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What you need to know about the budget deal

Other Commentaries

Pennsylvania’s 2026–27 state budget deal is an improvement over Gov. Josh Shapiro’s reckless proposal, but it still spends too much and leaves taxpayers facing an even larger long-term structural deficit. The general fund budget spends nearly $52.2 billion—counting $1.3 billion in Medicaid costs shifted to next year. That would be more than $1 billion less than Shapiro’s original $53.3 billion proposal, but still far above a fiscally responsible spending path. Shapiro’s proposal would have increased spending by billions, raised taxes, relied on $4.6 billion from the Rainy ...

Socialism is communism

Letters

Just a few years ago the thought of communists running for election in our country was not even in the minds of Americans. In their political rhetoric, these communists are saying how they want to destroy America. They want to abolish ICE and our police. They will take away your home and property and eventually come for your guns. They hate America, capitalism and our freedoms. They will take control of our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren. These communists and all who agree with their rhetoric should be removed from our government. They are enemies of our ...

Benefitting from impact fee

Letters

Tioga County continues to benefit from Pennsylvania’s natural gas impact fee. This year, the county received nearly $3.5 million in the annual revenue distribution, while municipalities throughout the county received a little over $6 million in total. These are dollars that can go towards important projects aimed at improving our overall quality of life in the county. Impact fee revenues can go towards a wide range of community improvements - from infrastructure upgrades to park and green space improvements to road and bridge projects to grants for equipment updates for first ...

What other newspapers are saying: Confirmation hearings didn’t inspire confidence

Editorials

Erica Schwartz, the nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was asked on Wednesday whether she supports the Trump administration’s cancellation of mRNA vaccine research. “This is the first time I’m actually hearing about this,” she said. “As a private citizen, I certainly was not following that.” Really? Schwartz said several times that she believes mRNA vaccines are safe and effective, but her professed ignorance of a decision that sent shock waves through the public health field highlights how much she’ll struggle to be effective if ...

Fight, fight, fight

Letters

Trump’s famous words. Along with “regime change.” But regime change not so much for Iran as for America. To turn our republic into an autocracy. He’s going to monkey with the legality of the midterm elections in an attempt to stay in power. He’ll most certainly raise the specter of the Communist menace. Hell, it’s worked in the past. He might use the Iranian War as a pretense for martial law. Look at it. The fix is already in. One need only open the book to mid-twentieth century European History. It’s as plain as the nose on our collective face. Trump’s ...

One nation under God

Letters

Recently there was a letter titled Not a Christian Nation. This letter rightly pointed out that the first amendment forbids the establishment of a national religion in the United States while trying to claim that America is not a Christian nation. While the Government may not be able to recognize American as a Christian nation and had the opportunity to in 1894 when they had the choice to add an amendment to recognize Jesus as the supreme authority of human affairs. The founders envisioned a nation build on Judeo-Christian values. What makes America a Christian nation is not the ...