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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 ...

Our opinion: Help students in closings

The Warren County School District is making the right move in closing Youngsville and Sheffield high schools. Many students and parents are upset — and it’s up to the district and the students’ new schools to make them feel welcome. One way to do that, in our opinion, is to allow students who started their high school lives at Youngsville or Sheffield to keep some of the pieces of their schools alive until the students who started in the closed high schools graduate. For example, there is no harm in allowing Youngsville and Sheffield students to wear their old school’s ...

Editor’s corner: There’s no slowing rapid evolution of health care

One of three Chautauqua County hospitals is proposing a change in operations that is a game-changer for the community and rural health care throughout the nation. In a news release from Allegheny Health Network last week, AHN Westfield Memorial Hospital announced it would be pursuing a rural ...