Breaking News

Editorials

Late budget began with absurd fantasies

For the fifth year in a row, Pennsylvania’s leadership has missed the state Constitution’s deadline for passage of an annual budget. Many at the moment are singling out the state Senate for this dereliction — and we will agree state senators should still be in Harrisburg, working on resolving outstanding issues and ready to vote. But the Senate was in session for much of the past year — and during that time, Gov. Josh Shapiro and the Democratic majority in the state House simply were unrealistic about how much money the state can spend. The initial proposal by Shapiro, as ...

What other newspapers are saying: The next 50 years

On this Fourth of July, the United States turns 250. A quarter of a millennium is long enough to make a nation feel permanent, as though it had always been here and always will be. But the founders who signed their names to the Declaration of Independence knew that they were making a wager, not a guarantee. They pledged their lives, fortunes and honor precisely because the outcome was in doubt. Two and a half centuries later, the wager is still being placed by every generation that inherits it. That is the truth worth celebrating this summer — America is still being made. None of ...

Lycoming County Fair a testament to enduring values

The Lycoming County Fair is returning. We hope everyone enjoyed our guide to the Lycoming County Fair and other nearby fairs in Wednesday’s edition. Even more so, we hope everyone takes an opportunity to visit the county fair. For generations, the fair has been an annual display of our ...

Unity of Americans keeps nation alive, well

July 4 community celebrations across America on this, the 250th anniversary of this great country’s founding, sought to project a nation unified, although in reality much skepticism about that supposed condition exists throughout the land. Still, consider this: Regardless of differing ...

What other newspapers are saying: Feds own too much real estate

The federal government is the largest owner of U.S. real estate, including more than half a billion square feet of office space. That is far more than it needs, and the cost of maintaining it has ballooned to unsustainable levels. The Public Buildings Reform Board recently identified 26 buildings across 15 states — totaling more than 7.3 million square feet — as potential candidates for the government to dispose due to poor usage and high maintenance costs. It’s the third set of disposal recommendations since Congress created the board in 2016. That’s a great start, but the ...

Public safety should have been priority in resolving dispute

The stand-off between Muncy Township’s government and the township’s volunteer fire company was, in a word, disappointing. While we are happy that the matter seems to have been resolved before it had to go before a judge, we question why the delays happened in the first place. We have to ...