Lycoming County commissioners, the Williamsport Sun-Gazette reported last Monday, has taken a key step in their pursuit of an expansion for the Lycoming County landfill, approving an application on a 3-0 vote. As the Sun-Gazette has detailed in several articles, Lycoming County’s landfill ...
We continue to believe that history is important and that the lessons and values it can teach are important. Our series of articles commemorating the 250th anniversary of our nation is part of that commitment. We have these stories of pioneers and founding fathers to be inspiring, and we hope our communities are as well. Another example, of course, is our region’s historic ties to America’s pastime, baseball. In Wednesday’s edition, we featured the history of Bowman Field, and reported on successful efforts by state Rep. Jamie Flick, R-South Williamsport, to recognize the ...
The Fed held rates where they were – 3.5% to 3.75% – and nobody was surprised. What actually mattered was the friction inside the room. Three FOMC members dissented, and not over some technical disagreement. They wanted the committee to stop pretending its next move is still a cut. They have a point. The “easing bias” language is a holdover from late last year, when the Fed was more worried about the labor market cracking than inflation flaring back up. In December, officials cut rates and talked about calibrating “the extent and timing of additional adjustments.” That ...
When Pennsylvania’s Act 13 was signed into law 14 years ago, the goal of the bipartisan policy was straightforward: encourage responsible natural gas development, further strengthen environmental safeguards and ensure local communities see real, lasting benefits tied to energy production. Nearly a decade and a half later, the results speak for themselves. Since 2012, the Act 13-created impact fee – Pennsylvania’s unique tax on natural gas production – has generated over $3.1 billion in revenue for counties and municipalities across the state, with hundreds of millions ...
Public comment periods are meant to let people talk to the government. Sometimes it’s about actions that are happening or decisions that are pending. Sometimes it’s about bringing problems to the government’s attention. A comment period is one mechanism municipalities, school boards and other agencies can use to make that process tick by with clockwork efficiency. It prescribes when a speaker can speak. It sets up the format. It establishes the time frame. It also moves the blame. It isn’t council’s fault you only get a few minutes to speak. It’s the policy. That can work ...
America’s fertility rate dropped to a historic low: govfacts.org reported in December 2025 the fertility rate is 1.6 children per woman, well below the 2.1 per woman level needed to maintain the current population(without immigration). The rising cost of living-childcare, education, housing-all contribute to a falling birth rate. Furthermore, social norms and shifting priorities , people marrying later or not at all, and concerns about the future (climate change, political instability) also play a part. The most telling reason , though, is women making a conscious decision to ...
