Opinion

Tax credit programs extend school choice

Other Commentaries August 22, 2026

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit program, which — combined with the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit program — has served more than a million kids. However, instead of celebrating this milestone, some lawmakers placed this popular and successful program on the chopping block. Democratic state Rep. Nikki Rivera, D-Lancaster, introduced legislation that, by our calculation, would have cut thousands of scholarships. But after facing significant public pushback (including from concerned parents), House Democrats amended the ...

Dam report should remind officials of future infrastructure expenses

Editorials August 22, 2026

A recent article in Tuesday’s edition about the classification of the Little Pine State Park dam is connected, we believe, to our state’s budget process. The article notes that the dam, while not deficient in any way, is subject to inspections and regular reports because, were it to ...

Rare break from quietly expensive law

Other Commentaries August 22, 2026

Since March, America has been running an accidental experiment and glimpsing what the country might look like without one of its dumbest statutes. The results are in, and they embarrass a century’s worth of U.S. lawmakers and defenders. The statute is the Jones Act, passed in 1920 to rebuild and protect the U.S. merchant marine fleet after World War I disrupted American shipping capabilities. It requires that any vessel moving cargo between two American ports must be built in an American shipyard, be American-owned and be at least three-quarters American-crewed. Miss any one of these ...

Undeniable benefits

Letters August 21, 2026

Sean O’Leary’s recent op-ed (The Illusion of Marcellus Shale gas’ economic benefit) conjures up the old adage from Ronald Reagan: it’s not that he’s wrong, it’s just that he knows so much that just isn’t true. Respectfully, residents of Lycoming County do not need a think tank – with a significant number of their ‘researchers’ based out of Seattle, Washington – telling them whether they have seen tangible benefits from natural gas development. We can see – and judge – with our own eyes. It is also important to acknowledge what the Ohio River Valley Institute ...

What other newspapers are saying: World must be wary of nuclear arms race

Editorials August 21, 2026

The world is sleepwalking into a new nuclear arms race. As arms-control treaties hashed out over decades lapse, countries that formerly rejected possessing nuclear weapons are starting to reconsider. The Doomsday Clock is set at 85 seconds to midnight, the closest it’s ever been to the symbolic hour of the apocalypse. The United States and Russia, which control 86 percent of the world’s nuclear arsenal, are without an arms-limitation treaty for the first time since 1972. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, signed by President Barack Obama in 2010 and extended under President ...

Welcoming the world

Letters August 20, 2026

This year marks the 79th anniversary of Williamsport hosting the Little League World Series. Teams from 29 countries and 44 states have come to compete over the years. Williamsport and the surrounding areas always put their best foot forward before the world arrives. Streets are repaved, litter is cleaned up, and the area is beautified. Visitors from all over the globe can experience the scenic splendor we invite them to share during their stay. They can see our magnificent, historic Susquehanna River and the beautiful mountains that surround our valley. Perhaps they might even catch a ...