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County must ensure CYF stays strong

The Blair County commissioners are justified in breathing a sigh of relief these days that their efforts on behalf of the county’s Children, Youth & Families department have paid off. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has restored the full operating license of the Blair agency following nearly four years of intense local anxiety over the ultimate fate of CYF and its vital mission. Going forward, the challenge will be to ensure that CYF does not return to the problem existence within which it had languished for so long. Accomplishing that will necessitate close scrutiny ...

Economy a must-watch for election

Eye-opening at the top of the Wall Street Journal’s April 11-12 edition was the headline “Inflation hits two-year high.” Reporting that consumer prices jumped 3.3% in March from a year earlier, the largest increase in two years, the Journal said the April 10 inflation report from the U.S. Labor Department “was in line with the expectations of economists surveyed” by the newspaper “but the March reading was much hotter than February’s gain of 2.4%” The Journal continued: “The report is the first to capture the impact of the Iran war on inflation.” The Journal ...

WISE women truly make a difference

WISE Women of Blair County deserves applause for another successful Tribute ceremony and for the contribution it makes to our community. The organization, which hosted this year’s annual dinner on Wednesday at the Blair County Convention Center, honored seven women for their contributions that have made our community better. At a time when it’s easy to get caught up in governmental politics and the rhetoric among leaders who may or may not be making wise decisions, the Tribute ceremony provided a chance to hear about seven women whose interactions with others truly make a ...

Education is to train future leaders

The Hollidaysburg Area School Board engaged in a refreshing discussion April 8 about whether to approve for adoption a psychology textbook that eventually was approved — correctly — by a 6-3 margin. At a time when virtually everything is available to young people via the internet, should relevant — even if sometimes controversial — topics such as social justice and gender identity, including LGBTQ issues, be considered topics that would “poison” young people’s minds? If the information is presented correctly, as the course would seem to dictate, the answer should be ...

NFL Draft exposes crisis of homelessness

In preparation for the vast crowds expected to flood Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft, proactive steps are being taken. Businesses are allowing — or encouraging — employees to work from home. Pittsburgh Public Schools will have students attend remotely. Allegheny County courtrooms won’t close down, but they won’t be working at full capacity either. The message is clear: With up to 700,000 football fans descending on the Steel City, locals who don’t need to be in the mix should stay home. But what if you don’t have a home? The area is nearing the end of months of effort to ...

Congress, IRS, feds to blame for tax woes

“Overtime-tax claims top expectations” was the headline of an April 6 Wall Street Journal article, followed by the message “Some payers may be claiming deductions beyond law limits, preparers suggest.” But who is to blame for all that? That’s easy. It’s Congress, the Internal Revenue Service and the federal government in general. It’s the same culprits who failed to calculate the terrible impact on certain casino employees nationwide who are being hit hard this year — and presumably will be hit hard beyond this year — because of Congress’ shortsighted action ...