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Editorials

Emergency care for children needs scrutiny

There are many good causes with their proverbial hands out, seeking money from the federal government. There always will be. However, the Wall Street Journal, in its Oct. 2 edition, called attention to a need that should spike interest in the mind and heart of every member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Additionally, those elected officials should engage in some determined legwork to identify whether the problem on which the Journal focused is indeed a problem — or not — in their particular sphere of representation. The bottom line is that the people they ...

Social workers help to provide library support

Under the headline “The booming business of American anxiety,” the Wall Street Journal on Aug. 22 focused on the observation that companies are aiming to fill demand for mental-health help, but the science behind much of the industry is unclear. The article goes on to point out that “a search for anxiety relief on Google pulls up links for supplements in the form of pills, patches, gummies and mouth sprays. There are vibrating devices that hang around your neck and tone your vagus nerve, weighted stuffed animals, bead-filled stress balls and coloring books that claim to bring ...

Fire safety awareness must remain constant

This is the time of the year when considerable attention is focused on ghosts, goblins, witches riding broomsticks, pumpkins and reliving the longstanding traditions of neighborhood trick-or-treating and costumed Halloween parties. However, what deserves much more attention — much more serious attention — during this first full month of autumn is fire safety, which, specifically, includes what to do and what not to do when confronted with a fire emergency. The start of a new heating season oftentimes brings blazes resulting from a number of causes, including failure to have had ...

Feedback needed on Keith project

City officials and the Altoona Redevelopment Authority merit plaudits for watching for any opportunity to improve or develop the municipality’s housing base. The latest new opportunity to receive publicity involves the former Keith Junior High School athletic field. According to city councilman and authority member Ron Beatty, there have been conversations about the authority obtaining control of the property for housing development. On the surface, that appears to be a reasonable proposal, but public input from people residing in that area needs to be sought and ...

Amtrak ‘spiff up’ needs to benefit our region, too

The Mirror remains committed to the opinion that Amtrak should beef up its east-to-west, west-to-east service across Pennsylvania, particularly in the Harrisburg-to-Pittsburgh corridor. An editorial in this newspaper’s July 9-10, 2022, edition expressed the point that “expanded Amtrak service can become a cost-effective and popular option, even if an overnight stay in Pittsburgh might be necessary. Most area business people, as well as recreational travelers, are well aware of the headaches associated with trying to access that city by way of virtually every major vehicular-access ...

County showing foresight

Knowledgeable business people know that they have to spend money to make money. To Blair County’s credit, the governing board of commissioners recognizes that sometimes it is wise to forgo some tax revenue now in order for taxing bodies — the state, county, a municipality and/or a school district, for example, to reap a larger collection amount in future years. The two commissioners who were in attendance at the board’s Sept. 26 meeting — Laura Burke and Amy Webster — put that thinking into play when they endorsed resolutions extending the availability of tax breaks through ...