The announcement that Mahoning and Pulaski townships plan to end their joint police venture is disappointing.
The Northwest Regional Police Department is an example of what local government needs to do in the name of efficiency and accountability. Police services are expensive, and if municipalities merge operations, they can lower costs.
Supposedly, a key reason for calling an end to the Northwest police agreement is that the townships of Mahoning and Pulaski are simply too large of an area for a single department to cover. That argument is absurd.
If that’s the rationale, why not have a separate department for Hillsville, Edinburg and New Bedford? Every community and every neighborhood could have its own police department — and pay through the nose for it.
State police cover all of Lawrence County through a single department. Surely a local police force can patrol two townships. If there are not enough officers, that’s a different matter.
Rest assured, if the Northwest police force is disbanded, it will cost taxpayers more money over the long haul. It’s as simple as that.
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The Lawrence County commissioners say they won’t replace stained glass windows at the former Second Presbyterian Church on Countyline Street.
The county acquired the building earlier this year with plans to use it for government offices. But a recent letter to the editor to the New Castle News raised questions about the religious nature of some of the structure’s windows.
Along with raising a potential problem with church-state separation, the writer suggested the windows could be sold to help the county with its well-publicized financial problems.
Commissioner Steve Craig this week rejected the idea of selling the windows, arguing they are not religious.
Looking at windows that depict Jesus and the Virgin Mary, we find that view likely to offend a wide variety of people. Should some organization file a complaint against the county, we wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if a judge disagrees with Craig.
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Librarians aren’t very intimidating.
When it comes to serving up political pie, public libraries frequently find themselves near the end of the line. And this year, in tight budgetary times, it’s no exception.
Harrisburg is trimming its contribution to public libraries by 20 percent. That’s better than the 55 percent originally proposed, but it’s still a hit.
We marvel at the lip service state officials pay to the benefits of education and information, and then they take an ax to libraries at the first opportunity. Such cuts are routine when spending is under pressure.
The sad truth is that libraries are not a potent political force in Pennsylvania. If they were, these massive cuts wouldn’t happen.
Editorials
EDITORIAL: Odds and ends
- Editorials
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Postal service’s financial woes not of their own making
It’s no secret that the U.S. Postal Service is experiencing financial troubles. One of the consequences of a deficit in the billions of dollars soon will become apparent in New Castle, when the city’s mail processing facility on Cascade Street is shut down.
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Our Opinion: UPMC, Highmark tangle for dominance. But what about the public?
Health insurance recipients in western Pennsylvania received some good news recently. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Highmark Inc., the two local behemoths of the insurance and health care industry, reached an agreement to extend their contract with each other. The 18-month extension will be good through 2014.
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Our Opinion: Annual Jack Butz Award honors community involvement
During his lifetime, Jack Butz was known as someone who donated much to the community. And even now, years after his passing, Butz continues to give. We refer to the annual Jack Butz Award, where a local citizen is recognized for his or her contributions to New Castle and the surrounding area.
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Our Opinion: Why would New Castle weaken architecture standards?
There are times when communities must decide what they want to be. For New Castle, one of those times is arriving later this month. New Castle City Council is considering changes to the municipal zoning ordinance that will have the effect of seriously weakening standards for the North Hill Historic District.
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Our Opinion: A box from 1914 says something about the past — and today
The former Elks building in downtown New Castle was demolished months ago, but one bit of business remained. And city officials addressed that last week, when a time capsule from 1914 was opened.
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Our Opinion: Awareness campaigns protect generations of children
The first step in solving a problem is recognizing that it exists. That was a major factor behind the recent Walk for Justice at Cascade Park, organized by the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County.
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Our Opinion: Secret Service scandal symbolizes breaches of public trust
There are a couple of pieces of good news regarding the Secret Service sex scandal. The first is that an investigation has determined the women hired as prostitutes by Secret Service agents in Columbia apparently were just that.
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Our Opinion: Municipalities save money with shared services
In difficult financial times, finding ways to use tax dollars more efficiently is an essential government task. That’s why we were pleased to learn that Shenango Township and South New Castle Borough have agreed to share police services.
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Our Opinion: State politicians use campaign funds in criminal cases
If you want to wage a spirited defense against criminal charges, you need money. A good attorney, after all, isn’t cheap. But if you are an influential elected official in Pennsylvania facing trial, this problem comes with a ready solution. All you have to do is tap into your campaign funds.
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Our Opinion: Resignation in Neshannock highlights leadership issue
With Neshannock Township now seeking a new manager, we hope the supervisors have learned something from their experiences so far. That’s because their efforts to date on selecting a manager for the municipality haven’t gone very well. Ironically, the questionable practices and decision-making displayed by the supervisors demonstrate the need for sound management in the township.
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Postal service’s financial woes not of their own making
