Tearing down barriers is a sure sign of progress. Now one of the biggest barriers facing people of this area — the Pennsylvania-Ohio border — is finally eroding.

Recently development agencies of western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio agreed to work together in drawing business and industry to the region surrounding the Shenango and Mahoning valleys. It was a major step toward promoting this area and providing jobs for our residents.

In Friday’s Herald we carried another major announcement that will prove a plus to residents of Mercer County and western Pennsylvania. Youngstown State University will cut the expensive out-of-state fees of the past for many Pennsylvanians to attend school there.

It will be a major savings for students in eight counties from western Pennsylvania, a price break of almost $2,500 beginning next fall. The price reduction makes YSU as affordable, or even cheaper, than many area colleges in Pennsylvania.

We look for it to continue a chain reaction that has already started — colleges from both states dropping those fees for out-of-state students. With Youngstown only 13 or 14 miles from the Shenango Valley, all we can say is it’s about time.

In fact, during the current recession, the recruitment battle for students may force colleges that aren’t near the border to drop their out-of-state charges.

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which includes colleges in this region such as Slippery Rock, Clarion and Edinboro, already adopted a policy of offering discounts to students from some other states. Pennsylvania is taking an even more aggressive approach to recruiting students.

A story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Thursday reported that Pennsylvania is proposing a new “low-cost, no-frills” bachelor’s degree. These would be accelerated programs that run year-round and are similar to community colleges. These colleges would have no extracurricular activities, including sports, or other amenities that most colleges offer.

The intent is to allow students to get their degrees at the lowest cost possible.

As parents try to figure how they can afford to help their children get college educations and as grant money becomes tougher to come by, these announcements of lower-priced venues for education come as welcome relief.

The reduction or abolition of out-of-state fees is especially welcome considering Pennsylvania is ranked the sixth-most expensive state in the country to get a college education.

Considering that some people in Sharon and Brookfield Township can simply cross the street to be in another state, it’s silly that there was ever a separation anyway.

How many people buy lottery tickets for both states at Penn-Ohio Drug, where the border runs right through the building?

The chance of winning a lot of money in the lottery is extremely remote. But the opportunity to get a good education at a reasonable price is truly a winning combination.