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Our opinion: What took so long on driving ban?

Earlier this month Pennsylvania became the 29th state to ban distracted driving. What took so long? Drivers can still use their phones to alert emergency responders and to make phone calls, use a GPS, and listen to music, if they are using hands-free technology. The legislation approved by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Josh Shapiro makes driving a vehicle while holding or supporting any electronic wireless device a primary offense, meaning motorists can be pulled over if the action is observed. Drivers can use their phone when the vehicle is parked. GPS use is ...

Our opinion: Right recipe with food trucks

There were two things Warren officials could have done after a local business complained on social media about how the city deals with food trucks - get defensive or see if the business was making a logical point. We’re glad to see Warren officials took the second route. In July the owners of the Bucket Brigade Pizza Company posted on Facebook saying they would operate in New York state - a surprising statement given New York’s reputation for being unfriendly to business. The pizza company owners said that in order to operate their food truck in Warren they were told they had ...

Editor’s corner: Volatile week across border shakes secure sense

FREDONIA, N.Y. — Shortly after 8:15 p.m. Monday, the scanner call went out. Law enforcement officers along with the Dunkirk and Fredonia Fire Departments responded to a gunshot wound at the Econo Lodge off Route 60 just near the Thruway exit 59. It marked the fifth shooting incident in five ...

Our opinion: Aid effort failing some students

Remember the struggle last academic year as students and their families across the country struggled to figure out the new “simplified” Free Application for Federal Student Aid? Well, the U.S. Department of Education is at it again, this time announcing a phased rollout for the 2025-26 form. That means it will be available to some students on Oct. 1, but not to everyone until Dec. 1. And that means some families likely will be dealing with delays and other issues as the college decision day nears. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, the phased roll-out is an ...

Our opinion: Project’s end brings clean slate

Monday’s City Council meeting opened with a surprising announcement - Hudson Group is not moving forward with a senior housing project on Liberty Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. The decision brings an end to a matter that had dominated council meetings in recent months and prompted a federal lawsuit against the city and state over approvals for the project. That lawsuit will now end, as does years of back-and-forth squabbling over a project that in 2017 was seen as a key piece of Warren’s downtown redevelopment and, by 2024, had become a topic people were tired of hearing about. ...

Our opinion: Housing remains a dire need

Warren has quietly, thanks to the leadership of Tom Pierotti, become a welcoming place for Ukranian refugees displaced by the Russian invasion of their home country. The families owe Pierotti and his fellow volunteers at First Lutheran Church a debt of gratitude for their work to help open the community’s doors. Some refugees have stayed, others have moved on to places where there is more opportunity for work or to be closer to family members who have also made the trip to the United States. It’s a heartwarming story - and one with a bit of a lesson for policy makers who are ...