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Guidelines important for coalition

The biggest challenge facing the Blair County Re-entry Coalition’s new effort geared toward helping soon-to-be released — or just released — local prison inmates find rental housing that fits their needs will be to earn the confidence and trust of landlords trying to decide whether to participate in the program. However, it was not surprising to learn that so far there has not been an outpouring of landlord support on behalf of the program. Likewise, it was not surprising to learn that information about the new program has yet to reach many on the proverbial roster of ...

Don’t ignore terroristic elements

Most people probably do not realize that Altoona and Johnstown have been potential terrorism targets for a long time, not just since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. For example, if Germany and Japan would have been capable of attacking the United States mainland during World War II, these two industrial communities could have been prime targets, because of the nation’s transportation capabilities that Altoona helped make possible and the critical steelmaking capacity that Johnstown provided to the war effort. Consider the important support roles of the two communities during ...

Lawmakers do right on stalking law

As technology continues to change, our laws and our sense of justice must adapt to meet the new technological landscape. One such aspect of that evolution is the use of devices by predators to secretly track the locations of the victims — particularly women — that they are stalking. “Whether it’s a creep at the bar or an angry ex-partner, this is a new avenue that they can use to non-consensually track somebody without their knowledge,” Adam Dodge, CEO of digital safety education company EndTAB and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Digital Justice Advisory Committee, ...

For Norfolk Southern, vote looming large

“Nothing is going to change” is a common message delivered to employees when the ownership of their company changes. While that might be true initially, a new owner eventually makes judgments about ways to improve operations and develops plans and procedures for making those adjustments reality. Sometimes those judgments prove correct and sometimes not. Sometimes those judgments affect employees directly, sometimes not. Nevertheless, new ideas and changes are a reality daily in the business world, whether or not those ideas and changes are built upon new ownership, new ...

City plan leaves lots to ponder

The latest and perhaps final draft of the city’s new comprehensive planning effort contains much to consider: — Much for city residents. — Much for city leaders. — Much for resident business owners and operators. — Much even for non-residents whose business and/or work interests are part of the city’s vital cornerstone. — Much for the education and religious communities. — Much for the various facets of the cultural and historical communities and the miscellaneous interests that make this wonderful city what it is today. However, the central point of the ...

25 years later, Columbine fallout remains

A Mirror article on April 18, 2019, two days shy of the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colo., focused on the emotional toll on police, especially members of a particular SWAT team, who responded to the human carnage that terrible day. “On the 20th anniversary of Columbine,” the article said, “the effects of trauma experienced by law enforcement authorities who respond to school shootings are still largely unknown. Experts say agencies are reluctant to let researchers interview officers and dredge up potentially painful ...