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Our opinion: Downtown snow issue piles up

It’s been a return to the good old winters that many of us grew up with so far this year. For every happy snowmobiler or skier, though, there are those who now have the chore of shoveling show. It’s a real pain for those who own a business these days. No one can find enough employees, so shoveling in front of downtown businesses is a hit-or-miss proposition. That’s a problem in an area with a growing senior citizen population like ours. The city could simply levy fines against those who aren’t shoveling the sidewalks in front of their business. In our opinion that’s ...

Our opinion: Eye incentives for service roles

Powerful winds sometimes accompany storms passing through Warren County. However, this region is blessed in not having to endure windy onslaughts such as the hurricane-like Santa Ana winds that are responsible for the devastating, fast-spreading blazes that are wreaking havoc and causing mass destruction in California’s Los Angeles area. The recovery there, when all of the blazes finally are extinguished and a full assessment of the devastation is completed, is going to be long, costly, arduous, nerve-wracking and filled with sadness over the losses endured — losses of lives and ...

Our opinion: Petition drives need for outreach

Warren County School District officials have taken the right first step in choosing to close Sheffield and Youngsville high schools. But it’s only the first step - and getting off on the right foot doesn’t mean much if the district takes the wrong steps from here on out. A petition drive by Youngsville residents shouldn’t necessarily cause a reevaluation of the district’s decision, but it does show a need for more public outreach beyond letters and postings on the district’s website. One of the consistent complaints throughout the closure process is a feeling by many that ...

Our opinion: Trump off to ambitious start

A “golden age,” one in which the United States of America can aim even higher than the moon, was proclaimed Monday during President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration speech. And while Elon Musk may have thrown his hands in the air to cheer the goal to “pursue our manifest destiny into the stars,” and “plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars,” ordinary Americans were more likely to find a common reason to cheer in Trump’s promise to seek a broad government effort to reduce inflation and reduce prices. Though he must be careful to avoid the executive overreach that ...

Our opinion: Focus on rural mental health

The need for mental health services is constant whether one lives near a big city or in a rural area like ours. Access to those services, unfortunately, is not constant. The closure of two mental health inpatient centers in neighboring counties - and the ensuing pinch that may have on services offered at Warren County - shines a spotlight on the issues of rural mental health care access. At a time when mental health referrals are skyrocketing here, the closure of inpatient mental health units in Sharon and Bradford has raised concerns about increased pressure on local facilities, ...

Our opinion: A smart play by Fetterman

John Fetterman doesn’t look like your typical U.S. Senator. But as the Pennsylvania Democrat nears the halfway point of his first term he’s showing a caginess that is refreshing in the Senate, especially with the retirement of Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. At a time when most Democrats are gearing up to oppose President Donald Trump, Fetterman took a meeting with the president before his inauguration at Mar-A-Lago. He was the first Senate Democrat to meet with Trump since the November election. According to the Associated Press Fetterman has warmed to Trump so much that ...