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Humanity won on that Easter long ago

Believers in the Scriptures wake up on Easter morning knowing that if they will be attending a church service, they will hear a by-now-familiar message about the frantic pre-dawn moments of the first Easter Sunday 2,000 years ago. A familiar message, yes, but one that does not get boring or otherwise “old.” “On the first day of the week,” according to the gospel of John, “Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and ...

Truth about a balanced, strong budget

The math is supposed to be simple. Know how much money is coming in. Don’t spend more than that. But let’s be honest. That can be a challenge for a family of four. It doesn’t get easier when you are talking about a government responsible for thousands — or millions — of people. In reality, it is never that clean. We see it everywhere, every year. The federal government is constantly coming to blows over budgets and fiscal cliffs. Just ask Transportation Security Administration employees who just missed another paycheck Friday. Pennsylvania’s inability to pass a budget on ...

Waivers no factor in smoking rates

Chautauqua County officials want to push the remaining organizations that have indoor smoking waivers to go smokefree. Smoking indoors in public places became largely illegal in New York state with the passage of the Clean Indoor Air Act on July 24, 2003, banning smoking in most workplaces, restaurants, and bars. There are five remaining private organizations with waivers to allow indoor smoking – and those five clubs will begin paying more for the privilege: $300 annually to $650 in 2026, and to $1,000 in 2027. We can’t argue with the health benefits of going smokefree. There are ...

Neighboring state’s gun control push too rushed for comfort

Advocates for gun control have pushed more than a dozen separate bills through Virginia’s state legislature in less than two months. We must question if these proposals are truly being carefully deliberated upon. Some of these changes, such as bans on long-legal types of firearms, deserve more transparent debate in any legislature than what this rush by Virginia’s lawmakers has allowed. As we have editorialized in the past, much of what skeptics about our Second Amendment and our right to keep and bear arms envision simply isn’t possible in a free society — we fear the ...

When one snow leopard can’t reproduce, whole species feels it

What does it mean when a snow leopard, important to species survival, is deemed effectively sterile? That was the topic of conversation at the Louisville Zoo last week after a reproductive assessment of Meru, an 8-year-old snow leopard. The Louisville Zoo has been hoping since Meru's arrival in 2018 that he and their female snow leopard, NeeCee, would produce cubs. Zookeepers began giving them time together in 2021. As one of the 52 zoos in the United States to have snow leopards, the Louisville Zoo is an important part of the species survival plan. Ron Evans, general curator for ...

Heighten awareness of colorectal cancer

Each March, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month calls on our nation to confront a disease that is both common and devastating, yet in so many cases, entirely preventable. When found early, colorectal cancer is one of the most treatable and beatable cancers, with a five-year survival rate of 91%. That’s why screening and early detection are critical. A recent report from the American Cancer Society underscores the urgency: colorectal cancer is increasingly affecting younger adults, and rectal cancer rates are rising. These shifts mean screening, awareness, and timely follow-up care ...