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Our opinion: Giving back to the Allegheny

The 17th annual Allegheny River Cleanup is coming up in a couple of weeks. Last year, nearly 200 volunteers removed more than 12 cubic yards of trash and 32 tires, along with 5,700 pounds of recyclable metal contributed by the community and collected on the river. That’s a lot of trash taken out of the river - and there’s more work to be done this year. There are three clean-up areas this year: – Thursday, Sept. 11 – Buckaloons to Wildwood Inn; – Friday, Sept. 12 – Wildwood Inn to Tidioute; and – Saturday, Sept. 13 – Allegheny Outfitters to Buckaloons. And, ...

Our opinion: Keeping promises at schools

There is a lot of uneasiness among some who have children attending schools in the Warren County School District this year. The closure of two high schools creates new routines for students and their parents who have been used to the familiar rhythms of Sheffield and Youngsville high schools. Those rhythms will be different this year, but eventually everyone will settle in. Children typically are more resilient than adults think they are. A lot of promises were made over the past year as the community went through the closure process of Youngsville and Sheffield high schools. We ...

Our opinion: E-bike education a good start

Warren city police officers are doing their best to educate the public on the use of micromobility devices like electric bikes and scooters. The technology has moved faster than the speed of government, which really is too bad given the devices’ ability to help those who either can’t afford a car or don’t want a car to get from place to place. The problem is most roads - including many in Warren - don’t always lend themselves to such devices, while sidewalks are reserved for pedestrians. The result is the city’s ongoing education campaign to make sure cars, electric devices ...

Our opinion: Helmet law makes sense

There are going to be many in the commonwealth who will laugh at the latest in a long line of motorcycle helmet laws proposed in the state Legislature. Rep. Manuel Guzman, D-Reading, is drafting legislation that will require all motorcycle operators and passengers – regardless of age or riding experience – to wear protective headgear. Current law requires that any person who operates or rides a motorcycle (including an autocycle) must wear protective headgear unless the rider is over 21 years of age or older and has either two years of riding experience or has completed a ...

Stopping the squeeze at pharmacy counter

As President of the Pennsylvania State Grange, I hear the same concerns from families, farmers, and small business owners across our state: prescription drug costs are too high, and the system that influences those prices is too complex and unfair. People are tired of being squeezed at the pharmacy counter while insurance middlemen increase profits. Families living in rural Pennsylvania are frustrated by not only affordability issues but also access issues. Pharmacies are closing at alarming rates, and this leaves rural Pennsylvanians at a loss when it comes to accessing ...

Target CEO to step down amid company struggles

Pennsylvania lawmakers argue about many things, oftentimes ad nauseam, especially about the state budget that seldom is finished on time, or even rendered close to being completed by what is supposed to be the June 30 deadline. Every year this same commonwealth question “bubbles to the top” of public comment and discussion regarding the commonwealth’s annual spending plan: “When is it going to be finished this year and how much will playing petty politics stymie a timely completion of this vital legislative duty that affects so much of what will happen in the state, going ...