Washington County Commission Chairman Diana Irey Vaughan is to be commended for working with vice chairman Larry Maggi in placing the important issue to adopt a government study commission before county voters on Nov. 2. Her decision demonstrates leadership beyond partisan politics. In addit…

Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal this week to add nursing home care hours comes just days before workers at 21 Pennsylvania facilities prepare to strike.

At the July 14 Washington County commissioners meeting, it was announced that a special virtual meeting will be held July 23 to pass an ordinance authorizing a question to appear on the fall general election ballot to create an 11-member government study commission to study our form of count…

In the July 15 article, “Commissioners consider creating board to study county government’s structure,” the Washington County commissioners have set their plans for more power and control into action. In true Washington County form, a “special virtual” meeting has been set for 10 a.m. July 2…

Since taking the office of chairman in January 2020, I have made it my priority to rigorously review all functions of county government. Under my direction, we have formed an elections review committee, a public safety task force, a human services committee, and are exploring the development…

To be a moderate in today’s political playground is difficult. Anyone who attempts to begin reasonable dialogue while playing in the partisan sandbox is likely to be attacked by bullies from both right-wing Trump nativists and left-wing cultural warriors. It is safer to stay at home (away fr…

A sweeping $3.5 trillion Senate infrastructure proposal could include key changes for aging states like Pennsylvania, according to lawmakers and aides.

Joe Manchin, the Democratic senator from West Virginia, is in a position of power that is rare for a senator from a small state. As the 50th vote for the Democrats, with Vice President Kamala Harris able to break the tie, Manchin can make or break the Democratic agenda. The most important is…

Over the past several months, there’s been a considerable amount of discussion about a proposal put forth by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education to consolidate six of its 14 universities. According to the proposal, three universities in the western part of the state – Californi…

News that a state senator is launching an attempted audit of the state’s 2020 election results might have Pennsylvanians wondering: What would an election audit look like?

Don’t feel badly if you’ve never heard of Lai Chee-Ying. Neither had I until recently. You might know him by his other name, Jimmie Lai, but, even there, chances of recognition aren’t much better.

In 2016, the Stanford University historian, Walter Scheidel, published a lengthy and somber book. His central thesis was that throughout recorded history the most horrendous historic shocks resulted in the most powerful transformations to society, including income leveling. Scheidel’s work t…

Pennsylvania lawmakers in Washington have signed on to reverse a federal eviction moratorium, just as the Supreme Court allows one more month before a potential wave of evictions begins.

As president of the State College & University Professional Association (SCUPA), I am deeply concerned with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s (PASSHE) proposal to consolidate six of our 14 state universities.

Pennsylvania is the second largest producer of natural gas in the country and our ongoing production has made the United States the largest producer of this vital commodity in the world. But while the “power to prosper is right under our feet” with our abundant natural gas resources, it prov…

Agriculture is essential to Pennsylvania – to our economy, our rural and urban communities, our history, and our future. Farm work is tough, with long hours and extreme conditions. During the coronavirus pandemic, this work only picked up as farmers and ranchers were deemed essential to ensu…

With all due apologies to song master Frederick Loewe, singer Rex Harrison and “My Fair Lady” itself ...

Following their success in limiting Gov. Tom Wolf’s powers by constitutional amendment, Republicans in Harrisburg are considering a slew of new constitutional changes that could give them an edge in future elections.

At the July 14 Washington County commissioners meeting, it was announced that a special virtual meeting will be held July 23 to pass an ordinance authorizing a question to appear on the fall general election ballot to create an 11-member government study commission to study our form of count…

In the July 15 article, “Commissioners consider creating board to study county government’s structure,” the Washington County commissioners have set their plans for more power and control into action. In true Washington County form, a “special virtual” meeting has been set for 10 a.m. July 2…

Since taking the office of chairman in January 2020, I have made it my priority to rigorously review all functions of county government. Under my direction, we have formed an elections review committee, a public safety task force, a human services committee, and are exploring the development…

To be a moderate in today’s political playground is difficult. Anyone who attempts to begin reasonable dialogue while playing in the partisan sandbox is likely to be attacked by bullies from both right-wing Trump nativists and left-wing cultural warriors. It is safer to stay at home (away fr…

A sweeping $3.5 trillion Senate infrastructure proposal could include key changes for aging states like Pennsylvania, according to lawmakers and aides.

