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Altoona confronting absenteeism

Editorials

The goals set for the 2025-26 school year by Altoona Area School District administrators are laudable, indeed. However, now that the goals are in place and have been made available to district residents and others interested in the school system’s goings-on, the challenge, going forward, will revolve around ensuring that highest-priority status is accorded to the right objective, for special attention, while lower-priority objectives are allowed to continue moving forward as well at their own pace. One item especially sticks out among the objectives discussed in a front-page ...

Pennsylvania should follow Minnesota lead

Editorials

No matter when and/or how Pennsylvania’s budget impasse ends, members of the General Assembly need to exercise an examination of conscience into why they allowed the current fiscal embarrassment to persist for so long — now having passed the three-month mark for a basic budget-preparation responsibility that should have been completed by the June 30 deadline. There are people in this state who believe if lawmakers don’t want to do their job they should resign and presumably allow someone more responsible and responsive — some people would use the word “competent” — to ...

Vouching for Bigelow-Cherry

Letters to the Editor

As someone who has lived inside the courts for decades, I feel Suzanne Bigelow-Cherry’s resume already speaks for itself. What is often not mentioned in Bigelow-Cherry’s story is that she is a proud mother, a contributor to her community and an overall upstanding character. Having personally known her family, I can attest to the values and work ethic that this family holds. Although the Bigelow-Cherrys work well over full-time, this never took away from their willingness to invest in their family and friends. Personally, I was able to see these folks go above and beyond ...

Bigelow-Cherry has conservative values

Letters to the Editor

Not every day do you get to endorse a candidate you have known their entire life. Today, I do. I am endorsing Suzanne Bigelow-Cherry for magisterial district judge. I have had the privilege to watch her grow from a child attending Adams School and running around the neighborhood to becoming a wife, mother, attorney and volunteer. I know Bigelow-Cherry to be a person who possesses traditional conservative values of hard work and dedication. She worked her way through college and law school. As a former teacher, I am impressed with her experience in truancy cases, her advocacy ...

Call for accuracy in representation

Letters to the Editor

A good citizen should remain informed and aware of how their elected leaders are representing their district. In turn, those representatives have a duty to communicate truthfully and responsibly when reporting on governmental matters. U.S. Rep. John Joyce failed to meet that standard in his most recent newsletter, distributed on Oct. 5. In reference to the recent federal government shutdown, he wrote: “Instead, Senate Democrats chose to hold the federal government hostage in exchange for a massive $1.5 trillion spending package that would fund far-left priorities like foreign ...

Bigelow-Cherry is ‘fierce advocate’

Letters to the Editor

We are writing to support Suzanne Bigelow-Cherry for magisterial judge of District Court 24-3-01. Bigelow-Cherry is highly qualified professionally and has the right temperament to perform these required duties. In 1993, she was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, as well as before the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and Middle District of Pennsylvania. She has been practicing law for over 30 years, covering many different areas of law in and out of the courtroom. Bigelow-Cherry is a fierce advocate for her ...