This newspaper usually reports the headlines. We try not to make them.

But that’s exactly what we did last week, and we couldn’t be happier. It also points to something that is near and dear to our hearts, and we believe should be likewise to every taxpayer. And that’s why every Pennsylvania resident should be paying very close attention to something one of our own is doing in Harrisburg.

It has to do with open records and the public’s right to know. Basically, one of the things newspapers traditionally do is act as the public’s watchdog, ensuring that the public’s business is actually performed in public.

To that end several years ago we filed a request under the state’s Right-To-Know Law seeking several documents from the Chester Community Charter School.

Chester Community Charter is becoming an increasingly large factor in the Chester Upland School District. As it stands now, a good chunk of the district’s elementary and middle school students attend the charter.

They’re a not-for-profit entity, but they use a lot of public money to run the schools.

For that reason we decided to take a closer look at their operation, and requested several financial documents.

School officials declined, basing their argument that the charter school was not covered in the same way as public schools under the state’s right-to-know laws.

We went to court to get the documents. That was three years ago. Delco judges backed our argument. So did Commonwealth Court. Last week the Pennsylvania Supreme Court did likewise, meaning that all charter schools in the state must follow the provisions of the state’s open records law.

It’s a win for us, and a win for the public. Chester Community Charter has indicated they will no longer appeal and will turn over the documents we have requested.

But that’s only part of the problem.

A bigger issue is that Pennsylvania is still in the dark ages when it comes to shedding light on the public’s business.

That’s where Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester, comes in. Since assuming a leadership position in the state Senate, he has been making it his mission to throw open the doors and windows that keep too much of government functions operating in the dark.

On Wednesday the state Senate passed his plan to greatly expand the public’s access to government records. It’s a step in the right direction.

But, as all too often happens in Harrisburg, there is a hitch. The House has a competing plan, one that is not nearly as good as the version being pushed by Pileggi.

The House should get on board with Pileggi’s bill.

The public’s business must be conducted in public. And we shouldn’t have to engage in expensive, lengthy court fights to assure that it does.