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Praise, support for Operation Our Town

Letters to the Editor

This short letter will try to get residents to support Operation Our Town. This group has been instrumental in investigating, arresting and prosecuting individuals who sell poison here in Blair County. There are a few ways to help in this effort, including attending fundraisers and by direct donation. Explain to your children and grandchildren how Operation Our Town is there for them. I personally thank the board members and District Attorney Pete Weeks and Blair County judges and all area district justices for their attention in the prosecution process. David Servello Sr. Altoona

Women, girls deserves support

Letters to the Editor

Members of the Pennsylvania House Health Committee voted on June 15 along party lines to re-refer Senate Bill 9 (SB9) to the Judicial Committee for consideration. Sen. Judy Ward is the prime sponsor of SB9, also called the Save Women’s Sports Act. The Act prohibits transgender girls and women from participating in female athletics. SB9 passed the PA Senate over a year ago on a bipartisan basis and has not yet been brought up for a vote on the House floor. In fact, in the past year, SB9 has been re-referred to another committee for consideration five times. One might ask why ...

A call for red, white and blue

Letters to the Editor

I would love to see everyone who can fly an American flag in honor of our country’s 250th birthday. No political sign, not Republican or Democrat sign: just a symbol of our country and a sign of respect. Every business, every church and every home. Fly our flag. Let’s make it red, white and blue everywhere. Blessings to all. Marti Shiffler Altoona

Gun violence affects everyone

Letters to the Editor

June is both National Gun Violence Awareness and Gay Pride month. One way the two are connected is the amount of gun violence inflicted on the LGBQT community. On a per capita basis, LGBQT+ individuals are targeted for violent hate crimes at a higher rate than other minorities. Research indicates that LGBQT+ people are roughly nine times more likely to be victims of hate crimes than non-LGBQT+ individuals. According to the Trevor Project, 40% of LGBQT+ youth reported having a firearm in their home, and the odds of committing suicide were about 17% higher than those who did not have ...

Vandalism costly for community

Editorials

Vandalism at Hollidaysburg’s Canal Basin Park was of a deeply troubling category and scope. Unfortunately, it was of a category witnessed too often at other locales across America — over many decades of this nation’s history, not just in the year 2026. One thing is certain about the Canal Basin Park vandalism, nevertheless: It demands a community soul-searching, as well as ongoing reflection about whether there are local elements that would take great pride and pleasure in continuing to undermine everything that’s good about the county seat community. Or, was what occurred ...

US should join ‘country club’ of nations

Opinion

My fellow Americans: This weekend, we celebrate our country’s independence and pay homage to the founders. As we glory in America, however, we tend to overlook the second part of the equation: Great Britain. In declaring independence, we broke from British rule while inventing a nation inspired by British ideas. It was Thomas Paine, an antimonarchical Englishman, who urged the Americans to sever ties with Britain in his 1776 pamphlet “Common Sense.” Just seven months before the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, Thomas ...