Breaking News

Editorials

Amtran must always plan ahead

Winter 2023-24 won’t be remembered as having been a harsh one, from Blair County’s perspective. True, it did have its challenging moments but, all considered, Blair can count itself lucky, in terms of snowfall amount, icy temperatures and winter misery in general. Overall, it wasn’t that bad, especially from the standpoint of anyone having to drive a vehicle, no matter winter’s penchant for trickiness, unpredictability and unpleasant surprises. Still, many people here are getting impatient about not yet having had an extended period of bright, sunny, generally springlike ...

British gov’t drawing line on smoking

It’s not just a United States thing; there are smokers around the world who wish they never had taken “that first puff” of a cigarette — for health or other reasons, including the cost of continuing what many call a habit. Regardless, smokers throughout this planet who have access to world news — and who pay attention to what is going on — are likely to be interested in following a story emanating from the halls of British government about an attempt to eventually ban smoking. However, three important questions hang over the U.K. effort to create what already is being ...

Overdoses at prison troubling

The April 12 Mirror article “Five Blair prison inmates overdose” should have done more than raise the eyebrows of those reading it. The article should have been an incentive for those readers to ponder what more can be done to deter smuggling into the prison items that are forbidden — items often referred to as contraband. Some of those readers probably wondered what the Pennsylvania Legislature might be able to do, and whether the legislative delegations of Blair and surrounding counties would be able to build support among their other state governmental colleagues in ...

Rail decision better late than never

It should not have taken the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration two years to make the common-sense ruling against one-person crews for America’s major freight railroads. However, the ruling, having been finalized April 2, is better late than never. The prospect of one-member crews for what have become ever-longer trains — many carrying hazardous cargoes — was a preposterous idea that never should have been proposed. Although railroads disagreed and continue to disagree, the plan was a prescription for tragedy. Railroad communities such as ...

City search becoming elusive one

Altoona City Council is correct in its reluctance to rush into naming a permanent city manager, but a question hovers over the hiring issue. That question is: Is there anything about Altoona that is a turn-off to candidates with the experience and mettle to address this community’s various issues and unfinished business while maintaining a positive working relationship with the personalities elected to correctly oversee the city’s well-being? Perhaps there are no turn-offs, but the puzzlement logically persists about why that right individual still has not surfaced, especially ...

For mandated reporters, there is no gray area

Last weekend’s front-page Mirror article “No gray area for mandated reporters” should have been a must-read for everyone, since virtually everyone has indirect or direct contact with children. The article in question should have “opened a lot of eyes” regarding safeguards already in place to combat or address unseemly situations that could endanger or damage a child’s life and possibly have negative implications even after that child reaches adulthood. However, the article also exposed possible issues that, if addressed, could help in the battle against dangerous people ...