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Let’s clean up our act

If you’re driving around Lock Haven on Friday you should see an army of people cleaning up the streets and sidewalks. We see that happen in various communities in our region where residents take their stewardship seriously. This particular cleanup — on a weekend — is in recognition of Earth Day, which is being celebrated pretty much all this week. We know other communities are conducting clean ups. Way to go! And this particular effort is quite something. More than 50 volunteers have signed up to help Downtown Lock Haven Inc. and the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership ...

Pa. state police need standards, but they should be about job duties

The Pennsylvania State Police announced recently that it will make it a priority to hire as many as 65 women who were otherwise qualified to become troopers but were not hired because they could not meet rigorous physical fitness standards — standards that apparently were not required to perform a trooper’s job duties. And while the hiring of more state troopers, and a group of people who will diversify the force as well, is wonderful news, we want to caution the state police to not admit people who are in any way incapable of performing a demanding job. We know one of the ...

IRS still has way too much to sort through

It’s the day before the deadline to file your income taxes! No it’s not — but we hope we’ve caught your attention. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has made the right decision, pushing back this year’s tax-filing deadline to May 17 from the usual April 15 date. We believe the deadline push-back is appropriate, not only because of the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has dumped on the shoulders of millions of Americans but also because of how adversely the health emergency has affected the federal tax agency. In early March, the IRS still had not finished ...

Where are the job applicants

A recent regional job fair in neighboring downtown Williamsport orchestrated the sad fact that, while there are a lot of jobs to be had out there, there are not enough people interested or willing to fill them. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a widespread issue with finding employees. “Help Wanted” ads were prevalent in this newspaper and on jobs.lockhaven.com. We wonder if we are getting back to that, or if perhaps people still are not comfortable enough to return to the workforce that requires reporting to a physical work site? “I think there are more jobs than ...

Easter brings the reassurance of love

Today, Good Friday, people around the world engage in prayerful remembrance of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross on Mount Calvary. For Christians, it is the most solemn day of the year. Unfortunately, like during most of last year, there is much additional suffering and death upon which Christians and non-Christians alike are pondering and agonizing, a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The past year has been a terrible “journey” of a scope hardly anyone ever imagined could happen in this time of medical breakthroughs often referred to as miracles. But yet, this planet ...

Note to BASD: Enough has been taken from our kids

For area high school students, the 2020-21 school year has been anything but normal. Masks, social distancing, remote learning, limited extra curricular activities and infrequent closures have become the norm. As the school year begins to wind down, the Class of 2021 prepares for their final days in high school. At Bellefonte Area High School, students, parents and families are still waiting to find out if there will be a Senior Ball and a traditional graduation. The Class of 2020 had none of that. When schools throughout the Commonwealth closed in mid-March, extra curriculars and ...