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Starvation in Gaza: Whom to blame?

Editorials

In the Middle East, war is conducted not only with bullets and missiles, but also with pictures. The latest are pictures of allegedly starving children in Gaza distributed by Hamas and its enablers with the intention of blaming Israel for delaying, even denying entry of food trucks into the strip. Such pictures are gobbled up and distributed to the world without question by media that are always critical of Israel and hardly critical at all of forces that seek to destroy the Jewish state. Perhaps no nation in history has cared about preserving human life more than modern Israel. It ...

What’s next for closing Penn State campus sites?

Editorials

In two years, there will be no Nittany Lions on the Penn State campuses in New Kensington or Fayette County. What will be there remains to be seen. In May, Penn State trustees voted to follow the recommendations of President Neeli Bendapudi’s administration and close seven Commonwealth campuses at the end of Spring semester 2027. The announcement that some campuses might close was made in late February. The final vote came three months later with DuBois, Mont Alto, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and York rounding out the list. It has now been more than two months since the campuses ...

Small town adventures make big memories

Local Columns

Recently, I promised two of my grandchildren, Oliver, 5, and Sloan, 6, that we’d go on an adventure. I was barely out the door when Oliver exclaimed with an impatient grin, “Nana, hurry up, you are taking for ages!” With that gentle nudge, I picked up the pace and off we went. I expected a day filled with laughter and discoveries. What I didn’t expect was to come home feeling more grateful than ever to live in a place where kindness is a way of life and people go the extra mile. Our first stop was Asher’s Chocolates, where the kids took their time choosing the perfect ...

Main Street Matters brings opportunity to Lewistown

Editorials

When a town finds its second wind, it doesn’t come with fireworks or grand pronouncements. Sometimes, it arrives in the form of a letter from Harrisburg, or the hopeful shake of a neighbor’s hand. This week, Lewistown has been chosen as a Main Street Matters community, and while the paperwork may seem routine, the opportunity it brings is anything but. Lewistown’s new designation isn’t a government gift—it’s an act of faith in the people who call this place home. The Main Street Matters program offers money, yes, but more than that, it offers a chance to prove what a ...

Readers' opinions

Letters to the Editor

Welcome back to common sense To the Editor: I am so glad we are returning to common sense in our country. We are passing the uncomfortable confrontations of gender, men in women’s sports and bathrooms, DEI, CRT, 1619, BLM, frivolous lawsuits, impeachments, definition of a secure border, definition of peaceful protest, parents rights to guide their children and returning to a country I, and many others recognize. I identify as American. There is no need to remark on my skin color, my sexual identity, or be branded with any color privilege. Seriously... who needs to do that? I realize ...

Rapp’s right, budget bill is lacking

Editorials

On the surface it would seem the state House of Representatives’ passing a state budget proposal and moving the process to the state Senate is a step forward. But we have to agree with state Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-Warren, who disagreed with both the amount of time Republicans were given to review the proposal as well as undecided issues that make the House plan essentially useless. Rapp’s first criticism is purely political. The party in the minority often gets short-shrift in the budget-making process. Republicans in the New York state Legislature levy the same complaint year ...