptoms, and 15 students and one adult were transported to the emergency room for further ...

Our opinion: Proposed ER bill ignores reality

A bill being pushed by the American College of Emergency Physicians to require a board-certified or board-eligible physician be in a hospital emergency room at all times the Emergency Department is open has patients’ best interests at heart. That’s commendable. It’s also likely not realistic for rural hospitals that are closing due to decreasing patient volumes and expenses that are rising faster than revenues. At least three states - Indiana, South Carolina and Virginia - have signed on to bills similar to House Bill 2265, which was introduced in the Pennsylvania House of ...

Our opinion: Are microgrants best solution?

The Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry is asking the city and county governments to contribute toward the creation of a small business microgrant program. The idea is worth pursuing. Many small businesses have difficulty accessing bank funding when they’re raising the capital needed, which is why many areas have some sort of small business assistance programs available. We have no doubt that many of those who reach out to the WCCBI are looking for funding, and we have no doubt that requests will likely be more than the $80,000 WCCBI is hoping to secure for the first ...

Other voices: Illegal war becoming new norm

The killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, by a US-Israeli strike is a targeted assassination of a head of state. It also marks a grave escalation in a region already burdened with smouldering wars and fragile states. The consequences of the deliberate strike will reverberate across a Middle East marked by the aftershocks of foreign intervention. Revulsion against the hardline regime in Tehran, or the desire for a better future for the Iranian people, does not confer a legal justification. Force is lawful, under the UN charter, only in self-defence against an ...

Our opinion: Parking an unsolvable problem

Parking is a hassle in small cities like Warren all around the country. Part of the reason for that is that it’s impossible to meet everyone’s parking needs all the time. Take, for example, Fred Watson, the owner of Fred’s Pet Shop who spoke during a recent City Council meeting about parking issues on the 200 block of Warren near his store. The block includes unmetered parking spaces that are being used for extended periods of time, meaning the spaces aren’t available for those who are trying to come to businesses on the 200 block. The store owner is requesting signs for ...