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Technological improvement for cards a step toward stewardship

State Rep. Jamie Flick, R-South Williamsport, recently brought a development to the public’s attention: The passage of legislation to use chips to encrypt the debit-style cards used by Pennsylvania’s public assistance programs. Flick notes the upgrade will make theft and fraud committed to steal from recipients’ benefits more difficult and also noted that in the past there have been thousands of instances of the use of the “card skimming” tactic to steal from these accounts. We appreciate Flick’s attention to this issue and we appreciate the efforts of the state ...

State needs to use leverage on tuition costs

Penn State, as reported in Friday’s edition of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, is increasing tuition for residents by 2.5% and for out-of-state students by 4%. According to Spotlight PA’s article, the university is set to receive $242.1 million from the state — with the possibility of an additional $4 million from an incentive-based program. All of this in addition to the state’s financial obligations for state-system schools like Commonwealth University’s Lock Haven and Mansfield campuses and Millersville and other universities — colleges that are less autonomous from ...

Leaders need to listen to data center concerns

There’s been smoke outside in the air to end the work week. But there was some real fire indoors at a Tuesday meeting where attendees verbally accosted representatives of a company proposing to build a data center in Oxford Township near EHOVE Career Center. There’s a lot to break down here: 1. We think that, first and foremost, any proposed data center — including this potential build by AVAIO Digital — must first do no harm. That can be direct harm to health — hearing damage caused by data centers’ noise is something people often express worry over — or harm to ...

Social media in need of a learner’s permit

Young people entering the workplace need to learn how to navigate the muddy waters of social media. They need to learn how to use it for marketing and sharing crucial information. They need to know when to court interaction and when to act as background. They need to understand that literacy isn’t just about Jane Austen and that bullying can happen online as well as in the school cafeteria. That becomes a priority as Pennsylvania puts in place new require- ments for schools to teach about the mental, psychological and even physical effects of our digital world. The new laws, ...

The Socialists v. the Senate

Political parties tend to harshly reject the idea that they are a threat to the constitutional order, but the Democratic Socialists of America are making it part of their brand. The DSA has released a new program that, besides contemplating the advent of a classless society, calls for abolishing the Senate, the presidency and the Supreme Court. This is literally a revolutionary program to topple the American system as we have known it since 1789. It's the kind of thing you might expect after angry rebels mount the barricades in Washington, D.C., and overthrow the government. It ...

Ceremony provides chance to reflect on heroism

A man from the Jersey Shore area recently was honored for, as U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Howard, put it, his part in the “legacy of those who saved the world and a representation of the best and the brightest that our nation offers.” As reported in Tuesday’s edition of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Thompson recently presented the family of the late Browning with nine medals — among them a bronze star — he earned during his service during the Second World War. “As we celebrate America’s 250, what a privilege to honor a member from the greatest generation that ...