Breaking News

Our Opinion

Our opinion: Proceed with caution on vehicles

Pennsylvania is charging ahead with plans for cleaner fuel transportation infrastructure. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection awarded more than $2.55 million to improve air quality in communities through the vehicles. The 2024 Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant (AFIG) funding to municipalities and businesses will fund clean school buses, electric vehicle chargers, and other projects to lower air emissions from transportation. “Communities are investing in zero- and low-emission transportation because they recognize this is a pathway to cleaner air and better ...

Editor’s corner: Area malls long for holiday cheer of past

America’s shopping evolution began with bustling downtowns in the 1940s and ‘50s where residents would congregate — especially on weekends during the holiday season — to celebrate the season while Christmas shopping. Those fond days spark memories of longtime residents from Dunkirk to ...

Our opinion: Nominees deserve hearings

With plenty of buzz surrounding President-elect Donald Trump’s planned nominees for cabinet positions, it is understandable for opinions to form early. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice was right, then, to suggest the candidates named should be given a chance. “He’s got to appoint the team that he absolutely believes in,” soon-to-be U.S. Sen. Justice said. “We have to absolutely be fair about this, and we’ve got to give them time to get their feet underneath them to do the job I know they’ll do.” It’s impossible to miss that in the same breath he is asking people to ...

Hunting an important economic engine

Deer season is underway in Pennsylvania — and we hope all hunters find success in our forests and fields. The economic impact of hunting for our state cannot be overstated. According to WJAC-TV in Johnstown, economic reports show deer hunters spend about $980 million in our state each year. That money helps businesses both large and small — sporting goods stores, gun shops, restaurants and motels and other lodging — continue to create jobs. In a typical year, the state’s revenues from hunting licenses exceeds $150 million according to the state Game Commission’s website, ...

Our opinion: Court must uphold 2nd Amendment

We welcome the decision by the state Supreme Court to uphold a ruling that municipalities cannot pass tougher or more restrictive limitations on Pennsylvanians’ Second Amendment rights than state law. The efforts by some communities to sidestep the wisdom of our state Legislature on these matters has carried grave risks to the rights of law-abiding gun owners — that they could see their state devolve into a patchwork of conflicting ordinances and laws about one of their God-given rights, enshrined in our Bill of Rights. That confusion would have been an unacceptable burden for ...

Our opinion: Permitting reform still too slow

There’s nobody in state government who isn’t in favor of permitting reform. Gov. Josh Shapiro is all in favor - as evidenced by his recent public push and executive action. Republicans and businesses love the idea of permitting reform, too. So why does permitting reform move at the snail’s pace of, frankly, Pennsylvania permitting? Elizabeth Stelle, a policy analyst for the Commonwealth Foundation, said the foundation’s findings estimate that changes like eliminating a dozen occupational licenses and broader reciprocity with other states could increase Pennsylvania’s ...