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No reason to risk measles

If you’re of a certain age — about 70 and beyond — it’s entirely fine to be nostalgic about some things from your childhood, like hula hoops, Davy Cockett coonskin caps, Elvis or “Gunsmoke.” One thing you shouldn’t be nostalgic about, though, is the measles. Before a vaccine became available in 1963, measles was commonplace in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates there were 500,000 cases every year, mostly striking children, though the number could have actually been higher. Of those 500,000 cases, about 500 were ...

Easter festivities kick off

The annual Downtown Discover Egg Hunt kicked off this week, giving residents and visitors an opportunity to get out with youngsters, enjoy the fresh spring breeze and get to know Lewistown. The contest kicked off Friday and challenges children ages 3 to 11 to find 36 decorated cardboard eggs that are displayed in storefronts. While Easter is just around the corner, that’s not the only purpose of this scavenger egg hunt — we hope parents will use this opportunity to teach their kids about the unique area we live in and maybe meet local shop owners that have made Lewistown their ...

Other newspapers: Election security task force can only do so much

Among the most important events to happen in Pennsylvania this year will be the primary election in April and the general election in November. It is important to every person in the state, as every state House of Representatives seat and a number of state Senate seats will be on the ballot. So will every federal House position and a federal Senate seat. It is important to everyone in the country because, yet again, Pennsylvania is poised to be a pivot point for the presidential election. Each election for years has not ended with the ballot box or the voting count. They have ...

Police officers need support, protection

We agree with Joseph Regan, president of the Fraternal Order of Police of Pennsylvania. “It’s time for America to return, once again, to putting the safety of the public — and those who protect them — first,” Regan wrote in an op-ed column in Wednesday’s edition of the Sun-Gazette. “The heroes who’ve already died — and those who continue to put it on the line every day — deserve nothing less.” Regan, in the column, advocated for a bill offering federal enhancements to prosecution and sentencing when criminals violently ambush law enforcement. As recent violent ...

Other newspapers: Time to grow up, share resources between towns

Some of the first lessons we try to teach children are the same ones Connecticut has failed to learn. Lessons about cooperation, empathy and resolving conflicts. Think of Connecticut as a massive sandbox and consider how well each of our 169 towns play along with one another. If we were shaping Connecticut out of sand in 2024, the result would look nothing like its current version. We are a balkanized state of fiefdoms. Towns cling fiercely to their identities and resist sharing with one another, resulting in some incredibly affluent small towns colliding with cities that have been ...

Unexpected costs a reason to keep government spending down

We will readily admit we may often sound like a broken record. Unfortunately, many of the issues confronting our communities and our state frankly require us to repeat ourselves. When we shared in Thursday’s edition an article from The Center Square’s Anthony Hennen detailing how the state Department of Corrections accrued an additional $40 million in overtime costs in the past two years, it is a stark reminder of why the state must get its spending under control and why the state should not dip into reserves and rainy day funds to cover what almost certainly will be recurring ...