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Our opinion: Politics can’t shape due process

We are deeply concerned about the misrepresentations surrounding decisions by a federal judge, James E. Boasberg, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C. To be clear, Judge Boasberg has not ruled that criminal immigrants or violent immigrants cannot be deported. What Boasberg has ruled is that the executive branch must follow the practices already in place to provide evidence than an immigrant is a felon or a violent criminal to justify a deportation order. The right to due process is crucially important. The right to due process is not only about the rights of ...

Our opinion: Marijuana legalization shouldn’t be a budget issue

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget includes revenue from the legalization of marijuana. As state lawmakers debate marijuana legalization, they should not think one bit about the $1.3 billion Shapiro projects the state could receive in tax revenue in the first five years after the legalization of recreational marijuana is approved. The argument is the additional tax revenue generated by legalized marijuana will help close the state’s structural budget deficit. We don’t doubt there’s a market, even here in Warren County, given the number of arrests we see of people coming ...

Our opinion: District passes first merger test

We knew closing two high schools in Warren County would make financial sense. The unknown in this equation was whether or not the closure of Youngsville and Sheffield would mean a higher-quality education for county high school students. At first glance, it does For the 2025-26 school year, based on student requests and staffing considerations, the district plans to offer 101 courses at Eisenhower and 115 courses at Warren Area High School, all meeting the 12-student minimum enrollment. Eisenhower will offer 80.2% of the courses available in the district’s catalogue while ...

Our opinion: County keeps close eye on tax base

It can be hard for some to realize why they should care about state legislation that could make it easier for the state Game Commission to purchase land. After all, isn’t making more land available for sportsmen or conservation efforts a good thing? Generally, it is. But county, school and even city officials have good reason to be wary of making it easier for the game commission to purchase land more easily. Rep. Mandy Steele, D-Cheswick, is circulating a co-sponsorship memorandum seeking support for legislation she is drafting that will lift the cap on the purchase price the ...

Our opinion: Fight gives sports a black eye

With coverage from Sports Illustrated, NBC, Fox, CBS, TMZ and USA Today, two communities in Pennsylvania are famous. Oh, wait. Wrong word. They’re infamous. With minutes to go in a PIAA boys basketball playoff game and Uniontown battling to mount a comeback against Meadville Area High School, a fight broke out in the stands. Then it spilled onto the court, where more fans and some players joined in. Now seven people are facing either charges or citations, among them a member of Uniontown’s team who was cited for disorderly conduct and an adult fan from Uniontown who was ...

Editor’s corner: IRS documents offer a bigger picture on PBS

Public Broadcasting Service executives knew their day on the hot seat was coming for all of America to see. Since Republicans took control in January, the organization’s $553 million in funding this year from the federal government — as well as numerous other agencies — has been under ...