Breaking News

Opinion

Age of madness, collapse of fear

Other Commentaries

When a 29-year-old man in Minnesota can post a TikTok video allegedly offering $45,000 for the assassination of former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, we can’t dismiss it as another outburst from an online extremist. It’s a symptom of something far deeper — the moral corrosion of our civic life. According to the FBI, Tyler Avalos uploaded a video on Oct. 16 captioned: “WANTED: Pam Bondi. REWARD: $45,000. DEAD OR ALIVE (PREFERABLY DEAD),” complete with Bondi’s image in a rifle’s crosshairs. This wasn’t done in secret corners of the dark web. It was posted openly on ...

GOP has forgotten nation’s roots

Letters to the Editor

In a recent Mirror ad by the Republican County Committee, it touted that “It’s a great time to be a Republican.” Such a statement is far from true or accurate. As a registered Republican, I am mortified and embarrassed to be associated with such a party. The present party has been captured and controlled by despicable uncaring members led by that lying dictator Trump. He and his GOP cronies have worked to control the media and do everything to support the wealthy. The party has abandoned the average person by slashing programs and positions that work for the benefit of ...

Women most affected in return to work

Editorials

“Women have fallen behind in the (post-pandemic) return-to-office push, reflecting the barriers they can still hit when juggling careers and families, even after decades of workplace gains.” That was the observation of the Wall Street Journal in a report in its Oct. 25-26 edition. The message within that paragraph is that, although women’s pay has experienced a decline, when stacked against men’s, it is not due to intentional, gross, beefed-up unfairness — less pay for the same work — on the part of companies toward them. Rather, it is the unfortunate impact of shouldering ...

Solar appreciated for power savings

Letters to the Editor

After reading a Nov. 5 letter expressing concerns about the Prince Gallitzin solar array, I reviewed the Altoona Mirror articles from both Oct. 21, 2025, and Aug. 30, 2024, regarding the installation. Neither article mentioned batteries being part of the system, which leads me to believe there are no batteries involved. This is typical of grid-tied solar installations, which feed (sell) excess power directly to the utility grid and draw from it when needed. That means that the expense to dispose of imaginary batteries at the end of their supposed end of life will be exactly ...

Complete GACTC study important

Editorials

The Greater Altoona Career and Technology Center did not err in approving a presentation delay until early next year regarding a long-anticipated facility and feasibility study. Because the study is so important to the school’s future and present, it must be carried out in a responsible, comprehensive manner, not haphazardly with questions and issues left incomplete and otherwise not fully addressed. A haphazard study would benefit no one and, worst of all, hurt the school over the long run — and thus the students depending on it to provide them the excellent education and ...

Prince Gallitzin solar array questioned

Letters to the Editor

The Oct. 21 Mirror article on the solar array installed at Prince Gallitzin raises way more questions than it answers. The article states that electric costs have dropped $90,000 while the array produced 827.8 MW since it was installed last year. The article further states that the array has a very short life span of only 20-years. How much did it cost to install? The article implies it will pay for itself, but I find that highly unlikely considering its 20-year life span. How many toxic batteries are installed to store the electricity when demand is low and there is no ...