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Editorials

Back to school not so easy for students

Young people’s return to their classrooms each fall usually is a routine, uneventful exercise, even for young men and women transitioning from high school to a college environment. They’ve gone through the proverbial ritual of clothes-buying over the latter part of the summer, as well as having stocked up on pens and pencils, notebooks and other such necessities, not to mention the electronics — devices such as computers, printers and cellphones. Even for those students who would much prefer additional freedom from classes, tests and homework, the final summer-vacation days ...

Emergency preparedness a topic for all

By itself, the Aug. 6 Mirror article about agencies working on emergency preparedness for the disabled should have been enough to bolster interest regarding the importance of the topic. But the arrival of Hurricane Debby — actually the remnants of the original weather event in the southeastern sector of the United States — further reinforced the magnitude of that important preparedness issue. Adequate special preparations are indispensable for responding quickly and correctly to emergencies, especially when the lives of disabled individuals could be at risk. Meanwhile, it is ...

Hospitals now excel at saving tiny infants

There has been no shortage of political dialogue about the abortion issue, especially since the U.S. Supreme Court negated Roe v. Wade in 2022. Unfortunately, though, there has not been enough discussion about what an Aug. 9 Wall Street Journal headline described as “A life-or-death divide for very premature babies.” Every woman and many men should be interested in what that all is about. The Journal article in question reported that doctors now are capable of saving the lives of babies born at 22 weeks and, in rare cases, a week earlier, thanks to improved techniques “to help ...

Blair prison needs some serious ideas

It is instructive for officials of local-level governmental entities to watch what is happening in units of government around them. By doing that they can avoid others’ errors but also obtain valuable guidance on how to pursue their own projects or other initiatives. They also can obtain valuable perspectives on how to justify what they are seeking to do and regarding the steps and strategies necessary to accomplish their objective or objectives. Apply that thinking to the situation involving the Blair County Prison, which has been on “life support” for decades as county ...

Holidays crucial to our national healing process

Although much of the national attention is ­— and will continue to be — focused on developments related to the Nov. 5 presidential election, the world beyond the political front is far from being in slumber mode. For example, on the retail front, merchants are not sitting back, intent on waiting until after Halloween to make important decisions associated with the busy Christmas shopping season. Many merchants already are “knee deep” in planning for the products with which their shelves will be stocked in the weeks leading up to Dec. 25. Also on their mind and capturing ...

NS delays bad news for Amtrak

For the most part, adhering to laws, rules, regulations and/or just plain, routine expectations avoids many problems over the long run. Under a law passed by Congress in 1973, trains of the rail passenger service Amtrak are required to be given priority when they cross a freight railroad’s tracks. That requirement makes sense. However, the Norfolk Southern railroad company, regarding its New York to New Orleans route, is accused of causing what have been described as “chronic delays” by forcing Amtrak trains to wait while its trains of massive length pass. For instance, ...