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Fiscal recklessness will have consequences

Editorials

An analysis by Truth in Accounting on which The Center Square reported in the Feb. 10 edition of the Sun-Gazette finds that Philadelphia will overspend in the 2025/26 budget year by about $17,000 per taxpayer. As we note that this sort of budgeting is unsustainable, we do not want to single out Pennsylvania’s largest city. The budget proposal by Gov. Josh Shapiro, as we’ve repeatedly criticized in editorials the past two weeks, uses assumptions about future laws and the state’s “rainy day fund” to ramp up government spending — despite our Legislature’s clear and ...

Open talks with railroads important

Editorials

As a railroad center, Altoona has lived with the prospect of train derailments for much of its history. Having lived with virtually all of the pluses and minuses of that industry for so long, including the knowledge of what their ancestors experienced during their lifetimes, people here go about their routines day in and day out without giving much thought to the dangers “built into” a rail operation in the community. Expressed more simply, people here do not shudder when a “monster” train consisting perhaps of nearly a hundred units is bearing down on their town. People ...

Cataclysmic explosion claims life of local WWII Paratrooper

Local Columns

LEWISTOWN — The American recapture in World War II of Corregidor Island from the Japanese garrison in the Philippines began with a daring, highly risky parachute drop by the 503rd Parachute Regiment on Feb. 16, 1945. A local man was among the brave paratroopers assigned to the mission. ...

Unfair debates not part of budget process

Editorials

Over the past year or so we’ve noted that the decision to tie the status of marijuana and skills games to the budget was unfair and counterproductive. The concerns we editorialized about were simple: These issues need thorough debate, on their own terms, with lawmakers considering the drawbacks and disadvantages, especially for either legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana. Concerns about how driving under the influence will be investigated and prosecuted, about the impact on workplaces and employers and how to mitigate unwanted effects, about what legal or decriminalized ...

Changes in how anglers check water conditions

Local Columns

For years, the United States Geological Survey stream gauges have been a part of fishing in Pennsylvania streams and rivers. With over 580 such gauges Commonwealth-wide, there is a good chance there is one on your favorite waterway, probably even in your favorite hole. Starting in 2026, there will be big changes regarding how anglers access the information these gauges provide. Although the USGS stream gauges were originally installed for flood monitoring and to provide historical data regarding a stream’s conditions, they have become a staple for anglers. Want to know if you can get ...

State needs to tackle fraud

Editorials

It took the threat of federal penalties to push Gov. Josh Shapiro into taking seriously the issue of SNAP errors in Pennsylvania. In our opinion the state has a bigger issue with Medicaid fraud — and it shouldn’t take the threat of federal action to get the state to take the fraud problems seriously. A Commonwealth Foundation report released recently said Pennsylvania charged more Medicaid fraud cases than any other state in 2024, with the state Attorney General’s office reporting $11.3 million in Medicaid fraud recoveries and $44 million in fraudulent charges. That same year, ...