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Vape shop regulations need to be tightened

Do we need a vape shop on every street corner? They seem to be popping up with the almost magical overnight frequency of mushrooms or Starbucks locations. If a closed business is too small to host a Spirit Halloween, the space has a good chance of becoming a vape shop in short order. But are those always the best spots? While some businesses can be barred from certain locations by zoning, the relatively new vape shop category might slip between regulations that aren’t quite as up-to-date. There’s a question of whether that would need to be updated. Cigarettes, the predecessor ...

Violence itself is never well aimed

Given the amount of attention focused on gun violence, it is worth noting violence itself is not so well aimed. A gun can be expertly targeted. A good hunter, for instance, wants to be as accurate as possible. He doesn’t just point toward the woods and have faith he will hit a deer; he wants to hit a specific deer. This isn’t fishing where you drop a line and hope for the best. But violence — yes, even gun violence — is not a sharpshooter’s rifle. Violence is a bomb that explodes in every direction at one time. It may hit its intended target, but the shockwaves and ...

Trump suggests possible U.S. return to Afghanistan

For nearly 20 years, the Bagram Air Base stood as the sprawling symbol of American power in Afghanistan and as the heart of the long U.S. military intervention there. The Biden administration secretly evacuated the base on July 1, 2021, a few weeks ahead of its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Afghan army left in control of the base surrendered to the Taliban. Now, President Donald Trump says he wants Bagram back. “We gave it to them for nothing,” he said in London on Sept. 18. “We’re trying to get it back, by the way. … We’re trying to get it back because they need ...

AOC’s Socialist dream could become America’s nightmare

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s flirtation with a presidential run is the latest warning sign of just how far the Democratic Party’s leadership has careened off the rails. After crushing defeats in the latest election, moderate Democrats have failed to take matters into their own hands, continuing to kneel to the strength of the far-left wing of their party who champion socialism, divisive class warfare and pipe dreams that seem to have come straight out of fairytales. While there haven’t yet been any formal statements from the democratic socialist congresswoman, reports based on ...

Readers’ opinions

Hard work made 28th Day of Caring successful To the Editor: Thank you to everyone that made the 28th Day of Caring a success! The United Way of Mifflin-Juniata kicked off the 2026 annual fundraising campaign with the 28th Annual Day of Caring on Wednesday, Sept, 17. Approximately 424 volunteers spent the day painting, landscaping, building and cleaning. This year’s effort helped 39 different non-profit agencies and government entities throughout Mifflin and Juniata counties. The assistance that agencies receive through Day of Caring is critical. For the volunteer, the ...

Mark Baker’s life and death show the cost of service

Three detectives are dead in York County. On Sept. 17, they walked into a house in North Codorus Township to serve a warrant. They did not come back. The men — Det. Sgt. Cody Becker, 39; Det. Mark Baker, 53, and Det. Isaiah Emenheiser, 43, were ambushed by a 24-year-old suspect wanted on stalking charges. Police say he waited with a rifle and opened fire as soon as the officers crossed the threshold. He was killed in the exchange. For Pennsylvania, it was one of the deadliest days for law enforcement in decades. For Mifflin County, it was personal. Mark Baker grew up here, ...