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Our opinion: State Police security lapses are inexcusable

Our Opinion

There’s a lot to unpack in the days after an arson attack at the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion. We should all be able to agree that security around Gov. Josh Shapiro was inexcusably lax given that one of the most notorious recent acts of political violence had taken place in Butler, Pa., during last year’s presidential campaign. It’s hard to fathom how Cody Balmer was able to climb a fence, smash a window, enter the governor’s mansion, use a Molotov cocktail to start a fire and then escape. Police didn’t catch Balmer - he turned himself in. It’s worth mentioning the ...

Trump talk is more fable than truth

Letters To Editor

Dear Editor, Listening to the President reminds me of the old parlor game of determining which story is true and which story is false but with Trump it is which story is false and which story is half false? Trump’s illusory, self serving rhetoric is as fanciful as children’s fairy tales except children tales have a moral lesson, remember Jack and the Beanstalk? Once upon a time, good son, Jack, and his impoverished, widowed Mother were out of food. Grocery prices were rising, and gasoline was expensive. Their milk selling income was tenuous, at best. Out of desperation, they ...

Trump deals strongly with Houthi militants

Letters To Editor

Dear Editor, Recently, the Houthi terrorists of Yemen were decisively attacked by our military as a warning to stop attacking and disrupting shipping in the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Somehow, attack plans were leaked to Trump-hating Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic magazine. Of course, the attack was a success and no classified information was leaked. Left-wing distortions are expected. Still,the leak shouldn't have happened. National Security Administrator Mike Waltz has accepted responsibility. As this is written, the cause is not clear. To some, it's conceivable ...

View from Hickory Heights: Easters long ago

Local Commentaries

Last Sunday we sang the hymn “Abide with Me”. That took me back to the church I went to in my youth. At Grace Lutheran Church in Dunkirk, we ended all Wednesday night Lenten services with that hymn. I knew the first verse by heart. The lights were dimmed so we had to memorize it. After singing we left the church quietly. It is funny how little things trigger memories. I had not thought about that for years but the hymn brought back my memories clearly. I remember our Good Friday service. Different churches took turns hosting it. It went from noon to three o’clock. We had off ...

Our opinion: Increasing timber production a responsible decision

Our Opinion

A recent executive order by President Donald Trump to streamline regulations and allow more timber to be harvested from U.S. Forest Service lands invites what possibly could be a trivia question: Under which U.S. department’s jurisdiction does the U.S. Forest Service fall? If you answered the U.S. Department of the Interior, which supervises national parks and fulfills a mission of preserving natural areas and sites of note, you would be wrong. If you answered the Environmental Protection Agency, which enforces environmental regulations to curtail pollution and limit environmental ...

Our opinion: Take time to get REAL ID

Our Opinion

Gotten your REAL ID yet? No? Don’t worry, you are not alone. In fact, the majority of Pennsylvanians haven’t. According to the latest statistics released by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), only 26 percent of Pennsylvanians have applied for a REAL ID. That’s certainly more than a bit concerning, considering the May 7 deadline is approaching quickly. On Tuesday, PennDOT announced that it will hold special REAL ID Days across the Keystone State to help residents prepare for the deadline when federal enforcement begins. The REAL ID Act was passed by ...