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Decision means lawmakers must regulate games

Editorials

Did a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling just change the game for Pennsylvania’s gambling industry? No, lawmakers did. Skill games are gaming machines that might look at home in an arcade or a casino. For years, they have lived in a legal midway point. They make money like a slot machine but aren’t regulated as one. Recently, the court changed that, deciding they are slots under existing state law and must be treated accordingly. The state Legislature has four months to figure out what to do next. Does it finally write laws that address the situation, or does it let the Supreme ...

Platner wants redemption, others a refund

Editorials

Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna conceded at a rally for the Maine senatorial candidate that Graham Platner's actions have not been sterling. Voters considering Platner don't like his "shameful" actions against women, the Californian said, but "they are willing to extend him grace and redemption." Maine Democrats have just chosen Platner to challenge five-term Republican Susan Collins in November. Maine is a purple state, and Collins is a moderate by current Republican standards. But here's the problem for Platner: Redemption is a theme in religion whereby someone who has committed ...

Wide open spaces, wild adventures: Yellowstone National Park’s glory

Local Columns

(Editor’s note: This column is part two of a two-part series.) Next stop: Yellowstone. Honestly, I doubted anything could top the awe-inspiring beauty of the Grand Tetons, but I was wrong. Yellowstone exceeded every expectation I had. I think I pictured it as overly commercialized and overrun with tourists, an impression that may have been shaped by all those childhood episodes of Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo stealing picnic baskets. Speaking of picnic baskets, our first surprise in the park came when we watched a woman stop her car in the middle of the road, jump out with camera in ...

Ways to deal with a bad year for ticks

Editorials

From what we’re hearing, it may well be the worst season for ticks that anyone has seen. Tick season is in full swing and with it, the danger of contracting one of several nasty infections that are becoming all too common in the area. But ticks shouldn’t keep you out of the woods, if that’s something you enjoy doing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has these suggestions to avoid contact with ticks: Before going outdoors: • Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in grassy, brushy or wooded areas, or even on animals. Spending time outside walking your dog, ...

Billing abuses for autism assistance unacceptable

Editorials

Most people cannot imagine the challenges autism poses to families caring for someone afflicted with the developmental disorder. But when those challenges are exacerbated by unscrupulous individuals and companies, people need to take notice and not be shy about projecting their disgust and calls for remedial legal action and stiff penalties, criminal as well as civil. Those who would try to take advantage of the families in question — and, in the process, the victims of the disorder themselves — don’t deserve any leniency in any court of law. Meanwhile, there should be no ...

Spirit loss sets off domino effect

Editorials

When small towns rely on one employer, everyone is just a closed factory away from collapse. That’s a reality many in Pennsylvania can understand — and have experienced. We know what it’s like when the only hospital shuts down, and you have to drive an hour to reach the emergency room. We know what happens when the only supermarket goes away, and suddenly all your meals come from a dollar store. A lack of backup plans is the start of a domino effect. It isn’t long before other things start to leave too. Arnold Palmer Regional Airport is learning that lesson now. The ...