Report aids case for reassessment in Lackawanna

May 26, 2021

It doesn’t require a taxation expert to recognize that property taxation throughout Lackawanna County inherently is unfair. It could not be otherwise because the last countywide assessment was in 1968. To contend that the current assessments are fair and accurate, one would have to contend that nothing has changed since then. The failure to reassess is not rooted in economics, but in politics. A long succession of county administrations have declined to reassess because too many commissioners feared the political backlash that might result from some percentage of property owners ...

County vaccine effort still needs shot in arm

May 15, 2021

March 13, 2020 feels like a lifetime ago. Since then Blair County lost more than 330 citizens to COVID. Over 10 percent of our residents tested positive. Many more were probably never tested. From our youngest students to our oldest residents, from our cities and towns to our farms, there is not a single age group, demographic, or industry that has not been affected. The long-term effects of this pandemic aren’t known, but now that we have multiple effective vaccines available, we are in control of how soon it ends. Getting vaccinated is a personal choice. When you ...

Honoring our health care heroes

May 10, 2021

What is a hero? Maya Angelou famously said, “I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.” In our leadership roles within the Conemaugh Health System, we have the privilege of working with an incredible team of health care heroes who work tirelessly, each and every day, to make our hospitals and our community a better place. Every May, hospitals and communities across the country recognize and celebrate these frontline health care heroes over the course of several weeks: National Nurses Week, National Hospital Week and National ...

Radar would better protect citizens

May 7, 2021

On Tuesday, April 20, the Mirror published a letter from an individual representing the PA Advocate National Motorists Association requesting Pennsylvania citizens contact their local state representatives and request they vote “no” on House Bill 606, which would allow local municipal police departments to use radar to enforce illegal speeding in their municipalities. Many of his statements are not accurate, as in only one vehicle can be on the road to be detected. He does not mention that Pennsylvania averages more than 1,000 deaths and more than 76,000 serious injuries in ...

Fair schools funding fight gets its day

May 6, 2021

Advocates for fair school funding in Pennsylvania are watching the calendar, but the anticipated date isn’t on the docket of the state legislature. A lawsuit filed seven years ago by parents and school districts against state government has been given a tentative trial date in September and has the potential to change the way schools are funded. The lawsuit alleging the Pennsylvania General Assembly has violated the state’s constitution by failing to provide fair and adequate funding for public education was given a tentative trial date of Sept. 9 in Commonwealth Court in an ...

Biden takes gun violence seriously; state should, too

April 26, 2021

After four long years, and at a time Philadelphia needs it most, there is an occupant in the White House who understands the value of gun control. The White House has announced initial actions the administration is taking to address gun violence. Unable to impose gun control requirements through executive action, the White House instructed the Department of Justice to draft a model “red flag” law for states to use and craft a federal law enforcement response to the proliferation of “ghost guns.” The plan calls for $5 billion toward a violence interruption program. President ...