Breaking News

Editorials

Celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving

This week kicks off the busy holiday season, although, considering the many Early Black Friday sales that have enticed shoppers in recent weeks, many people no doubt wonder whether the holiday season somehow expanded to a quarter of the year, rather than having remained confined to about a month and a half. Traditionally, the shopping boom began the day after Thanksgiving — Black Friday — but no more is that true. The non-stop home-shopping channels and online sales have changed all that. Unfortunately, local brick-and-mortar shopping, which helps to keep strong the economic ...

Celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving

This week kicks off the busy holiday season, although, considering the many Early Black Friday sales that have enticed shoppers in recent weeks, many people no doubt wonder whether the holiday season somehow expanded to a quarter of the year, rather than having remained confined to about a month and a half. Traditionally, the shopping boom began the day after Thanksgiving — Black Friday — but no more is that true. The non-stop home-shopping channels and online sales have changed all that. Unfortunately, local brick-and-mortar shopping, which helps to keep strong the economic ...

Insurance plans require careful thought

Medicare Advantage plans have been a godsend to millions of Americans who have placed full trust in what they have to offer — at a price they feel they can afford. Some have very enticing offerings, such as vision and dental care and caps on copays and other out-of-pocket charges, that help the plans seem superior to traditional Medicare, although some seniors no longer would — or are healthy enough to — make use of some of the offerings available under their plans. Again, Medicare Advantage plans have proven to be a godsend, but a wrinkle has evolved — a wrinkle that is ...

City licensing issue must be decided

As most Altoona residents probably are aware — to some degree, at least — one of the significant issues currently facing the city council is whether to end the requirement that workers in the plumbing and electrical trades be required to have a city-issued license in order to work within the city’s borders. The issue has been discussed in the past; each time it “went away” without major changes resulting. However, according to a Nov. 4 Mirror article, the council, several years ago, liberalized the licensing rules slightly by reducing the number of years of experience ...

We’ll be missing you, Judge Miller

Blair County Judge Fred B. Miller is likely to be remembered as a common pleas court judge who died during his first year on the bench. But Miller deserves to be remembered for what he brought to the bench and the great future he would have had. Miller, who grew up in Tyrone and served 21 years as a magisterial district judge in the northern part of our county, had an ability to connect with people in a way that served him well and helped him get elected a year ago to the county court. In his new role that began in January, Miller had a learning curve and a heavy load of criminal and ...

NS minute inspections problematic

Being truthful and committed to good intentions and promises-made plants the right seed for new accomplishments, positive achievements not heretofore realized, attracting the support of others and, even, establishing protections for one’s self as well as one’s best interests. Too bad Norfolk Southern Railroad has chosen to deviate from full support of such a strategy and, instead, has opted to take a step backward, as an Associated Press article published in the Mirror’s Nov. 7 edition revealed. Under the headline “NS railcar inspection rule sparks safety concerns,” the ...