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Editorials

Water ran short, but compassion shouldn’t

When a tractor-trailer crashed into the Laurel Creek Reservoir on Friday — the same reservoir that supplies drinking water to much of Mifflin County — people across the area felt it almost immediately. For a full weekend, residents were told not to use their tap water. Restaurants closed or scaled back. Businesses adjusted on the fly. Families filled whatever containers they could and before long, store shelves at places like Walmart were picked clean of bottled water. It was disruptive. There’s no way around that. But that disruption shouldn’t be the only way we look at ...

At-home distilleries see win in court

Judges occasionally declare federal laws unconstitutional. But usually when a law passed by Congress has been on the books for more than 150 years, it’s in the clear. Not so for the federal ban on homemade whiskey, vodka and gin. Last week, an appeals court invalidated a federal law dating to 1868 that criminalizes at-home distilleries. The spirited ruling is a boon to small-time liquor hobbyists and entrepreneurs — but also an important statement on the limits of the federal government’s taxing power. Congress imposed the ban as a companion to legislation taxing alcohol and ...

Rise of Heroin Chic (Again)

To the Editor: Fashion trends come and go and they cycle back every couple of years. Most recently we have started to cycle into early y2k fashion. Characterized by tiny tight crop tops and extremely low low rise skinny jeans. While I was not alive at the beginning and wasn’t aware of the world till the end of this phase of fashion which was around 1995-2009. The fashion was bright and fun, very different from the more conservative fashion trends of decades before. The only problematic aspect of this era is the constant scrutinization around women' s bodies. Heroin Chic was on the ...

Open Line

While in line to pay my grocery bill on December 8th at the Mifflintown Weis Market, I was happily pointed out by a wonderful lady in front of me when I pulled my wallet out to pay for my bill, she turned to me and said, you can put that away. I've taken care of your bill. That evidence of human kindness just flabbergasted me. I hope she knows how appreciative I was. I wish I had asked for her name, because I would like to have thanked her perhaps more enthusiastically than I did. I hope she knew I was just so surprised. But I hope she understood that I was very, very pleased at her ...

What are these politicians thinking?

Democrat Eric Swalwell and Republican Tony Gonzales were both accused of sexual misconduct involving staffers. Californian Swalwell said he’d resign from his House seat after giving up on his run for governor. Texan Gonzales said he was withdrawing from the 2026 reelection race. Back in the day, male politicians cavorted with their female staffers and got away with it. But that was way back and many days ago. An official cheating on his wife with a woman picked up at a rally doesn’t seem to bother voters the way it once did. Donald Trump has numbed the electorate to that ...

Don’t be scammed by skimmers

As we march ever closer toward a cashless society, the time is now to ramp up security at the checkout. Credit card fraud is on the rise and the most common form of identity theft. The statistics are staggering – and somewhat surprising: • 63% of U.S. credit card holders have been victimized by fraud; 51% were hit multiple times. • 62 million Americans reported fraudulent card purchases last year. • Losses surpassed $12.5 billion in 2024 alone. Odds are pretty good that you or someone you know has been a victim. Jen Garofalo’s story in Sunday’s newspaper took a ...