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AWA penalty needs more discussion

Any homeowner or business owner who pays a municipal water bill has grounds for questioning the “teeth” of the Altoona Water Authority’s new “penalty fee” for theft of hydrant water. While the fee certainly is justifiable, people familiar with the current and rising costs of municipal water might feel tempted to offer suggestions for beefing up what the authority hopes to accomplish by implementing the fee. First, AWA customers who never have attempted to steal water — and who never are late in paying their water bills — might feel that the authority erred in not ...

Uterine cancer among women raises concern

Women across America have been delivered a wake-up call regarding uterine cancer, but it probably will take at least several years to ascertain how well they’ve paid attention. Hopefully, women of the Southern Alleghenies region will be among those eventually delivering the message that they have responded correctly. According to a report in the Feb. 13 Wall Street Journal, the disease will kill an estimated 13,250 women in the United States this year, on its way, the American Cancer Society says, to surpassing ovarian cancer and becoming the deadliest gynecologic cancer. The ...

Embracing creative expression

Meaningful messages do not always come from individuals perceived as experts, or who otherwise boast celebrity status. Meaningful messages also come from “common people” busy with their daily tasks, or else engaged in activities that allow expression capable of impacting others in a positive way. This editorial will focus on two individuals, one now deceased but who for many years enhanced police work in the city of Pittsburgh, while the other continues to be an asset and advocate on behalf of Altoona’s optimistic spirit. This local person can usually be seen by hundreds or ...

City must take gangs seriously

The question haunting the minds of many Mirror readers last weekend was “What is happening to our city?” Last weekend’s Page 1 article “Police: ‘Gang war’ led to shooting” opened many eyes to a situation that many believed previously could never erupt in this city that otherwise has so much good working on its behalf. In the past, the words “gang war” and “Altoona” never seemed to have anything in common but now they do, and this entire community has serious cause for concern. Thus, the following question must not be ignored: Is the Altoona region adequately ...

Small biz must be alert to new rule

Operators of some small businesses here and throughout the rest of the country could be facing some unpleasant times if they do not familiarize themselves — and take steps to comply — with a new federal disclosure rule that took effect Jan. 1. Trouble is, it appears someone on the federal level dropped the proverbial ball in terms of disseminating important information to the businesses in question. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that some messy situations could be forthcoming, not only for many small businesses, but for the bureaucrats and other federal officials ...

Show love today and every day

(Editor’s note: The following editorial was written by former Mirror Staff Writer Amanda Gabeletto on Valentine’s Day in 2013. We liked it so much, we publish it each year.) Love covers a lot of ground. There is the love between a parent and a child. There’s love for one’s partner, sibling, friend, pet. There is even the very real love a child feels for a favorite stuffed animal. Any parent who has had to wash that stuffed animal or search frantically for it can attest to that. Some might say love varies in its degrees — that the love one has for a spouse cannot compare ...