Breaking News

Editorials

Labor Department oversight necessary

Requiring a school-approved work permit for teens between the ages of 14 and 17 seems like an antiquated notion halfway through the 2020s. In addition to a work permit signed by a school, current state law requires a parent or guardian to provide a written statement that the teen is able to work. Rep Dan Moul, R-Gettysburg, wants to end the school approval for a work permit and instead let the statement of a parent or guardian provide authority for a teen who wants to enter the workforce. Instead of a work permit, Moul proposes requiring a written statement from the youth’s parents ...

Who is at fault when unlicensed nurse is hired?

The state of Pennsylvania makes it easy to figure out if your hair stylist or architect or real estate agent or any other licensed professional is able to work legally. The Department of State’s website can answer your questions about permits and authorizations. The Pennsylvania Licensing System Verification Service allows access to information on everyone and every business with a certification from the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. It takes less than a minute to input the name, location and type of license into the website and have it spit out the pertinent ...

The right to bear arms also makes it a responsibility

A violent attack in Traverse City, Mich., would not have been prevented by any of the myriad proposals for more intrusive “gun control” — the attack, in which 11 people were viciously stabbed, was carried out with a folding knife. Instead the first gun at the scene of the attack, which authorities are seeking to define as terror- ism, was carried by a law-abiding citizen, who helped defuse the situation and coax the alleged perpetrator into surrendering. The citizen, a retired Marine bearing arms in concordance with the Second Amendment rights we frequently defend in our ...

Everyday Americans are tortured by bureaucrats

Americans like licenses. People think they make us safer. We license drivers. We license dogs. But most government licensing is useless. Or harmful. It limits competition, raises costs, leaves consumers with fewer choices and blocks opportunity for people who want to work. Michelle Freenor, a tour guide in Savannah, Ga., gets good reviews from customers. But her business almost didn’t get off the ground because local politicians said, “No one can be a tour guide without first getting a government license!” Bill Durrence, a Savannah alderman at the time, told me why it’s ...

Local law enforcement made a summer night into something more

They came with their families, friends, and neighbors, and for one night, Kish Park felt like the unofficial center of the county. The helicopters touched down on schedule, fire trucks gleamed in the fading sun, and the smell of grilled hot dogs drifted through the crowd. National Night Out 2025 unfolded as more than a date on the calendar — it became a genuine gathering of the community, shaped in large part by the commitment of local police. If you were at the park on Tuesday, you saw the work up close. Officers from Mifflin County Regional, Granville, Derry Township, and ...

Public notices must remain accessible

Some state lawmakers seem to think they have come up with a way to modernize how local governing bodies get the word out about their meetings, pending actions, tax increases, new ordinances and other measures. But Senate Bill 194 — which resurrects the idea of putting public notices on governmental websites — is another way to keep the public in the dark because the idea begs the question: “Who’s going to see them there?” Public notices have long been published in the classified section of local printed newspapers. Those who follow local governments regularly monitor ...