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Editorials

State’s maternal care plan underwhelming

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Healthy Moms, Vibrant Futures’ Maternal Health Strategic Action Plan sounds like a real step forward in helping expectant mothers in rural areas. Perhaps it’s unfair to expect a problem that has metastasized over the past two decades to be fixed quickly, but in our view Shapiro’s plan doesn’t seem likely to accomplish much in its first year. And that’s too bad, because there are hundreds of soon-to-be mothers in rural counties across our state who we think deserve better. The plan has several components, but given the closures of labor and delivery ...

Natural gas remains important part of economic puzzle

As often as we’ve editorialized about the interconnectedness between affordable energy and the successes and opportunities American families may enjoy, world events unfortunately can bring that interconnectedness into sharper focus. An article in Thursday’s edition of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette in which an official with the Marcellus Shale Coalition demonstrated that. “Global instability is a stark reminder that energy security is national security,” Pat Henderson, vice president of communications and government affairs at the Marcellus Shale Coalition, said. “America, ...

What other newspapers are saying: Colorblindness won’t enforce itself

The Trump administration has ruthlessly targeted diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs that classify Americans based on a progressive racial hierarchy. But the federal bureaucracy is vast, and the White House apparently didn’t catch them all. Hence a new lawsuit challenging a medical scholarship administered by the Department of Health and Human Services that bars applicants who don’t have Native Hawaiian ancestry. The lawsuit, filed Monday by the medical group “Do No Harm” and first reported here, argues that this racial requirement for a federal government benefit is ...

Keep politicians from meddling in FDA

It was just one man’s opinion but it’s concerning nonetheless — for the long term as well as the short term. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, an interview about which the newspaper reported on Feb. 17, Dr. Richard Pazdur alleged that fast-track drug approvals had been politicized in a manner in which he never had experienced in his 26 years at the federal Food and Drug Administration. Pazdur was a top federal drug regulator at the time of his abrupt departure from the FDA in December. Pazdur, who is an oncologist, had “scrutinized applications for cancer ...

Warmer weather a sign of blessings to come

The front page and outdoors section of Tuesday’s Williamsport Sun-Gazette shared images of the state Fishing and Boating Commission and volunteers stocking the streams with trout. It’s yet another indicator that spring and warmer weather are arriving — and a source of excitement for many looking forward to what that warmer weather brings. Fishing. Hiking. Canoeing and kayaking. Chances to enjoy the great outdoors. As we have editorialized before, our region is blessed with its forests, rivers and streams and hills. We hope families in every community in Lycoming County and ...

What other newspapers are saying: Stronger oversight of gambling needed

From professional sports to wars on the other side of the globe, online gambling has proven it can skew major events in dangerous ways. This industry is becoming a threat, and the United States should reign it in. Earlier this month, Emanuel Fabian of The Times of Israel reported on an Iranian missile strike. Shortly after, bettors pressured him to change details of the story, with some even making death threats. All that was apparently for the sake of a wager on Polymarket, an online platform that bills itself as a “prediction market.” The platform lets users buy and sell ...