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Perils await in next year’s tax season

The next tax-filing season — for 2025 taxes — might be one to remember, but not for reasons taxpayers would prefer. While many provisions of the new federal budget law signed by President Donald Trump are being welcomed by probably most Americans, because of tax benefits the budget package will provide, it is the upcoming filing season itself that could be a major cause of distress and taxpayer unrest as 2026 dawns. That’s especially true for taxpayers due a refund who depend on that refund arriving quickly to meet financial obligations. Perhaps timely refunds will not be a ...

Logan sewer project needs consideration

Anyone who has lived with a difficult situation in his or her life can understand the anger, frustration, hopelessness — even physical and mental pain —that some residents living near the intersection of Kettle Road and City View Street, in Logan Township, are experiencing at this time. Not only are they stymied by what accurately can be described as a roadblock, but possibly the biggest investment they have made in their lives is faced with the possibility of irreparable financial harm due to a sewer project that heretofore hasn’t been able to materialize. At this time, when ...

Researchers working on cancer puzzle

“Inflammaging” is far from being a household word now but, thanks to advances in cancer research, it apparently isn’t destined for obscurity much longer. Anyone being affected directly or indirectly by cancer needs to familiarize himself or herself regarding what is happening on the inflammaging front and recognize the good judgment of staying tuned for information on more developments, going forward. Meanwhile, no one ever knows if or when that dreaded disease might impact one’s life. What is particularly interesting about the research being conducted regarding the ...

County, CYS share blame on problems

It is understandable that the Blair County Office of Children, Youth & Families is not happy about having been issued its sixth provisional license by the state Department of Human Services, for shortcomings in the local department’s operation. Anyone unfamiliar with the local agency’s problems could be excused for questioning how an agency with such important responsibilities could have troubling issues festering for 3.5 years, the span of time that the six provisional licenses cover, without finding ways to resolve all of them, or at least all but a couple. But to be fair, Blair ...

Boy Scouts fallout will be felt for years

People of faith and nonbelievers alike were shocked and saddened when the issue of child sexual abuse by clergy erupted across this nation, even here. Similar responses poured forth when an ugly sexual abuse problem within the long-respected Boy Scouts of America became the focus of Americans’ attention, as former Scouts began revealing revolting conduct by adults supervising, helping or guiding them in their Scouting endeavors. The adults in question were dealt the responsibility of setting a good example with the young people under their supervision but, instead, in multiple ...

Optimism over airport rewarding

Optimism already is paying off for the Altoona-Blair County Airport. It is important that there be no interruption in it, going forward. Last July, officials in charge of the local air facility — specifically, the Altoona-Blair County Airport Authority — were knee-deep in planning for redirecting the airport’s 30-passenger jet service away from Philadelphia International Airport, which increasingly had been judged an inconvenience to most Blair-based air travelers, from a directional standpoint. Now, the optimism that was the foundation for that successful move, effective last ...