Relatives and friends of the victims in unsolved murders, including some in this region, no doubt are wondering whether new hope might exist for closing some of the cases. That new anticipation stems from the arrest on April 24 of an alleged serial killer and rapist in California who had ...

Supporters of the state Supreme Court redistricting ruling have made the point that the ruling was an independent judgment of the justices. And Gov. Tom Wolf’s office never misses an opportunity to spout self-proclaimed transparency values. Recently, a Right-to-Know request was made by ...

Whether or not two Blair County volunteer fire companies — Pinecroft of Antis Township and Excelsior of Bellwood Borough — ultimately merge, an upcoming study examining the feasibility of combining the two departments stands to benefit the municipalities that they serve. The study, which ...

Big government’s standard answer for any problem is to insist it needs more power, usually in the form of additional burdensome regulations. Time and time again, however, the public sees clearly that the problem is ineffective enforcement of existing rules. The ongoing scandal involving ...

Pennsylvania Act 88 of 1992 has had success in curbing the number of public school teacher strikes. Whereas the Keystone State experienced more than 700 teacher walkouts between 1970 (the year Act 195, the Public Employee Relations Act, became law) and 1992, there have been “only” 240 ...

One possibility for curbing distracted driving in Pennsylvania might be to make the violation a primary offense. Currently, it’s a secondary offense triggered by a separate primary one. Distracted driving is a current topic in the state Legislature, which is considering two bills aimed at ...

The future holds the answer of whether gambling-saturation fears have begun detouring Pennsylvania’s journey into gaming expansion. Even more importantly, hanging out there is the question of whether — and how much — that possible new development will impact Keystone State budget ...

William Higgins’ successor as Bedford County district attorney, Lesley Childers-Potts, has embarked on her new responsibility commendably. Thrust into her new role virtually without notice, Childers-Potts has set out to restore the public’s trust in the DA’s Office — trust that was ...

House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said he is leaving Congress because he doesn’t want his children to reach adulthood having experienced only a “weekend dad.” After 20 years in Congress, Ryan’s decision is understandable in that light. But one wonders if Ryan, R-Wis., may ...

Syria was not the only, or even the most important, target in Friday’s attack on chemical weapons facilities in that country. The focus was on deterring use of such fearsome armaments by any nation. Bashar Assad, Syria’s murderous dictator, has used chemical agents on his own people in ...

Pennsylvania lawmakers and Gov. Tom Wolf still have about 2¢ months to meet the June 30 state budget-preparation deadline, and most state residents probably view that as more than enough time for the commonwealth’s legislative and executive branches to complete that vitally important, ...

Disagreement, uncertainty and fears will continue in the wake of the Altoona Area School Board’s awarding of contracts on Monday for the proposed high school construction and renovation project. It will be a situation not unique to the local school system. Few school districts embark on a ...

Disagreement, uncertainty and fears will continue in the wake of the Altoona Area School Board’s awarding of contracts on Monday for the proposed high school construction and renovation project. It will be a situation not unique to the local school system. Few school districts embark on a ...

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is most to blame for the motorists who have been depriving the turnpike of millions of dollars in toll revenue each year. The commission has had a history of not pursuing payment by scofflaws as aggressively as it should have felt obligated to do. It also ...

Now’s the time for a reminder to taxpayers who have delayed thinking about their 2017 income tax obligation: The filing deadline is Tuesday. That’s two days later than the usual April 15 due date. That’s because of April 15 being a Sunday this year and the fact that the Emancipation ...

While calls to strengthen the state’s pension forfeiture act often follow the downfall of high-ranking elected officials, the list of former public servants who deserve to be stripped of taxpayer-funded retirement benefits is much more extensive. As the Post-Gazette’s Matt McKinney ...

Public officials generate respect, confidence and trust in their job performance by their ability to work cooperatively with others who are serving their community. That doesn’t require them to agree on every issue. In fact, disagreement often paves the correct path to a solution, while ...

Upon resigning as Bedford County district attorney on Wednesday after being arraigned on 31 misdemeanor charges, William Higgins issued a statement saying he hopes he made a “positive difference” during his 14 years as a prosecutor. While he had prosecutorial achievements about which he ...

You’ll notice a significant change in our Go magazine beginning today. Go, which has been a well-received anchor in our Friday edition for 20 years, is merging with Select TV, our tabloid of TV listings that has been published and offered free with your Saturday Mirror. We’re now ...

Larry Nassar deserves all the punishment that the courts can pile on him. The former sports doctor is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison. Equally as despicable are those who knew something was amiss but failed to stop Nassar from sexually assaulting hundreds of college and ...