Joe Manchin, the Democratic senator from West Virginia, is in a position of power that is rare for a senator from a small state. As the 50th vote for the Democrats, with Vice President Kamala Harris able to break the tie, Manchin can make or break the Democratic agenda. The most important is…

Over the past several months, there’s been a considerable amount of discussion about a proposal put forth by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education to consolidate six of its 14 universities. According to the proposal, three universities in the western part of the state – Californi…

News that a state senator is launching an attempted audit of the state’s 2020 election results might have Pennsylvanians wondering: What would an election audit look like?

Don’t feel badly if you’ve never heard of Lai Chee-Ying. Neither had I until recently. You might know him by his other name, Jimmie Lai, but, even there, chances of recognition aren’t much better.

In 2016, the Stanford University historian, Walter Scheidel, published a lengthy and somber book. His central thesis was that throughout recorded history the most horrendous historic shocks resulted in the most powerful transformations to society, including income leveling. Scheidel’s work t…

Pennsylvania lawmakers in Washington have signed on to reverse a federal eviction moratorium, just as the Supreme Court allows one more month before a potential wave of evictions begins.

As president of the State College & University Professional Association (SCUPA), I am deeply concerned with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s (PASSHE) proposal to consolidate six of our 14 state universities.

Pennsylvania is the second largest producer of natural gas in the country and our ongoing production has made the United States the largest producer of this vital commodity in the world. But while the “power to prosper is right under our feet” with our abundant natural gas resources, it prov…

Agriculture is essential to Pennsylvania – to our economy, our rural and urban communities, our history, and our future. Farm work is tough, with long hours and extreme conditions. During the coronavirus pandemic, this work only picked up as farmers and ranchers were deemed essential to ensu…

With all due apologies to song master Frederick Loewe, singer Rex Harrison and “My Fair Lady” itself ...

Following their success in limiting Gov. Tom Wolf’s powers by constitutional amendment, Republicans in Harrisburg are considering a slew of new constitutional changes that could give them an edge in future elections.

Practical wisdom is a concept identified by Aristotle as a fundamental method of achieving goals in our complex society. At its essence, practical wisdom is the essential human quality that combines what we learn over a lifetime with our empathy and intellect. As defined by the two authors o…

Pennsylvania is one of the most sought-after states for filming productions. The catalyst that leads filmmakers to flock to our commonwealth is the Film Production Tax Credit, which provides a strong financial motivation to film projects here, rather than these projects benefiting the econom…

On June 11, state Auditor Timothy DeFoor chose to issue an audit report for the Washington County Clerk of Courts that accused the county’s community service program of “short-changing” the commonwealth of $513,178 in fines and costs between 2016 and 2019. Mr. DeFoor is incorrect on both the…

The conservative campaign to ban “critical race theory” in education made its way to state houses this month, with some lawmakers now seeking to ban entire concepts from state offices, schools and public universities.

Lawmakers across the country are at it again, seeking to control what is and isn’t taught by professional educators. The newest target? Critical Race Theory. Opponents claim CRT is racist against white people, creates division, and becomes a doorway through which all diversity and inclusion …

The deadly plague of Marxism is invading Washington County and has begun to infect our schools and businesses. It’s not called Marxism, of course, it’s called Critical Race Theory (CRT), but they are one and the same.

Billions of dollars in coronavirus pandemic relief money will have flowed into Pennsylvania public schools’ coffers when it’s all said and done with. But a scholar at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy says plenty of questions remain and pitfalls loom large for taxpayers going forward.

For over 20 years, Washington County’s economic growth has benefitted from a unique collaboration between the business community and county government. This partnership formed in 1999 and combined the Washington County Chamber of Commerce – representing the private sector – and the Washingto…

“The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.”

State-sanctioned gambling appears to be on the rebound and, in fact, growing in Pennsylvania as the coronavirus pandemic wanes and life in the Keystone State returns to some semblance of normal.

