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Our Opinion

Our opinion: Why rush with Warren Worx?

Believe it or not, we still haven’t made up our mind on whether Warren Worx is worth the investment being required of the city of Warren or Warren County’s government. The concept seems ill-defined and fuzzy at this time - and the fact the initiative’s first project is going to focus on branding isn’t encouraging. No one is going to hear a new slogan and decide Warren County is the place for them to raise a family. It’s hard to wrap one’s head around exactly what either the city or county government will get for their investment. Again, we’re not saying Warren Worx is ...

Our opinion: Build broadband, worry later

When it comes to affordable internet in Pennsylvania, do state residents need the chicken or the egg? The chicken is broadband internet infrastructure. The egg, on the other hand, is a subsidy to access that broadband internet infrastructure. . That’s really the question to keep in mind as Democrats in the state House of Representatives make a pitch for a state version of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, which provided households $30 a month toward broadband internet service. The program was used by more than 700,000 households across Pennsylvania and nearly 2,000 in ...

Our opinion: Rising need a concerning sign

We all know things aren’t great right now no matter what the economists in Washington, D.C., say. Prices are up on everything and a lot of people are struggling, including right here in our area. But sometimes it isn’t until you hear the right number that the struggles of the local economy crystalize. When the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania says it’s seeing a 25.3% increase in the level of need across the region in 2024 compared to 2023, that’s saying something. After all, if you listen to the economists, things are supposed to be getting better. For ...

Our opinion: Confusion on marijuana policies

Youngsville’s decision to consider an ordinance to regulate possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia is a direct of the mixed signals being sent by state and county officials. It’s time for everyone to be on the same page. First, state officials need to make a decision - soon - whether marijuana use will be legal in the commonwealth. That is a controversial decision that won’t make everyone happy. But the dilly dallying from Harrisburg is putting lower levels of government in a bind especially as neighboring states legalize marijuana. Second, district attorneys ...

Our opinion: Government too quick on wells

The government often is too quick to commit to spending money and too slow at nearly everything else. Between the federal and state governments, hundreds of millions of dollars have been committed to plugging “orphan” wells — oil and gas wells abandoned decades ago by now-defunct companies, without the necessary remediation to prevent or mitigate environmental damage. There are 350,000 such wells in Pennsylvania. Or perhaps there are more than 700,000 such wells in Pennsylvania. It will cost about $18,000 to plug each well. Or $33,000. Or $68,000. Or it might cost $110,000 each ...

Our opinion: COVID changes an improvement

It took four long years, but U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials are finally ready to recommend parents should treat COVID-19 and its variants like any other respiratory illness. It is no longer a federal recommendation that students undergo isolation periods and masking. As deaths and hospitalizations from the virus drop, the CDC now says students can go back to school when their symptoms improve and they are fever-free for 24 hours without taking medication. The agency does still suggest that students are “encouraged” to wear a mask when they return to ...