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Volunteer firefighters are built for emergencies, not for weeks like this

In recent days, a run of house fires displaced families and strained nonprofits and churches that step in when homes are lost. Behind every call stands a volunteer fire company answering alarms day after day, often with the same names on the roster and the same few people carrying most of the weight. Burnout doesn’t arrive all at once. It accumulates. One overnight fire turns into two. Then three. Another call comes in before the gear dries. Volunteers still go to work in the morning. They still show up for family obligations. They still answer the pager. Rural and small-town ...

Sunshine Law issue needs clarity

An article published earlier this month by Center Square began with two paragraphs that are deserving of elaboration. First, the paragraphs in question: — “In December, a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision ruled that with a majority vote, government entities could add anything to a meeting agenda without first offering public notice.” — “It’s a loophole created by what legislators say was a poorly written exception within the state’s 2021 Sunshine Act, a law intended to promote transparency in government.” Lawmakers, whether they be state or federal legislators, ...

Energy still driven by simple truth

Detailed reporting in last Thursday’s Williamsport Sun-Gazette by The Center Square illuminated the challenges confronting the energy sector in meeting Pennsylvania’s needs. The ongoing efforts by PJM to assess future trends in energy demand and consumption are important. We hope the measures the entity — responsible for generating the electric grid’s supply in Pennsylvania and neighboring states — is undertaking assist management and staff in being fully prepared for delivering service and affordability to Pennsylvania’s families and businesses. Of course, as important ...

In these times, safe driving even more important

The Juniata River Valley and surrounding communities have survived the noteworthy snowstorm that passed across the region about a week ago. We expect that in the coming days and weeks, the volumes of snow will melt and refreeze into icy conditions. More snow and sleet will further complicate winter commutes. Such is life in central Pennsylvania. We hope and encourage motorists to be mindful of conditions. We echo the advice of the state Department of Transportation, found on the department’s website: Slow down and increase following distance. Avoid sudden stops and starts. Beware ...

Canada should warm to Trump’s Arctic plans

Donald Trump’s Arctic strategy has been 500 years in the making. When Christopher Columbus set sail across the Atlantic in 1492, he intended to find a direct path from Europe to Asia. He didn’t, of course – but the first transatlantic explorer to sail under an English flag, John Cabot, tried again a few years later and became the first modern explorer to reach what is now Canada. The commercial potential of the Northwest Passage was obvious from the start, but even once explorers at last figured out how to thread their way through the Arctic’s ice and islands, there was no ...

Not keen on friend’s humor

Dear Annie: I’m a 73-year-old married woman, and my husband and I have a full social life. We regularly host other couples for happy hour, dinner and holidays. I enjoy it, and I’m grateful to have good friends at this stage of life. One friend in particular is a woman my age whom I’ve known for years. We generally get along well, which is why this has caught me off guard. Lately, she has started making comments about my height. I’m 5 feet, 1 inch tall, and she’s 5 feet, 3 inches, so it’s not as if there’s some dramatic difference. Yet in front of our friends, she calls me ...