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Keep fire safety in mind as weather warms up

Editorials

Warmer weather is arriving, and with it there will be barbecues and parties and campfires. We encourage families to enjoy the opportunities these seasons offer — safely. SmokeyBear.com is one online resource to prepare for the fire-building of spring and summer. A few of the tips they share include: Check with local conservation agencies for fire alerts and weather conditions wherever you’re planning to build a fire. Avoid celebrating with fires in dry or windy conditions. Select a site that is at least 15 feet from tents, awnings, vegetation or low-hanging branches. Use ...

Focus on accountability

Editorials

The resignation of Harvard economics professor and former university president Larry Summers was only the latest repercussion from the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files — the millions of documents gathered by federal prosecutors that Congress ordered the Department of Justice to release to the public. There are no doubt more heads are about to roll: The disgraced financier burrowed his way deep into the worlds of academia, business, and government. The files show that even after he was convicted in 2008 in Florida of soliciting a minor and served a short prison sentence, he ...

Environmental protection starts with families

Editorials

An article in the outdoors section of Tuesday’s Williamsport Sun-Gazette details how festive releases of Mylar balloons pose deadly risks to birds. A local birding expert shared how birds mistake the remnants of the balloons for food and eat them — and how the remnants of balloons can block digestive systems, leaving the birds to starve. We continue to maintain that the best measures our communities and region can take to preserve the environment don’t involve eliminating thousands of jobs developing conventional sources of energy, pushing energy bills higher for families and ...

Juniata County Dairy Promotion pointers

Local Columns

Hello, my name is Natalee Zug. I am the Juniata County Dairy Maid. Do you know why it is important to eat and drink dairy products each and every day? It is because they are an awesome source of protein and calcium, which are important for strong bones and teeth. The Juniata County Dairy ...

Bill good start to examining role of rural pharmacies

Editorials

Since 2020, more than 1,000 pharmacies have closed in Pennsylvania. That means it’s harder for many in rural counties like ours to get their prescriptions filled. Customers have to drive longer distances and, at times, pay more. The mass closure crisis has led to expanding pharmacy deserts, defined as an area where residents no longer have reasonable access to a local pharmacy, throughout the state. It’s one reason why a bipartisan bill introduced recently in the state Senate to protect local pharmacies is interesting. Senate Bill 1186 seeks to protect patient access to ...

California’s inferno of regulations

Editorials

Last year, California wildfires destroyed 13,000 homes. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced: “We are 100% committed to getting this neighborhood rebuilt again!” Gov. Gavin Newsom echoed that, saying his officials were “responding to it at scale, with efficiency ... addressing building codes, permitting issues, and moving forward to rebuilding.” Great! It sounded like bureaucrats would get out of the way and let fire victims rebuild quickly. But no. Not when government bureaucrats are in control. More than a year later, fewer than 30 of the 13,000 destroyed homes have ...