Breaking News

Our Opinion

Our opinion: Closing the reassessment book

The accepted rule of thumb when it comes to property reassessments is that roughly one-third of properties will see their assessment increase, one-third will see their assessment decrease and one-third will see their assessment stay the same. But what happens when some of the one-third of properties that increases end up seeing their assessments decreased after an appeal? To some - particularly those who have fought the property reassessment since the process was approved a few years ago - it could mean the entire process was handled incorrectly by the county’s hired contractor, ...

Our opinion: With EMS, someone has to pay

No one should be surprised that the city of Warren is prepared to go to court to recoup payment from Conewango Township for city EMS services rendered to township residents. The city has made no secret about the fact that it wants to be reimbursed for EMS responses outside of the city as a way to recoup costs for services paid for by city taxpayers but provided to non-city residents. One of the reasons city taxes are higher than township or borough taxes is police and fire services - and every time a Warren ambulance responds outside of Warren, city taxpayers are subsidizing a ...

Our opinion: VFD recruitment crisis hits again

Sometimes, we’re not sure people really understand the gravity of the volunteer firefighter recruitment challenge facing Warren County until it literally hits home. It was only a little more than three years ago that the Starbrick Volunteer Fire Department faced the tough choice of either growing or closing. The community, to its credit, came together. The Starbrick Volunteer Fire Department was among those that responded to a fire on Mathews Run Road in February. There was a time late in 2023 that it was up in the air whether or not the department would be able to respond to such ...

Our opinion: Brown’s plan worthy of support

District Attorney Cody Brown has a lot on his plate early in his first term. We’re glad to see the former first assistant district attorney isn’t content with the status quo. Even before being elected, Brown proposed the Web Response Against Traffickers and Harmers unit, a specialized investigative unit of local law enforcement officers committed to protecting children from online exploitation. WRATH was billed last year as a unit that would target offenders who attempt to victimize children through online communication or by possessing and distributing child pornography. Last ...

Editor’s corner: Offensive on Iran tests Trump agenda, nation

Shortly before the United States and Israel began taking military action against Iran, U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy was proudly reflecting on President Donald Trump’s ability to command negotiations with high-ranking and powerful international officials. It occurred last July when Trump was ...

Our opinion: Can candidates deliver on jobs?

Pennsylvania was third in the nation for job growth in 2025, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While nearly one-third of states saw a year of losses in 2025, from December 2024 to December 2025, Pennsylvania gained more than 76,000 jobs — a 1.2 percent increase year-over-year, compared to a 0.4 percent increase nationally. That’s great news if you live near one of the state’s urban areas, but doesn’t mean much for Warren County. Within the year’s growth, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh ranked as two of the top U.S. metro areas(opens in a new tab) for ...