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City right to restore blighted lots

To anyone who might be thinking that Altoona’s new blighted-property rehabilitation program is but a threat upon which the city would not follow up with substantive action, the best advice now must be “think again.” The city Redevelopment Authority’s already initiated steps against a dilapidated house in the 1800 block of Fifth Avenue is indicative of a solid commitment by the city and its agencies to make good on the program’s availability, legal options and overall promise. No matter how and when that effort ultimately concludes regarding the Fifth Avenue property, the ...

Deregulating broadband will save billions

Did economists underestimate the damage of the Biden regulatory barrage? One reason the U.S. economy is outperforming expectations may be that the Trump Administration’s deregulation is offsetting tariff harm. Consider how it has uncorked broadband investment and saved taxpayers billions by slashing the Biden team’s red tape. Congress appropriated $42 billion in the 2021 infrastructure bill for states to expand broadband to “unserved” and rural communities. The spending was unnecessary since satellite services like SpaceX’s Starlink and 5G fixed wireless services were rapidly ...

Old vaccines may provide hope for future

Americans have the right to make their own health care choices, including making their own decisions regarding vaccines and whatever purported disease or illness-prevention measures they wish to pursue or support. The coronavirus pandemic and the aftermath of the health crisis have provided ample evidence of that. Likewise, no one is issuing must-follow directives about vitamins and supplements, although there is plenty of advertising attempting to lure Americans with health problems or unwanted medical-related issues or physical conditions to try certain products that purportedly ...

Pennsylvania will again be in spotlight

There is something clarifying about opening a fresh calendar. The pages are clean, the boxes empty, the year ahead undefined. It invites planning even as experience reminds us that no year ever unfolds exactly as written. This will be another year when Pennsylvania finds itself under a political spotlight. Presidential elections do that when perennial swing-state status can tip the balance in the Electoral College. Two years later, that focus rarely fades — it simply shifts to the midterms. In the midterms, voters will decide control of Congress, Harrisburg and the governor’s ...

America challenged to be better in 2026

Every time the calendar changes from one year to the next, a new agenda of hope emerges — hope built upon the desire to fix things that are wrong, make improvements where adjustments will be beneficial, pursue general betterment of one’s own community, including on behalf of the other people living there, at all times trying to exercise exemplary judgment and superior intentions on whatever the roads toward successful endeavors and outcomes. A baby symbolizes the arrival of a new year and hope, but a better example of that arrival might be success achieved during the often ...

Ignoring recalls may result in real tragedy

About 12 million vehicles were recalled from 2015-24 for safety defects that could result in air bags not deploying. The recalls were well-publicized. In fact, many vehicle owners, upon learning about a recall, were unhappy about the fact that a trip to the service department outside of routine maintenance would be necessary. Still, most owners were satisfied that service department visit could someday prevent a catastrophic situation for them and also for passengers, if their vehicles were involved in a crash. It made sense to schedule the service as soon as possible. But now it ...