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You don't need permission to care

Local Columns

Every community has a "somebody" problem. We've all heard these familiar lines or similar ones and perhaps have even spoken them. Somebody should clean up that park. Somebody should rehab that old building. Somebody should organize an event. Somebody should create a space for kids to gather. Somebody should help our senior citizens. Everyone agrees that something should be done. The problem is that everyone assumes somebody else will do it. Communities don't change because everyone identifies the problems. They change because individuals decide to become that "somebody." I learned ...

Leniency on property proves right decision

Editorials

Despite giving an example of blight in their municipality the tough attention it deserves, the Logan Township supervisors extended a degree of leniency — correctly — to the owner of a blighted property on Sandy Run Road, giving her about four months to get the unsightly situation under control. The supervisors had the option to file a misdemeanor code-violation charge against the property owner, based on the fact that repeated citations had been issued against the property. However, all considered, the supervisors’ action probably was the right move, due to all of the ...

Statute of limitations deserves careful thought

Editorials

There is a move in the state Legislature to give prosecutors more time to prosecute those responsible for drug deals that result in death. Current state law includes a two-year statute of limitations, a number prosecutors say isn’t long enough to bring prosecutions against those who sell drugs that end up killing someone. There are proposals active in the House and Senate from Rep. Dane Watro and Sen. Michele Brooks to set a five-year statute of limitations on such crimes, while another proposal by Rep. Clint Owlett would eliminate the statute of limitations entirely while making ...

Policy driving rising ACA premiums

Editorials

If it wasn’t obvious before that the famous bill passed to make health care more affordable has done anything but, it should be now: Individual plans on the Affordable Care Act exchanges are projected to spike by about 14% in 2027, according to recent insurer filings. The ACA imposed a wide array of mandates on health insurance. Those mandates are expensive. To make up for the increase in costs, the ACA distributes subsidies so consumers don’t feel the impact of the increase. Many of these subsidies are “advance” subsidies that go directly from the federal government to ...

Take a chance on local fundraising

Editorials

Fundraisers fill a lot of gaps in Pennsylvania communities. They keep volunteer fire companies functioning. They support veterans organizations. They help churches operate food pantries, shelters and other outreach programs. They let children go to camp, outfit youth sports teams and send marching bands to perform in Florida or New York City because not every family can simply write that check. Sometimes, all of that support starts with a little bit of gambling. We’re not talking about casino gambling or sports betting or someone chasing a jackpot. We’re talking about raffles ...

Defending America's founding principles in a divided age

Editorials

The United States nation faces threats that extend beyond the familiar divide between Democrats and Republicans. Increasingly, two ideological movements — one on the far left, one emerging on the populist right — share a willingness to undermine the principles that have long defined the American experiment. On one side stands the Democratic Socialists of America, whose influence within the Democratic Party has grown dramatically. This is no longer simply a debate over tax rates or entitlement programs. The party's activist wing has become increasingly hostile to the ideas that ...