Breaking News

Our Opinion

Our opinion: Uphill battle continues for Garrity

Current state Treasurer Stacy Garrity faces an uphill battle. Despite a warm welcome in Warren County in June, the Republican candidate governor is the underdog in the race for the state’s top spot. According to the latest Quinnipiac University poll that surveyed 895 self-identified registered voters in Pennsylvania from July 9-13, 53% support Gov. Josh Shapiro’s bid for a second term as governor, while 40% support Garrity. Both candidates have commanding numbers among registered voters in their respective parties, while Shapiro holds a strong advantage among independents. In ...

Our opinion: Let competition set gas prices

It’s hard to believe there will be many state lawmakers who will oppose a proposal by Rep. Melissa Shusterman, D-Paoli, to prevent gas station operators from using artificial intelligence to help set gas prices. Shusterman is drafting the legislation in response to a federal lawsuit filed by California residents alleging gas station companies including BP, Marathon Petroleum, 7-Eleven, Circle K, Walmart, and Albertsons.of violating California’s antitrust law through Kalibrate, a fuel-pricing software system used across the world. The plaintiffs allege Kalibrate's AI software pools ...

Our opinion: WRATH Unit pays a dividend

Cody Brown hadn’t yet been elected as the Warren County District Attorney when he announced the creation of the WRATH Unit last September. But the Affidavit of Probable Cause filed in a recent case involving an area man accused of disseminating videos showing alleged child sexual abuse materials shows the value in having such a unit. No one knew quite what to expect when Brown, who was then the first assistant district attorney, announced a Web Response Against Traffickers and Harmers Unit to be housed within the District Attorney’s office. Specifically it will target offenders ...

Our opinion: We waited months for this budget?

Perhaps the best thing about Pennsylvania’s 2026-27 budget process is that it is, finally, over. The $50.8 billion budget is balanced, ended up roughly $3 billion under the initial budget proposed by Gov. Josh Shapiro in February and includes priorities for both sides - including a continuation of increases in K-12 education funding following a landmark 2023 court ruling and continued funding of tax credits for businesses that donate money for scholarships to allow children to attend private schools. It also left untouched the state’s $7.7 billion “Rainy Day Fund,” which was a ...

Other voices: World loses when U.S., Iran overplay hands

The cycle’s familiarity should not obscure the gravity of the consequences as the US and Iran return to threats, strikes and a futile search for an exit from war via escalation. On Sunday, Tehran said that it had closed the strait of Hormuz again. The World Food Program is already feeding 1.5 million fewer people this year owing to the illegal war launched by the US and Israel. Vulnerable countries are suffering most as existing crises are compounded: an extra 2.5 million people in Somalia and 2.3 million in Afghanistan are struggling to meet basic food needs. Even de-escalation ...

Our opinion: Long crisis getting little attention

Since March 18, a crisis in Tidioute seems to not be a priority for Warren County as a whole. Since that day — before the official first day of spring — borough residents have been forced to boil water. That’s 120 days — or one-third of the year. At the moment, the timetable for a solution remains a mystery as those served by the Southwest Warren County Municipal Authority will remain under a boil-water advisory as state environmental officials say the authority’s water treatment plant has not yet returned to acceptable operating levels. “Treatment plant performance has ...