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Pennsylvania transportation system crumbling

As someone who has worked in Pennsylvania’s highway construction industry my entire life, I’ve seen firsthand what strong infrastructure funding can accomplish. I’ve also seen what happens when that funding falls short, and we can’t meet basic needs. Pennsylvania has seen a 41% drop in asphalt tonnage placed on state roads. Let’s throw out the COVID years, and back up to years 2016-19, when PennDOT was placing 6.9 million tons of asphalt annually. Now, from 2022-25, that number has dropped to an annual average of 4.2 million asphalt tons placed. What this means is that ...

Beware what you share on social media

By Richie Servello As the new school year begins, excitement fills the air for parents and caregivers, while kids may feel a mix of emotions. The Center for Child Justice, Blair County’s Children’s Advocacy Center, wants to remind everyone to exercise caution when sharing details about children on social media, especially on the first day of school. While the first day of school is a milestone worth celebrating, it’s important to prioritize safety in your social media posts. Those adorable chalkboards featuring your child’s name, age, teacher, and favorite things can ...

State thrives on AICUP schools

Pennsylvania has a rich history in higher education, with world class universities in the public and private sectors — including some of the best independent nonprofit colleges in America. Our state is unique in the impact of its independent nonprofit higher education institutions on the state economy and workforce, and in the vitality of the 58 local PA communities in which they have been embedded for an average 140 years. An independent study confirms that these institutions are top of the class economic generators and community anchors. This just released report on the ...

Tariff consequences and solutions

At World War II’s end, the USA initiated policies to rehabilitate the devastated economies of Europe and Japan by reducing or eliminating tariffs on imports from those countries. Over the ensuing 80 years, the economies of those countries rehabilitated themselves. During that same period, those countries also instituted policies to discourage exports from the USA. Consequently today, the US faces trade barriers when we export, but allows almost unfettered access to the US consumer via imports. Taken together, these policies create an annual trade deficit in excess of $1.2 ...

State needs to address child care crisis

By Anne K. Ard and Heather Smoyer Pennsylvania’s children and families are facing a crisis. Parents are unable to find reliable and high-quality child care due to a critical shortage of child care workers, Early Intervention providers and pre-K educators. Most Pennsylvanians believe that the well-being of all children is important to the health of communities. Parents know that laying a strong foundation for children while they are infants and toddlers is critical to their long-term health and thriving. Early intervention for children and families provides critical support and ...

Trump right to upend trade system

President Trump has proposed a monumental change in the system which we use to trade with other countries. This is a very large and complex issue and deserves an historical context to lay the groundwork for understanding. With this context, we can more fully appreciate our current circumstances. At World War II’s end, the United States was the world’s dominant military and economic power. It had vanquished adversaries on continents to the East and the West. The countries to our east (Europe) and our adversary to the west (Japan) incurred substantial physical damage, ...