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Our opinion: Campaign drama in full swing

The 2024 presidential campaign has had more than its share of drama, but it doesn’t hold a candle to what went down in 1968. That was the election where President Lyndon Johnson withdrew from the race, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated on the campaign trail, and rioting happened in the streets of Chicago outside a Democratic National Convention that was notable for its anger and division. In the fall, Republican Richard Nixon staged what once seemed like an improbable comeback, defeating Democrat Hubert Humphrey in the popular vote by seven-tenths of a percent after being ...

Our opinion: A fair menu with food trucks

We recently opined that the city of Warren is doing the right thing in creating a food truck ordinance in the wake of criticism from a Warren-based food truck that found it easier to operate in New York state than in Warren County – harsh criticism indeed for anyone who knows the difference between operating in the two states. Of course, it should go without saying that the city’s food truck ordinance has to be fair not only to food trucks but to brick and mortar restaurants, too. Gary Stoops, owner of the Warren Dairy Queen, recently noted his concerns with the idea of food ...

Our opinion: A judge is needed to resolve EMS billing dispute

It’s long past the time for a resolution to the ongoing EMS billing dispute between the city of Warren and the township of Conewango. Thus far, Conewango officials have refused to pay bills from the city of Warren, saying previously that township officials don’t believe the city has any legal authority to send bills to townships who haven’t agreed to a contract with Warren for EMS coverage. Warren, meanwhile, is trying to find new ways to pay the cost of responding to calls outside the city. In the city’s view, sending EMTs outside of the city limits is essentially city ...

Our opinion: Government can’t spend its way out of housing crisis

The Harris campaign is proposing assistance — up to $10,000 for first-time homebuyers and up to $25,000 for first-generation homebuyers — with down payments to purchase a house. There are at least two reasons every American should be deeply skeptical about the feasibility of this proposal. It should come as no surprise to anyone who reads our editorials that we have significant concerns about what this level of spending will do to the national annual deficit and to the $34 trillion debt to which that deficit continually adds. We understand we may seem excessively repetitive about ...

Our opinion: School board ready to take the leap. Are we?

Warren County school board members are ready to have a hard conversation on Sept 9. Are we? The board will discuss a motion to close the Youngsville and Sheffield high schools at its next meeting. It’s a step no one really wants to take, but a step most board members and district administrators realize is a necessary one. Enrollment and budget numbers say the time has come to remake the district for the next 20 years. The enrollment we’ve lost isn’t coming back anytime soon. The tax base and employers we’ve lost aren’t coming back anytime soon. While the population and ...

Our opinion: Struggle to develop is real

Good for Tom Christeson for sticking with his plan to build a small boutique hotel on Liberty Street. Some would have walked away by now. But one has to wonder how future development efforts are going to play out given how hard Christeson is having to work to make the Wendleboe Hotel a reality. The project uses a portion of the former Masonic building on Liberty Street which will also include two or three apartments, and the developer told City Council members recently the project will now have six more rooms to make the cash flow on the project make financial sense. The ...