Breaking News

Opinion

Homeless issues need gentle hand

Editorials

Altoona city officials are correct in moving carefully on the issue of homelessness, including actively seeking others’ perspectives on how the issue is being approached elsewhere — before firming up decisions here. The issue is one, that if not dealt with in the right way, could set the proverbial stage for the problem getting worse here, or expanding the problem beyond the city’s borders. While exporting the problem — or a portion of it — to other municipalities might seem like a good idea to some city residents, in reality it is not, and the main reason is obvious. ...

New costs for Blair Township businesses

Letters to the Editor

As a business owner in Blair Township, I am writing to express serious concern regarding the proposal by newly elected Township Supervisor Jacob Wible to impose a per-machine “licensing fee” on businesses operating Skills machines. Though described as a licensing fee, its practical effect is an additional tax on small businesses. Regardless of terminology, it creates a new financial burden for locally owned establishments already coping with rising costs for utilities, insurance, payroll and property expenses. This proposal is especially troubling given prior campaign assurances ...

Are they really SAVEing America?

Letters to the Editor

State Rep. Glenn Thompson and state Sen. Mike McCormick would have us believe that non-citizens are committing election fraud by voting illegally. Both back the SAVE America Act — legislation requiring you and me to provide documentation of citizenship each time we vote, whether in person or by mail. Why? The idea that election security requires proof of citizenship every time we vote rests on the assertion that non-citizens are voting. Which is just not true. Numerous reputable studies conclude that voting by non-citizens is extremely rare, demonstrating that the election ...

Real life is out there waiting for all of us

Opinion

While President Donald Trump initiated war against Iran last weekend, my family was out volunteering at our local community garden. Another war weighs heavy on me, but I know I do not control military orders. I cannot make Trump adhere to the Constitution and get a proper declaration of war from Congress. Nor can I control how Congress responds, or in this case, chooses not to respond. But I can pick up a rake and help my community prepare a garden for spring and feed our neighbors. Trump, with the help of a GOP-dominated Congress, has stripped billions of dollars from health ...

Kids aren’t picky; parents make them so

Opinion

It’s not my fault that my kids are picky eaters, I learned today. But it’s my fault if I don’t fix it. That’s what I gleaned from a recent article by Helen Zoe Veit, the author of a forthcoming book called “Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History.” Children are not naturally picky, Veit tells us in her piece. Not at all. In fact, children are voracious eaters of vinegar and raw oysters and tiny crabs still in the shells. They are not engineered to demand Lunchables, then only eat the cheese out of the package and the second you cave and buy 10 ...

Are Americans losing their faith in US?

Editorials

Bailing out doesn’t help America. Neither does “running away” from issues or burying one’s head in the proverbial sand. The well-being of America is too important to resort to such “solutions” but apparently much of that is happening, and Americans should be deeply concerned. “In its 250th year, is America, land of immigration, becoming a country of emigration?” the Wall Street Journal asked in a Feb. 27 front-page article. “America’s own citizens are leaving in record numbers, replanting themselves and their families in lands they find more affordable and ...