Breaking News

Our Opinion

Our opinion: Two takes on tax policy

The story of Republican tax policy in the Trump era is the contest between pro-growth ideas and anti-growth income redistribution. An example of both was on display in President Trump’s recent speech to Congress. The good idea was Trump’s proposal to let companies deduct the full cost of capital expenditures in the year they are made. Trump’s 2017 tax reform provided such “bonus depreciation,” which began to phase out in 2023 and is set to expire at the end of next year. Trump on Tuesday pitched extending full expensing retroactively to this January. “It was one of the ...

Our opinion: Cyber charter reform still needed

A recent report from Auditor General Tim DeFoor confirms what we have long thought - the state simply must reform its method of funding cyber charter schools. DeFoor’s audit took a look at the budgets of five statewide cyber charters over a three-year period and found that revenue at those five cyber charters more than doubled to $898 million while the cyber charters’ savings grew by 144%. At the same time, here in Warren County, we’re going through the difficult process of closing two high schools because the Warren County School District can’t operate sustainably with the ...

Our opinion: Rainy day funds still off limits

We share the concerns of state Rep. Joe Hamm, R-Hepburn Township, regarding Gov. Josh Shapiro’s plan to pull money from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to fill the gaps in his own spending plan. As Hamm noted recently the state does not have the prerogative to draw money from the fund at any given time — the money is earmarked for economic downturns. Any time that fund is touched, it must happen only under conditions of a recession or economic downturn, Hamm said. If he tries to do that, as indicated in the proposal to legislators, there is a potential for a lawsuit being filed, ...

Our opinion: Counting our delivery blessings

State Rep. Martin Causer is among those concerned about the closure of UPMC Cole labor and delivery services. The Bradford Republican, whose district includes Cameron, McKean and Potter counties, is concerned the closure will create a significant maternity care desert across multiple counties. We’re not sure, given the distance from Coudersport to Warren, if any of the women who would have given birth at UPMC Cole will end up in the delivery rooms at Warren General Hospital, but whenever there is are changes like this there are ripple effects throughout regional health care systems, ...

Our opinion: Chipping in for area road work

As Daylight Savings Time returned this weekend, work on important highly traveled roads cannot be too far off. Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced its investment of $468 million to help municipalities across the Commonwealth maintain their roads and bridges. These investments, which come from state gas tax revenues, help municipalities pay for things like snow removal and road repaving. “Our roads and bridges are vital to connecting Pennsylvanians with services and opportunity,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “Investments in municipal roads ...

Our opinion: Property reassessment hits home stretch

What seems like years of debate and discussion over a countywide property reassessment is finally entering its final days with the announcement of public meetings throughout the county starting today. Following today’s meeting in Columbus, there will be meetings next week at 6 p.m. Monday in Sheffield, 6 p.m. Wednesday in Youngsville and 6 p.m. Thursday in Warren. Each will last about two hours and include presentations from county officials and Vision Government Solutions to explain how the reassessment was conducted and what the potential result of the reassessment could be on ...