On Jan. 19, 2020, a 35-year-old man presented to an urgent care clinic in Snohomish County, Wash., with a four-day history of cough and subjective fever. In less than 24 hours, his illness would be confirmed as the first case of COVID-19 in the United States. After nearly 18 months, the toll…

President Joe Biden’s vow to pass voting rights legislation could run into new opposition in states like Pennsylvania, where Republican lawmakers are pushing for strict voting laws.

Right-to-Work (RTW) states so far have experienced a better jobs recovery than non-Right-to-Work (NRTW) states as the coronavirus pandemic fades, concludes an analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy.

Immigration is a very politically divisive issue, though I would hope there are things we can generally agree on. First, in an ideal world, freedom to live where you want is a very important concept, which would suggest that “open borders” is an ideal. Unfortunately, we don’t live in an idea…

The elections for the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in 2020 and 2024, and the presidential election of 2024, will be pivotal in deciding the future of our republic. Will we remain a free society or will we begin the route to dictatorship?

A new push to restrict abortion rights in Pennsylvania comes as other states pass similar laws, and as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a potentially monumental case.

Broadband deployment news out of Greene County is an exemplar of how industry and government working together can bring the fastest broadband speeds to rural areas in Pennsylvania.

Imagine this: it is 2023 and President Biden is standing outside of the Edgar Thompson Works – the first of Andrew Carnegie’s steel mills built in 1873 that turned Pittsburgh into the Steel City – to announce the country’s most technologically advanced steel making process has just been inst…

Memorial Day Weekend is the traditional kick-off to boating season, but, by the looks of it, a lot of Pennsylvanians have skipped tradition and are hitting the water early this year. This builds on the trend of renewed interest in outdoor recreation sparked last summer that is clearly contin…

Warnings of voter backlash against criminal justice reforms seemed to fall flat last week, as primary candidates who back police reform won elections and drove off challengers across the state.

As the state prepares to roll out an updated unemployment system, GOP lawmakers are pushing to strip away benefits and add work-search requirements.

Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi’s May 4 op-ed, “Time to examine county form of government,” was an interesting read, but not factually accurate. While Mr. Maggi is right in saying that Washington County is an antiquated county, he is wrong about needing a change in its form of gov…

Democrats in Congress recently ramped up efforts to create a nationwide work program to transition away from fossil fuels, as union leaders representing the country’s coal miners acknowledged the need for a change.

Joe Biden spent a nauseating 64 minutes reading a love letter to fringe leftists from his teleprompter on April 28. Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris did their best jack-in-the-box imitations behind him, jumping up to applaud approximately once per minute. Chuck Schumer, making better use of hi…

On March 28, 1781, Washington County was created by the General Assembly of Pennsylvania and during those 240 years, our form of county government has not changed. We still have three elected county commissioners as well as an elected district attorney, sheriff, controller, treasurer, regist…

Editor’s note: Gryffyn Jones, a home-schooled student in seventh grade, is the first-place winner of the 2021 Law Day Essay Contest, sponsored by the Washington County Bar Association, Bar Foundation and Observer-Reporter. This year’s theme focused on “Advancing the Rule of Law.” A complete …

Pushing for broadband expansion for all Pennsylvanians is not something new for me – several years ago, I realized our state had a serious problem regarding reliable, affordable access and I began to further investigate why, as a state, we had fallen so behind. Since the pandemic, access and…

The first full week of May is National Travel and Tourism Week – an annual tradition since 1983 for the United States’ travel community. According to the U.S. Travel Association, this week is a time when travel and tourism professionals across the country unite to celebrate the value travel …

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to loosen its grip on Pennsylvania, the state’s economy appears to be strengthening. But an analysis by scholars at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy shows the rebound has been lackluster and prospective government policies could retard it further.

Democrats in Congress ramped up efforts this week to create a nationwide work program to transition away from fossil fuels, as union leaders representing the country’s coal miners acknowledged the need for a change.

It is never out of bounds to ask the question, what is the role of government in American society? With political and social institutions no longer functioning properly, the question now becomes an imperative.