Technology can be a wonderful tool that has, in many cases, made the world we live in smaller. It can also be a crutch often leaned on when not-needed along with the troubling trend of acting as a battering ram for anonymity across social media.

The United States is slowly — too slowly we would argue — putting the pieces in place to emerge from a global pandemic that has worn everyone down.

January is a month to celebrate the life and wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., employ an extra measure of caution while driving on snow-covered and icy roads and try to focus on your health and fitness.

Valley county and economic development officials are working hard to achieve an essential, but logistically difficult goal — delivering broadband internet access to rural areas across the Central Susquehanna Valley.

Over the past year, still building off the big lie that has simmered for 14 months now, hundreds of restrictive voting bills were sponsored nationally, which led to 34 laws in 19 states making it more difficult for people to vote.

It has been 682 days since the first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Pennsylvania. The “novel” part of this coronavirus has worn off, yet the Valley, state and nation are seeing near-record numbers of new cases and hospitalizations even as the omicron variant begins to level off.

Four years ago, Kurt Karlovich took over Sunbury’s mayoral post as a relative unknown, replacing a city leader who had been a staple for decades. He had big shoes to fill.

There are times — far too often we would argue — where transparency is a myth in Harrisburg’s Capitol. Lawmakers like to talk a good game, but when push comes to shove, the curtain goes up and voters are left in the dark.

The construction of a 400,000-square-foot industrial building, the future new home for Bimbo Bakeries according to planning documents on file, is not only a sign of local industrial development — it is a symbol of victory.

Sunbury residents would be wise to take advantage of two fast-approaching opportunities to serve the city, which present opportunities for increased transparency and representation.

The state Legislative Reapportionment Commission is currently taking comments from citizens on a plan that draws a state House of Representatives district boundary line through the heart of the greater Lewisburg region.

President Joe Biden’s passionate plea for American democracy on Thursday struck at the very heart of the nation’s simmering division.

We need strategists, visionaries, experts, planners.

The American Rescue Plan Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, both adopted by Congress last year, fortunately are providing funding to help low-income residents with two of their most basic home health needs.

The May 17 midterm election is 133 days away and the November general election is 308 days from today. Pennsylvania and its voters will be in the political crosshairs for every minute until winners are declared because the commonwealth could be a tipping point.

It is easy to wonder what makes the latest push to develop the former Knight-Celotex plant Sunbury different than previous efforts.

Not everyone is big on New Year’s resolutions, for a variety of reasons. For some, though they can offer a reset, an opportunity to look inward and forward to consider potential change.

The spotlight will shift quickly early next week, from those who have been serving citizens here in the Central Susquehanna Valley for years, and in some cases decades, to those who will raise their hand for the first time to take the oath of office.

Minimum wage workers in 25 states across the nation will receive pay increases during 2022.

The old line about gerrymandering legislative districts is that the process regularly allows elected officials to select their voting bloc rather than voters picking who represents them.

Christmas is always about tradition, spending time with family to reminisce and creating new memories.

Mike Piecuch, Snyder County’s District Attorney, had a simple message that resonates far beyond the county lines: “We have an obligation to take care of the officers who take care of us.”

Governors across the nation are celebrating a new federal law that offers medical patients additional financial protections and billing transparency.

The holiday season can be a joyous time of celebration and reunion. For many, however, it is a time of solace and loneliness, a true challenge to our mental health which has taken a beating over the past two years.

A state bill that seeks to break the cycle of criminal offenders who find themselves caught within the state probation and parole system has been adopted by the state Senate and now moves on to the state House.

The COVID-19 vaccines work. If you don’t think so, you’re wrong.

The Regional Engagement Center in Selinsgrove, known as the REC, is planning to expand its staff next month and has applied for a $2.5 million grant to hopefully purchase the Selinsgrove Inn and adjacent property.

A week after a threat shut down one Valley school district we were reminded over the weekend of the importance of remaining vigilant if something seems out of the ordinary. As always, it’s better to be overly cautious when it comes to student safety.

Massive amounts of federal spending helped soften the blow of food insecurity in Pennsylvania and across the United States over the past two years, but more help is needed.

How bad is COVID getting again for health care providers? At places like Geisinger, arguably one of the nation’s best rural health care systems, they are treating patients in waiting rooms and hallways. Officials at UPMC and Evangelical Community Hospital say their providers are overwhelmed …

Gov. Tom Wolf has been criticized in the past for vetoing more than 50 bills during his time as Pennsylvania’s top executive, but the Democratic was spot-on with his most recent rejection of a dangerous bill that would have eliminated the need for a license to carry a concealed firearm.

Milton Area school officials did the right thing this week by shutting down school for a day to allow for investigation into an alleged threat made to the district. It was a swift and justifiable response.

The recent adoption of the American infrastructure bill along with continuing efforts by local county commissioners and economic development agencies is raising hopes that the broadband internet “digital divide” could finally be substantially reduced or eliminated sooner rather than later.

Four Valley projects got a combined $4.5 million boost in state funding this week as state lawmakers secured money that may have long-term impact on businesses and job creation.

Time is running out nominate a Valley resident who you think Made a Difference in the area this year.

The late Jack Plotts, of Milton, and the late Norman Ulmer, of Lewisburg, both highly decorated veterans of World War II, along with a few of us from The Daily Item, stood in the downtown Washington office on a spring day in the year 2000.

Thanks to a 1995 state law that links the salaries of state legislators, judges and top executives to the annual change in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index, Pennsylvania lawmakers have just received a record pay increase.

The countdown clock has started.

The three-story addition to Green Thumb Industries (GTI) in Danville is difficult to miss from a lot of locations in the borough.

The holidays are a time of joy and celebration, but they also can be highly stressful for people who face challenges with financial or medical issues, food insecurity or housing.

State Rep. David Rowe, R-85, is sponsoring two bills dealing with different kinds of data and information generated as part of public employee collective bargaining — one which he and other lawmakers believe should be readily available for public scrutiny and the other which they feel should not.

The nearly 900,000 people who have purchased a general hunting license in Pennsylvania know this, but the rest of us who don’t hunt probably should know it as well.

Hours before Arabella Parker was thrown across the room, striking her head so severely part of her brain had to be removed as a treatment option, a Children & Youth caseworker testified last week that she visited the home.