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Duncansville leadership sets example

At some time or other, all levels or units of government deserve the criticism directed their way — but not all of the time, despite what many constituents might believe. A scenario in play in Duncansville dealing with a community center project is testimony to the good that is possible when leaders work together and are otherwise open-minded and properly committed to accomplish successfully what they have set out to do. Duncansville’s project is just getting started, but it is taking shape in a way that should avoid disagreements and problems, as well as avoid unnecessary ...

World better served with information

Despite all of the electronic media that are available today, thousands of individuals and families continue to rely on the Mirror as their most trusted, most important news source. That is destined to continue, this newspaper having launched its second 150 years of service on June 13, with no intent to cut back on presenting the most important “hard” news of the day, as well as a variety of opinion viewpoints, happenings in the sports world and many other features. It is our mission and that mission will remain intact. Although there are people who might disagree — and ...

Nation’s power grid must be top priority

The federal government is scrambling to boost the capacity of America’s power grid, and that will continue to be one of this nation’s most important pursuits for many years to come, due to demands associated with electric vehicles and artificial-intelligence capabilities. However, what must not become lost within that capacity-building endeavor is the companion necessity of beefing up power-grid protections. Unfortunately, there so far has been little, if any, substantive discussion emanating from Washington about the protection issue, and that is troubling. Such discussion could ...

Looking in the Mirror and seeing pride

Happy birthday — to us! Today marks the 150th milestone in the rich history of the Altoona Mirror, one of the most iconic institutions in Central Pennsylvania and one of the state’s respected news organizations. Newspapers don’t typically cheer for themselves — we want to report the news, not make it — but we’re asking for an exception today. Founded on June 13, 1874, by Harry E. Slep and George J. Akers as the Evening Mirror, like any business that has survived and thrived this long, we have persevered through many changes. You can read all about them in today’s ...

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 ...