Teacher shortage is a critical challenge for us and our children

June 1, 2022

We have many challenges facing our American way of life. Our collective well-being. Our productivity. Our quality of life. In our book, one of the more significant problems we face is a lack of qualified school teachers. Here in Pennsylvania, the supply of new teachers has reached “a breaking point,” says Tanya Garcia, deputy secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Why? The number of young adults going into the profession has plummeted. Indeed, there has been a 66% drop in newly issued teacher certificates in Pennsylvania over the past decade. The ...

Not just another day

May 30, 2022

The meaning of today’s holiday — Memorial Day — should never be taken for granted, nor should it ever be forgotten. Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Take a moment today, please, and remember or say a prayer for or simply acknowledge those men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and for the cause of freedom. America is perhaps the greatest defender of freedom around the world because we value more than anything “life, liberty ...

America’s children deserve so much better

May 28, 2022

Children should be off-limits to the many bad things of life, although they should grow up knowing bad things exist and they must have a sense of caution when they encounter things that don’t seem right. Meanwhile, children should be able to grow without experiencing violence in the home, for whatever reason and by whomever against whomever. In their homes, children should not have to be exposed directly or second-hand to drug use by others, including the smoking of substances that turn what should be a protective environment into an unconscionable, illegal fog. Children should ...

Include residents in any flood map discussions

May 24, 2022

Anyone old enough to recall the devastation wreaked by Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972 can appreciate flood-control efforts that were undertaken in the aftermath of that wide-scale weather calamity. Similarly, people who experienced fear and/or destruction from recent heavy, persistent rains are likely to be more open to steps deemed necessary to try to prevent future flooding — steps they might have opposed in the past. Then, some people might be tempted to take matters into their own hands to try to rectify problem conditions that have not been addressed, despite pleas to local, ...

We must strengthen our energy self-sufficiency

May 21, 2022

We agree with 10th District U.S. Rep. Fred Keller that America needs to ramp up energy exploration and production to keep our nation from relying on any foreign countries — certainly our adversaries — for oil or gas. Now before some get all up in arms over this issue, you need to read what Keller’s resolution introduced this past week in Congress says. It is this: “Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should support the safe and responsible development of its energy resources via drilling in an effort to maintain a robust energy supply ...

Congratulations on 90 years in business

May 17, 2022

Rizzo’s Greenhouse & Flower Shop is withstanding the test of time. Now 90 years in business, the business at 203 Woodward Avenue (Route 150) just west of Avis in Pine Creek Township is a testament to the power of family. Paul Rizzo and his wife, Cathy, their son, Joey, and daughter, Grace, are upholding the Rizzo family tradition of providing plants, flowers, statues, landscaping services and more. Paul’s grandparents, Guiseppe and Grazia Marasco, started the business with a small greenhouse after emigrating to America from Italy. If you know about any old-school Italian ...