Cultural treasurers — art, music, literature — as well as historic advances in science, medicine and technology continue to be offered every day by people of all races, ethnic and religious backgrounds and sexual orientations.

Congratulations to all involved in finalizing a new teachers’ contract in the Shikellamy School District. It was done without much fanfare and, fortunately, drama, that can often accompany this process.

As recruiting efforts kick into high gear, be sure to stand up and be counted in the 2020 Census. It is important on a variety of levels, offering an impact on elections and millions of dollars in federal funding.

A preliminary report issued Tuesday by a state suicide prevention task force includes a call for a controversial gun law change — a suggestion that we hope will not derail or divert attention from the importance of other recommendations that have received bipartisan support.

Slavery was legally abolished in the United States by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in December 1865.

During a legislative hearing held in the middle of the largest indoor agricultural expo in the nation, experts appropriately sounded alarms about troubling signs and trends within the dairy industry.

The grassroots movement to create Second Amendment Sanctuary locations across the nation — including in Buffalo Township — seems to be a solution in search of a problem.

It is clear from the recollections of those who worked with Brett Misavage that the former Shikellamy administrator was beloved and admired.

Happy New Year and welcome to the 2020 election campaign season.

In the last three weeks, seven people have been killed in two separate pileups on state highways. These tragedies are preventable with a little common sense behind the wheel.

Facing a potential deficit of $2.7 million entering the next fiscal year this summer, members of the Shikellamy School Board should give immediate consideration to steps necessary to replace the occupational assessment tax with an earned income tax.

A new effort announced by Gov. Tom Wolf to expand resources and support for mental health and related health care priorities in Pennsylvania is welcome news.

In the wake of Christmas and Hanukkah, it is discouraging and disappointing that discussions even need to occur about how to make our houses of worship safe.

Kudos to Sunbury Mayor Kurt Karlovich and his band of volunteers for a successful return of the city’s New Year’s Eve celebration.

Pennsylvania’s Departement of Conservation and Natural Resources hosted the state’s First Day Hikes at State Parks on New Year’s Day as a way to promote a healthy start to 2020. The promotion was a success in more ways than one.

Within the next several days, a number of new faces will be stepping into leadership positions in courthouses, city and borough halls and municipal buildings across the region.

As we flip the calendar into what promises to be a memorable 2020, we offer what we would like to see happen over the next 12 months across our Valley.

It will be a big night of celebration tonight.

Moose International, along with Loyal Order of Moose lodges in Sunbury and Danville, have made excellent decisions supporting the health of their members and those who visit their private clubs.

Northumberland County is soon to join Montour and Snyder counties in the medical marijuana business. Within the next three months, Parea Biosciences expects to have a grower/operator facility up and running after completing the purchase of county-owned land in Coal Township.

Today, Penn State’s football team closes the 2019 season with a matchup against Memphis in the Cotton Bowl. Some felt like the Nittany Lions should have been in the Rose Bowl, but a third trip to a major bowl game in four seasons is quite an accomplishment. This year’s bowl game also present…

Pennsylvania is still at least two years away from long-awaited reform of the state’s arcane sexual abuse laws and potential closure for hundreds of victims. While the General Assembly has moved forward with a bill that ends any statute of limitations in future cases, it does not put retroac…

The giving and caring spirit of the holiday season pops up at various times and locations.

A meeting of elected officials from Snyder County, Selinsgrove, Monore and Penn townships would enable municipal leaders to work through issues with proposed traffic patterns at the southern end of the Central Susquehanna Valley Transportation bypass project.

We agree with state Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Gov. Tom Wolf, who clarified last week that, legally, most of a gun is still a gun.

Educators and students in the Mifflinburg Area School District are taking a fresh look at education, expanding on the “learning by doing” principle that has long allowed some students to thrive.

This week, The Needy Family Fund surpassed the $50,000 mark as Christmas came into focus. The latest total kicks in an extremely generous matching $50,000 pledge from the 1994 Charles B. Degenstein Foundation.

Something happened at the Mahoning Township Board of Supervisors meeting last week.

Business is booming in the state’s casinos and online gambling sites.

The Danville American Legion Post 40 has a wonderful holiday tradition that dates back to the 1950s.

The stories of the men who lived through the Battle of the Bulge — which began 75 years ago today — are remarkable. Tales of misery, endurance, courage, steadfastness coupled with a sense of fear and the unknown.

Former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge may be the last remaining moderate conservative Republican. He reminded us of that last week when he challenged members of his own party to return to their roots as champions of the environment.

Members of the state House Judiciary Committee have taken changes in a probation reform bill a step too far, raising objections of state lawmakers and the American Civil Liberties Union.

As we approach the final push toward Christmas, we offer a friendly reminder to think of those not on your lists who can use a little holiday cheer during this season of giving.

The Sunbury Christian Academy has introduced a new program which experts say will boost students’ focus, coordination, strength and confidence.

Arabella Parker died on Nov. 22, more than a month after she was so severely beaten a portion of the 3-year-old’s brain needed to be removed. It took another two weeks for someone to say “enough,” that it was finally time to think about Arabella Parker and put her needs first, a rarity in he…

If state and local government and business leaders are unable to recruit a health care system or company to take over full operations at the hospital in Sunbury when UPMC Susquehanna ends operations in March, perhaps they should explore finding an entity interested in operating the hospital’…

A multi-faceted organization that quietly goes about its charitable mission — serving thousands of people across Central Pennsylvania — has been named by business.org as the best charity in the state.

The bells serve as reminders — the holiday season is a great time to donate to those in need.

People in Sunbury and the surrounding region understandably remain in shock today, two days after UPMC Susquehanna announced that it plans to shut down the hospital it acquired just over two years ago.

A state House committee amendment to a bill that would allow local police officers to use radar for speed control, but block part-time police departments and part-time officers from using that same equipment, is unsubstantiated, unjustified, confusing and insulting.

“Home for the holidays” holds a special meaning for most people, but for more than 13,000 people in Pennsylvania who don’t have a permanent home, it means something entirely different.

In a unanimous vote, members of the Selinsgrove Borough Council took a strong stand on Monday evening.

Pennsylvania lawmakers should direct some of their attention to the law enforcement personnel across the state who are struggling to keep pace with more than 450,000 active arrest warrants.

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