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Keeping cool when the Juniata River Valley heats up

Heat has a way of settling in Juniata River Valley and making itself at home. It seeps in early, ripening the hills and softening the river, then lingers — thick, persistent, demanding everyone pay attention. As July draws closer, forecasts point in a single direction: it will be hot. The kind of summer that fills the air with the hum of window units and makes shade as precious as sleep. This isn’t a summer to ignore. Every credible forecast, whether it comes from the old hands at the Farmer’s Almanac or the digital machinery of AccuWeather, says the same thing: above-average ...

Baby Agnes mystery needs to be solved

The possibility exists that someone — or some persons — in Blair County or somewhere else in the region might be feeling much anxiety or outright fear today as a result of an announcement last week by this county’s coroner and the Pennsylvania State Police. For the benefit of anyone who might have missed the announcement, Coroner Ray Benton and the state police revealed that the unidentified partial remains of a child found deceased on Feb. 5, 1987, in a wooded area between Pinecroft and Bellwood had been exhumed on June 10 with the purpose of attempting to obtain DNA ...

Newspapers, news sites best places for public to access notices

We join the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association and our colleagues across the state in strongly opposing Senate Bill 194, which would give local governments the option of advertising public notices on county or municipal government websites. Rather, recognizing that changes have occurred in both government and the news industry, we support House Bill 1291, which allows for modernization of the process without limiting the public’s access to this critical information. Public notices keep residents informed about planned government action — zoning changes, fee hikes, tax increases, ...

Lawmaker’s efforts to ensure transparency commendable

We appreciate the efforts by state Sen. Cris Dush, R-Pine Creek Township, to address an important issue. “I find it deeply troubling that Pennsylvania’s long-standing (Right-to-Know) law mentions no criminal offense for destroying or altering records subject to a RTK request,” said Dush, chairman of the State Government Committee, according to an article in last weekend’s edition of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. “Not surprisingly, the rule of law is entirely thwarted whenever government officials or their staff intentionally dispose or suppress records that have been ...

‘Abundance’ is abundantly confused

The hot-selling book “Abundance” is written by liberals who bash liberals, or more precisely, try to make them feel guilty. Sure, authors Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson shed some blame on conservatives for why America doesn’t build as easily as it used to. But it’s those liberals in expensive cities, the authors insist, who are callously driving less-than-rich families to move elsewhere. Klein and Thompson argue that Democrat-run “superstar” cities have failed to provide enough affordable housing because of all their building rules and regulations and pesky zoning ...

Pass ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ then do major reforms

As Senate Republicans turn the One Big Beautiful Bill, passed by one vote in the House, into a major taffy pull, two questions hover in the background. Where is our country headed? Will Republicans retain their razor-thin margins in the House and Senate in 2026? Satisfaction regarding the direction of the country has improved markedly since President Donald Trump took office. In December 2024, per Gallup, 19 percent said they were satisfied. At the beginning of May, this stood at 38 percent. This is the highest satisfaction percent since February 2020, during Trump’s first term, ...