Breaking News

Editorials

On tourism, county smart to think ahead

Blair County’s extensive railroad history brings many millions of tourism dollars to the county annually, the main point of interest, of course, being the Horseshoe Curve. Meanwhile, it is safe to speculate that many tourists coming here are unaware of the county’s rich Revolutionary War history, the central point of that history being Fort Roberdeau. Tourism-minded people living here already know — or should know — that there is not enough signage at or near the county’s entry points indicating the existence of the fort and its location. Some of those people might also ...

Awareness heightening on vinyl chloride

About 40 years ago, a civil court trial in Cambria County dealt with whether a popular oven cleaner should be prohibited from being sold any longer due to injuries a woman allegedly suffered while using the product. After a jury heard several days of testimony, including some that focused on whether the woman had followed directions fully regarding the product’s use, the trial ended when the judge who was presiding over the proceeding issued a declaratory judgment, nullifying the opportunity for the jury to render a verdict. Fast-forward to the weekend of Aug. 12-13, when the ...

License plate maintenance is important

Approximately 200 vehicle owners responded to state Rep. Jesse Topper’s “Hard-to-Read License Plate Event” in June in the parking lot adjacent to his office in Bedford. As with a similar event held in suburban Johnstown last August by state Rep. Jim Rigby and the Richland Township Police Department, Topper’s event was aimed at getting deteriorated or damaged plates off vehicles — plates that in fact can pose a danger to police trying to carry out their duties. Bedford Borough and state police participated in Topper’s replacement program, which saved the 200 vehicle owners ...

Sunshine Act abuse shouldn’t be tolerated

Citizens should know what issues their school boards, borough councils and other government agencies plan to deliberate and/or vote on at public meetings. Call this commonsense requirement what it is: The law in Pennsylvania. Since 2021, the Sunshine Act, or state open-meetings law, requires that a government agency make its meeting agenda available at least 24 hours in advance of a public meeting. The agency must post the agenda on its publicly accessible internet website, if it has one, as well as at the agency office and at the location of the meeting. In addition, copies of ...

Important decision faces Tyrone chamber

It is not uncommon for a small organization to be reluctant to join forces — merge — with a larger one because of fear over possibly giving up its individual identity. Mirror reporter Walt Frank’s Aug. 7 article “Tyrone chamber considers merger” provided hints of such reluctance amid that organization’s interest in obtaining information from and about the Blair County Chamber of Commerce. Joe Hurd and Steve McKnight, leaders of the Blair chamber and Altoona Blair County Development Corporation, will be addressing the Tyrone Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Club on Wednesday ...

More urgency needed in NS cleanup efforts

Norfolk Southern apparently is nowhere close to completing the cleanup and legal consequences associated with the Feb. 3 fiery East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, just west of Ohio’s border with Pennsylvania. The derailment and all that has happened in its aftermath have spawned intense public interest, especially in railroad communities such as Altoona and Johnstown. But the news in recent days that the derailment’s cost had reached $803 million — double initial estimates and with significantly bigger damage numbers believed yet to come — was met with a sense of surprise and ...