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Please vote to defend your rights and our civil society

We were watching a news show recently about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the lead commentator asked a guest why Russian people do not rise up to oppose their ruler. “Russia has no civil society,” he answered. That resonated with us. In Russia, there are severe restrictions on the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Indeed, in Russia, you can’t say publicly what you think about the government unless its favorable. In Russia, you get little if any outside opinions because there is no free press. In Russia, there is no “we the people” power. In ...

Watch for and fight blight in your community

Raw sewage pouring into the basement “for at least a few months.” That’s what Renovo Mayor Gene Bruno said at a recent council meeting about a dilapidated house in Renovo. He also mentioned in a story in The Express that a wall of the same home was dangerously leaning toward an alley. The house was deemed uninhabitable. The renters were required to move out. It’s unimaginable that those renters weren’t aware of and didn’t smell the raw sewage in the basement. You’ve got to be kidding. Disgusting. The building was borded up, but get this, Bruno and Code ...

Stay frugal, avoid tax increase to keep city affordable

We don’t know the specific details of what the City of Lock Haven is proposing with its unionized police department, only that the city manager and negotiating committee are seeking a reduction in police coverage to reduce costs to taxpayers. A matter of priorities: Think about that. Taxes vs. police services. Higher taxes or 24-hour police coverage? Of course there are a lot of other factors that come into play within the city’s nearly $15 million budget. And would officers see less money in their pockets from the proposal? Perhaps most city taxpayers, property owners and ...

Two minutes is all you have to escape

The headline is correct: Most experience shows people have just two minutes to escape a home fire — our nation’s most frequent disaster. Don’t be apathetic It’s heating season in our part of the world. So practice your escape plan and test your smoke alarms; you can contact the American Red Cross to request a free smoke alarm installation. The American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania urges everyone to practice a two-minute home fire escape plan and test their smoke alarms to stay safe from the nation’s most frequent disaster. Two minutes is the amount of time that ...

University’s agreement is about the future

We are grateful for the leadership and foresight of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania — Lock Haven, Mansfield and Bloomsburg universities — in entering an agreement with school districts across our region to serve students wanting to enhance their lives with education. The agreement, reported on in Wednesday’s edition of The Express, streamlines admission for our region’s high school students and dedicates scholarship funding for middle-class and working-class families. Just what’s needed. Many families across our region and country are confronted by rising costs ...

Why did so many people stay in harm’s way before Ian came ashore?

We watch in horror the devastation wrought on Florida, in particular, by Hurricane Ian. We pray for the people and communities who must now rebuild their lives in Florida, Puerto Rico, the Carolinas and Cuba. Yet, we cannot help but wonder why so many people chose to “ride out the storm” instead of fleeing the monster. Here we are some eight days out and the death toll just keeps rising, reflecting that many people did not heed warnings to evacuate. Hurricane Ian was a massive, deadly Category 4 Atlantic hurricane that caused widespread damage across western Cuba and the ...