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CBRS auctions put services at risk

Letters to the Editor

Six years ago, I started Crowsnest Broadband in central Pennsylvania to solve a problem in my own backyard: people couldn’t get online. Not reliably, not affordably, and not fast enough to work, learn or stay connected. Our Appalachian forests are beautiful, but their topography and other factors prevented access to the Internet. As a result, many homes couldn’t stream a video, join a Zoom call or even make a phone call, leaving the area in the digital divide. This is where we live. And in a time when Internet access is a necessity, we decided to do something about it. So, we ...

Loss of health care subsidies affect all

Letters to the Editor

On Dec. 31, the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) subsidies will end, because a reauthorization was not included in the “Big Beautiful Bill” that passed in July. If these subsidies expire, about 5 million people will lose their ACA coverage, and premiums for 20 million more will likely increase by an average of 114%, causing many individuals to stop their insurance. With fewer people accessing health care coverage due to cost, everybody’s premiums will increase and hospitals will incur a significant increase in charity care. As a retired couple not yet Medicare ...

Epstein files won’t hold important news

Letters to the Editor

Epstein, Epstein, Epstein. I’ll keep this short. For four years, the Biden administration, Justice Department, serial leakers had access to all the info on Jeffery Epstein that President Donald Trump has now, and in all those years we heard zip. Nada. Come on. If they had it, they would have used it. Thank you for your attention to this matter. John Peterman Patton

Pearl Harbor: not just another day in history

Editorials

For Americans, Saturday, Dec. 6, 1941, began as most Saturdays before it. American life was different then; Saturdays were different because Sundays were different. Sundays were not shopping days; they were more geared to rest and relaxation at home. Some families ventured away from home on that day of the week only to attend religious services or “to go for a ride,” if they were fortunate enough to own a vehicle. Anyone interested in sports learned about game results either by way of a radio or waiting until the next publish day of their local newspaper. Television was ...

Consider events under Obama, Biden

Letters to the Editor

I am responding to the letter published on Nov. 24 titled “It’s OK not to be OK with this.” The writer wanted us to use the power of the vote to make the changes to get this country back to a country that we can all be proud. I will list events that have happened under President Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s watch: 1. Afghanistan withdrawal (August, 2021) —Value of the equipment that was left behind is estimated to be $7.12 billion, and seized by the Taliban. 2. Four Americans lost their lives in 2012 (Benghazi attack). Repeated requests for additional security in Benghazi ...

State’s fiscal challenges are alarming

Editorials

Since all seats of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and about half of those of the state Senate will be on the state’s 2026 election ballots, it’s safe to surmise that commonwealth residents need not fear a state income tax increase, no matter when the Legislature completes its work on a budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year. The purported deadline for completion of that budget is June 30, but it took the General Assembly more than four extra months beyond June 30 of this year for work on 2025-26’s $50 billion spending package to be finished. It was a mess for which the ...