We are alarmed — as all of us should be — about the mysterious deaths of our beloved birds. Over the past six weeks, thousands of birds across multiple states in the Northeast have been spotted with eye and brain problems. Did you ever hear the story about the canary in the coal ...

The new Altoona Area School District policy requiring see-through backpacks for secondary-school students is a sad — albeit necessary — commentary regarding the times in which today’s young people are being educated and growing up. Parents, guardians and students should exercise ...

Gov. Tom Wolf has signed into law a bill supported by state lawmakers that would require human trafficking offenses to be considered in a person’s bid for child custody. We agree with this piece of legislation, even as we find it extremely unsettling that such legislation is needed in the ...

Precision Scheduled Railroading, which Norfolk Southern began to implement in fall 2018, apparently is the culprit behind another troubling jobs cut exacted at Altoona’s Juniata Locomotive Shop. Norfolk Southern’s furloughing of 86 shop employees on July 9 — and eliminating an ...

As the $40.8 billion state budget bill suddenly zoomed through the Capitol, lawmakers quietly passed a long-overdue bill that will create fair compensation opportunities for college athletes in Pennsylvania. In terms of competition, Penn State, Pitt and Temple football fans, and basketball ...

Pennsylvania’s Open Meetings Law, also known as the Sunshine Act, has been amended to require agendas to be made available at least 24 hours before a public meeting — a move we laud. The change in the law requires state agencies, local municipalities and school districts to post an agenda ...