Editorials

Court system statewide impacted by Luzerne scandal; reform needed

Luzerne County's juvenile justice scandal cut a wide swath through the credibility of the court system - not only through Luzerne County, but at the highest level in the state. The state Supreme Court blithely dismissed credible requests from juvenile ju

Illegal immigrants are not overrunning the United States

Everybody knows that the federal government hasn't done anything to stem the flow of illegal immigration. Why else would Arizona have to take matters into its own hands? Actually, a new study by the highly respected, independent, nonpartisan Pew Hispani

Some face changes, but all face a new school year

Welcome back to school! Students will be greeted by teachers, classmates and friends this morning. And for some students, they will be greeted by change. Some of the changes involve new principals - at least three area high schools have new leaders. At

Odd 'socialism'

All of the howling about "socialized medicine" that attended the passage of health care reform legislation apparently was about a very unusual form of socialism. The nonpartisan, nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation has reported that U.S. workers' health c

JCB reform bill sensible

Luzerne County's juvenile justice scandal cut a wide swath through the credibility of the court system - not only through Luzerne County but at the highest level in the state. The state Supreme Court blithely dismissed credible requests from juvenile jus

Back in ... 1916

- Some 350 drivers were called in by the town burgess to get a three-minute lecture on why they should not have made a left turn at - you guessed it - Market and Independence streets. - In Philadelphia, Dr. James Norris of the Massachusetts Institute

Obama's best bad option

One of Shakespeare's most popular plays is "A Midsummer Night's Dream," a comedy focused on magic and distinguishing fantasy from reality. Right about now, President Obama is probably having his own midsummer night's dream, anxious to get back his old ma

The poor must not be required to subsidize public transit

With legislative elections pending, there is scant chance that state lawmakers will take any political risks before November, much less move on measures that could increase costs for some older voters. A host of transportation issues, including stabil

Labor Day blessing: Local prosperity rises as U.S. lags

Labor Day always includes a note of melancholy because it's the unofficial end of summer. That note is especially pronounced this year because of a stubborn job market that makes today just another day off for millions of would-be workers -- but not all

Tie tax cuts to job creation

The faltering economic recovery is, in a sense, a self-fulfilling cycle. Unemployment diminishes consumer spending. Reduced spending inhibits job creation. Amid that cycle is an impending debate in Congress on the shape of future tax policy, because the

Millions idle for Labor Day

Labor Day always includes a note of melancholy because it's the unofficial end of summer. That note is especially pronounced this year because of a stubborn job market that makes today just another day off for millions of would-be workers. The problem is

Viewing Harrisburg: Change sought in juvenile justice system

HARRISBURG - The wheels of justice grind slowly with the prosecution and disposition of major public corruption cases often taking years to complete. The political response to major events like the Luzerne County Courthouse scandal can take just as long

Back in 1936 ...

- This was Labor Day, and the observance was quiet in the Shamokin area, where only four minor traffic accidents had been reported over the long holiday. - Hundreds of Catholics from the area were planning to head for Abbotstown in Adams County, where Bi

Labor Day 2010 comes with little to celebrate

Labor Day always includes a note of melancholy because it's the unofficial end of summer. That note is especially pronounced this year because of a stubborn job market that makes today just another day off for millions of would-be workers. The problem is

Americans employ 'assembly' in addition to other freedoms

Americans sure have been assembling a lot lately - using a basic right that's often overshadowed by its better-known First Amendment kin, particularly freedom of speech. Even petition, the freedom least-often named by our fellow citizens in First Amendme

Voters give nod to MCA, Southern football

Online now: Would you vote for a candidate for public office who is known to have been repeatedly delinquent on tax payments? Last week's question: What local high school football team do you think has the best shot at making the state playoffs in 2010?

Shamokin Area's sting a success? Hardly

As explained in a story in this edition, Shamokin Area School District deemed its now well-known memo "sting" a success, but the facts do not support that conclusion. Launched at the advice of a law firm last fall, the sting was intended to stop the lea

Region should do its part to aid recovery

Labor Day always includes a note of melancholy because it's the unofficial end of summer. That note is especially pronounced this year because of a stubborn job market that makes today just another day off for millions of would-be workers. The problem is

Severance tax not just cash

Roadside inspections conducted by state police between January and July found that 40 percent of the inspected trucks tied to the natural gas industry violated safety rules. The rate is about 17 percentage points higher than the national average for the