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Don’t dismiss hurricane warnings

Blair County residents can be excused for not becoming very concerned about the worst-ever Atlantic hurricane season predicted last month by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Seldom is this county affected seriously by those weather events, witnessed most often in southern states such as Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana. However, Blair has not always escaped impacts from such storms, as looking back, especially to 1972, can attest. That was the year when Hurricane Agnes, “downgraded” to tropical storm status, wreaked havoc in Pennsylvania, causing $2.3 ...

Direct File advocacy has merit

During one of his past campaigns for the U.S. presidency, Donald Trump introduced the idea of simplifying federal income tax filing to the point where, for many taxpayers, filing could be accomplished by way of a postcard. Probably to most taxpayers, that prospect seemed euphoric. However, a simplification of that scope never came about although, during the Trump administration, some tax forms and publications were reworked with the goal of making filing easier for average and not-so-average taxpayers. If the success of those changes ever was analyzed and graded, results of that ...

D-Day’s 80th anniversary: Pain remains

“‘O.K., we’ll go,’ (Gen. Dwight D.) Eisenhower said. With that, nearly 3 million men launched a heroic assault against (Adolf) Hitler’s tyranny. Today the invasion is still fresh in the Western imagination. It was the apotheosis of American power and morality, and of common purpose with the Allies. For returning veterans, the Norman countryside evokes crosscurrents of nostalgia, pride and guilt.” With those words, on May 28, 1984, Time magazine introduced its coverage of the 40th anniversary of the Allies’ D-Day Normandy invasion of June 6, 1944, the major steppingstone ...

As Americans, we must discuss patriotism more

The Memorial Day-related front-page article in Monday’s Mirror provided two pictures 180 degrees apart regarding the annual patriotic observance. It is apropos to reflect on both, not only encompassing communities in the Southern Alleghenies region but others throughout the state and nation. For many area communities, Memorial Day came and went as expected. There was healthy attendance at parades and other holiday-related ceremonies and events, with residents and visitors demonstrating respect for the brave, selfless men and women who gave their lives while in this nation’s ...

Prison’s challenges adding up

Pennsylvania’s county prisons have been a hot topic in the news periodically for much of the past half-century, with county prison boards and commissioners often wrestling with issues like: — Deterioration and whether to renovate the existing facility or build new. — How to deal with temporary overcrowding. — Whether to transfer inmates to counties with available space in their prisons. — Investigations tied to successful escapes. — Correcting “weak spots” and that provide a gateway for escapes and behaviors that can lead to troublesome inmate ...

Remember what holiday represents

On America’s political front, 2024 might end up being the most divisive year people of this nation will witness and experience in their lifetime. Many Americans already are longing for the day when the presidential election will have come and gone and, on that note some already are looking forward to winter, even if winter has not been their favorite season up to now. Most Americans want harmony and cohesiveness, even if they harbor differences of opinion on certain major or not-so-major issues. The kind of disrespect being lobbed virtually non-stop within and from virtually ...