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Rising electric bills leave Pennsylvanians powerless

Editorials

Electricity isn’t a luxury. It’s a critical part of daily life — especially in a state where many people rely on it for heat. Losing power is disruptive. People are reminded of that every time a storm knocks out the grid. But for many Pennsylvanians, the bigger threat isn’t losing electricity for a few hours or days. It’s losing the ability to afford it at all. The price of power is rising steadily even as new facilities are planned or built across the Keystone State. That is because the cost of electricity is not set by a single decision or a single office. Utilities must ...

Williams honored for volunteer efforts with Sports Hall of Fame

Editorials

Induction into a hall of fame — or recognition by one — represents more than a plaque or ceremony. It reflects dedication, commitment and service to a community over time. For the second year in a row, The Sentinel has the honor of recognizing one of its own as the Mifflin County Sports Hall of Fame honors reporter Greg Williams with its volunteer award. Williams is being recognized for his efforts in helping establish the organization and for the support he has continued to provide through the years. Over the years, Williams served in a variety of newsroom roles while also ...

Intuition matters: Listen to the quiet voice

Local Columns

We all have a wide variety of experiences throughout our lives, some filled with joy and laughter, others with sadness and tears, but only a few are truly life-altering. Recently, I experienced one of those moments, and I know I have been forever changed by it. My Friday began like any other until I arrived at my local coffee shop and passed one of my dear morning coffee club regulars heading toward the door much earlier than normal. It took only a matter of seconds to realize he was acting peculiarly. He wore a puzzled expression as we crossed paths, and when I asked him what was ...

State needs to ban ‘gas station heroin’

Editorials

The colorful packaging bears trippy names like ZaZa, Neptune’s Fix, Pegasus and Purple Magic. Sold as an elixir or in pill form, the products promise feelings of “euphoria,” “happiness” and “bliss,” and are marketed to grab the attention – and cash – of young and old consumers alike. What the labels don’t disclose is that the main ingredient, tianeptine, is a highly addictive substance, and in high doses can mimic the effects of opioids, causing seizures, cardiac arrest, respiratory issues and ultimately death. Unregulated, it’s being sold as a “dietary ...

Losing Spirit is bananas for Latrobe airport

Editorials

Gros Michel bananas may have been the perfect fruit. They were not just tasty. They grew in bunches ideal for shipping, with thick skins that protected the creamy white flesh all the way to American tables. Unfortunately, they were not resistant to disease. After decades of dominating the international produce market, they were all but wiped out by fungal blight more than 50 years ago. The bananas on shelves today are the Cavendish variety — still brilliantly yellow but somehow a pale imitation of their more flavorful cousin. The problem was not just the fungus. Growers had put all ...

Readers' opinions

Letters to the Editor

Data centers have no place in our community To the Editor: Recently, the proposals for data centers to be built across Pennsylvania have been in the news with both support and opposition. I wanted to educate myself on data centers, both advantages and disadvantages. Here is what I found. Data centers offer advantages only to the technological companies that build them. However, they have many disadvantages to the communities they infiltrate. Data centers only cost the residents in health and resources. What do data centers do? They create noise pollution, air pollution, light ...