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Unfortunate stigma will follow Butler

Hopefully, this country has witnessed its last assassination attempt on a political leader or officeholder although, judging from the mood of the United States now and possibly well into the future, that might be too much wishful thinking for which to feel confident and comfortable. Saturday’s assassination attempt directed at former President Donald Trump, now the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, should cause people of this country to remain anxiety-ridden, albeit vigilant, over what might lie ahead leading up to the Nov. 5 general election. And, concern cannot be limited ...

Investigations on senior abuse need urgency

Mirror readers, as well as other Pennsylvania residents who have access to reporting by the news organization Spotlight PA, were recipients of an extremely troubling report last weekend about lagging senior abuse investigations in this state. “Unconscionable” is too mild of a description for what Spotlight uncovered in its examination and analysis of official records it was able to obtain. What last weekend’s report revealed clearly is that more specifics need to be known about the problem, what is being done to correct the deficiencies that continue to exist, plus the need to ...

County’s plan for capacity study solid

Even if no significant or immediate public services changes result, an apparently upcoming state-supported “capacity study” focusing in large part on Blair County emergency services’ manpower shortages could provide guidance beneficial for the long term. Blair officials should acknowledge that possibility and keep the study close at hand as they work to resolve issues in the years, as well as just the months, ahead. It is important to acknowledge now that no one should be mislead into categorizing the study as having been a worthless exercise if planning or decisions based on ...

Accusations against NS troubling

The National Transportation Safety Board’s allegation that Norfolk Southern repeatedly tried to interfere with the investigation of the Feb. 3, 2023, Norfolk derailment on the outskirts of East Palestine, Ohio, near Ohio’s border with Pennsylvania, is the latest development in the rail company’s roller-coaster-like experience since the accident. The railroad’s image was dealt a huge blow — immediately and understandably — the moment the derailment occurred and during the days, weeks and months afterward regarding some decisions that were made about how to respond to it and ...

America more than its politics

On this Independence Day, America’s politicians on both sides of the political aisle ought to be thinking more about this country as a whole — what is best for this wonderful free land — than mostly about their party, their party’s agenda or the friction they might harbor and encourage against those with whom they disagree. But can they muster such a spirit of patriotism — what in a different time might seem inevitable? This year, probably not, amid the rampant divisiveness that haunts the halls of their governmental responsibilities. For America’s citizens, then, this ...

Our view: Special ed needs more attention

Unfunded mandates, products of the federal and state governments, do not sit well with local-level units of government. Neither do those mandates sit well with school districts and institutions of higher learning, especially as they are trying to prepare and balance new budget packages. Depending on the scope of such a mandate, an unfunded or weakly funded edict can wreak havoc on the most well-thought-out of spending plans, not only for a year but possibly extending far beyond. Why is it a good time to be reflecting on budget challenges, especially in regard to ...