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Red Cross ready to respond Dear Editor, While many of us are asleep, families huddle on the street, watching firefighters douse the flames consuming their home. At the same time, local Red Cross volunteers — neighbors from our own community — comfort those families and provide emergency lodging, recovery support and a shoulder to lean on during a very difficult time. Thanks to donations, this kind of care happens every eight minutes, when Red Cross volunteers help someone affected by a disaster in the U.S. — most often, a home fire. While large disasters often dominate ...

Rescuing Obamacare is bad medicine in U.S.

Local Commentaries

The recent U.S. government shutdown brought to light America’s debate over government intervention in our economy, and particularly in healthcare. Are we Socialist? Free-Market? Something else? Obamacare was sold as the remedy for perceived shortcomings in U.S. healthcare. Its supporters promised to save families $2,500 per year, contain costs, and make healthcare unicorns available for all. Yet, Democrats recently held the nation hostage for 45 days of shutdown demanding additional subsidies to rescue Obamacare from itself. But rescuing Obamacare is the opposite of rescuing ...

Our opinion: Support area business at holidays

Our Opinion

Tens of millions of Americans will do most, if not all, their holiday season shopping with giant online retail operations this year. They will argue that it is more convenient or safer for them to do so rather than patronize local brick-and-mortar stores. Local retailers, from mom-and-pop specialty shops to the big-box stores, rely on Christmas shoppers for significant chunks of the revenue that keep them open year-round. If they have a bad holiday shopping season, they suffer terribly. Some may not survive long into the new year. So what? Well, put on your thinking cap for a ...

A seasonal church visit that was a gift

Local Commentaries

Dear Richard and I were in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. We had matinee tickets for “White Christmas”, the holiday musical, on stage. When I bought the deep discount tickets, I thought it would be a great way to jump into the mood of the holiday season. We stayed at a friendly B&B and had a fun, chatty breakfast with the two other weekend couples. After breakfast, there was time before our theater afternoon for the Sunday service at St. Marks Anglican Church downtown. It was a good decision because for the past week, I’ve been chewing on a few ideas I ...

Our opinion: Body camera idea makes sense

Our Opinion

Expanding the use of body cameras to state game officials, DCNR rangers and Fish and Boat Commission officers and deputies makes a lot of sense. So much sense, in fact, that it’s hard to believe it wasn’t part of the original 2015 legislation that gave approval for Gov. Josh Shapiro has signed legislation that will expand the use of body cameras to include state game officials, DCNR rangers and Fish and Boat Commission officers and deputies. Trained officers of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Pennsylvania Game Commission to wear body cameras. Waterways ...

Our opinion: Body camera idea makes sense

Our Opinion

Expanding the use of body cameras to state game officials, DCNR rangers and Fish and Boat Commission officers and deputies makes a lot of sense. So much sense, in fact, that it’s hard to believe it wasn’t part of the original 2015 legislation that gave approval for Gov. Josh Shapiro has signed legislation that will expand the use of body cameras to include state game officials, DCNR rangers and Fish and Boat Commission officers and deputies. Trained officers of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Pennsylvania Game Commission to wear body cameras. Waterways ...