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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 ...

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 ...