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Our opinion: Cell phone policy makes sense

In July we offered our opinion that the Warren County School District shouldn’t remove cell phones from classrooms unless teachers said they were a distraction. Evidently, the phones are a bigger distraction than some district administrators wanted to admit over the summer. Back in July Gary Weber, district superintendent, said the district hadn’t had many problems with cell phones over the past few years and that outright bans often had left district officials chasing their tails trying to make sure students didn’t have phones when they weren’t supposed to have them. This ...

Our opinion: Don’t waste orphan well funds

We always knew $400 million in federal funding wasn’t going to be enough to cap all of the orphaned wells in Pennsylvania. But what’s going on right now is, frankly, ridiculous. A process that the state and private companies have used for years averages about $6,350 to $17,000 per well that is capped depending on size, location and what actually has to be done to cap the well. The federal money, so far, is averaging about $105,000 for each well capped. That’s absurd. And it really hurts Warren County, which has thousands of these uncapped wells emitting methane and other ...

Our opinion: Include mergers in state policy

Here in Warren County, we’re having contentious, difficult discussions nearly every year about how to live within our education budget. Those talks aren’t easy, but they are necessary. That’s why it’s disappointing to hear Gov. Josh Shapiro take the easy way out when asked about the state’s role in school consolidation talks. “I don’t believe in dictating to school districts that they need to merge or push them to do that,” Shapiro said. “I do believe in being there as a support system if the school district makes that decision.” Shapiro was taking a ...

Our opinion: Time to pay the EMS piper is coming

Local taxpayers probably don’t want to hear this - but the time to pay the EMS piper may be coming. Council of Governments members recently continued their discussions of the county EMS crisis with the creation of a local EMS authority, a possible solution being tried in neighboring Forest County, falling out of favor with taxpayers there as well as facing an uphill battle in the state Legislature. “When (Forest County) went to do assessments of property owners, the wheels kind of fell off,” said Troy Clawson, Youngsville councilman and COG member. “They were not prepared for ...

Our Opinions: FBI failures need examination

\People should be gravely concerned about reports that the FBI is falling short in referring allegations of child sexual abuse to local and state law enforcement. More than concerned — people should be furious. In a review prompted by the FBI’s mishandling of allegations against former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nasser, the bureau’s inspector general found that there is no evidence that the FBI followed mandatory reporting requirements in about 50% of cases. According to an Associated Press report, the FBI appears to have referred allegations within the 24-hour timeframe its : ...

Our opinion: Wrong time to punt on merger

Listen carefully, Warren County residents, to the arguments made during discussions over the possible closure of high schools in Youngsville and Sheffield. What arguments are based on logic and statistics and which are ad hominem arguments that seek to distract from the real issues at hand? Which arguments get around immovable objects and which arguments create speed bumps that can be navigated around with cool heads and a little logic? We say this because we’re already seeing ad hominem arguments crop up, and the school board has only just begun the process to possibly move ...