The issue of eliminating school property taxes again is waking up in the Pennsylvania Legislature. Sen. John DiSanto, R-Dauphin/Perry, has introduced a proposal that would allow residents of this state to vote directly on the elimination of the tax. DiSanto’s plan involves an amendment ...
A short ballot will greet voters here and across Pennsylvania on Nov. 3. Voters who go to the polls that day, as well as those who choose to make their selections by way of a mail-in or absentee ballot, will have little difficulty navigating the actual process of responsible ...
Among popular Christmas season activities during recent years has been finding the Elf on the Shelf. The stuffed toy, about 12 inches long, delights children who wonder where in the house he or she may be hiding. Thanks to COVID-19, a good place to start looking for the Elf this year would be ...
Usually on Labor Day, people of the Southern Alleghenies region are winding down their summer activities and adjusting to the day-to-day realities of the fall and winter that lie ahead, with the knowledge that the busy holiday season awaits them. Labor Day is a public holiday honoring the ...
State parks usually begin taking the proverbial back seat at this time of the year as daytime temperatures inch downward and, for many people, the leisure time available during the summer months gives way to what people refer to as the everyday grind. But this weekend, which people often refer ...
Behind the unemployment statistics — between 16 million and 18 million Americans without jobs, many as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic — are the children. Millions of them are in homes where the coronavirus continues to make it difficult to put bread on the table. Now is not the time to ...
At this point in the economy’s recovery from COVID-19, the concern needs to be stagnation, not inflation. Good for Federal Reserve officials for recognizing that. Central banks are looked to for help in situations such as that facing the economy today. By holding down interest rates, ...
One wonders how many Americans know the significance of today. It is the 75th anniversary of Victory over Japan, or V-J Day — and the end of the most horrific conflict the world has ever seen. Though Japan’s surrender was announced on Aug. 14, 1945, the official observance in this ...
The power to profit greatly from their misdeeds and to be shielded from punishment is something of which all criminals dream. Occasionally, often through politics, some think they have achieved that. If federal authorities are correct, former White House aide Steve Bannon is among ...
People of Iowa were not delivered a favor by their state leaderships’ two-week delay in reporting that a child “who was under the age of 5” had succumbed to COVID-19. Actually, the delay was much longer — thus, unconscionable. Within the parameters of the 2003 federal law that ...
Among the brightest bits of news linked to the COVID-19 epidemic was the report last week that home sales are booming in the United States. The pace of home purchases jumped by a record-high 24.7% last month, according to the National Association of Realtors. Analysts credited low mortgage ...
Thousands of Keystone State farmers are no doubt dismayed over Wednesday’s cancellation of January’s Pennsylvania Farm Show as an in-person event. The unwanted news also triggered disappointment for the hundreds of thousands of people who look forward to converging on central Pennsylvania ...
Fall classes already have begun at some colleges and universities. During the next few weeks, hundreds more will attempt to do so. COVID-19 is enough of a threat in many states that some institutions of higher learning will not be allowing in-person classes, at least at first. Students will ...
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. So goes the United States Postal Service’s motto. No one said anything about lack of funding. Despite his denials, President Donald Trump is being accused by some of ...
Altoona Mayor Matt Pacifico has been criticized by city council members for what they regard as premature concerns about municipal finances related to the COVID-19 pandemic. During an Aug. 11 news conference sponsored by the Pennsylvania Municipal League, the mayor suggested that Altoona ...
The Pennsylvania House and Senate Education Committees are scheduled to hold a joint public hearing Wednesday to gather information from state education and health department officials relating to the start of the 2020-21 school year, a reopening process that will involve weeks. As state ...
Giving Americans a month less to respond to the 2020 Census may be the most ridiculous proposal to come out of Washington this year. The idea should be discarded. Original plans for the Census called for an Oct. 31 deadline for people to respond to it with information about themselves and ...
Many members of Congress view COVID-19 relief legislation as an opportunity to grab money for any number of pet projects unrelated to the epidemic. But one proposed amendment, introduced by Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, is entirely appropriate. Capito and ...
Russia and other foreign foes continue to probe both election mechanisms and the political network in this country in attempts to find ways to commit mischief electronically, it is being reported. That comes as no surprise. There is little most Americans can do to prevent foreign ...
Rationing of medical treatment is viewed by many Americans as unacceptable. Making health care decisions based on anything but need is seen as immoral. That is as it should be. But as researchers race to develop vaccines against COVID-19, the specter of rationing is being raised by ...