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On this day, spend time in reflection

On this day 22 years ago, many Americans had hardly gotten settled into their workday when the day was shattered by the news that jetliners had struck both towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, another jetliner had crashed into the Pentagon and a fourth plane still was in the air over Pennsylvania and was headed in the direction of Washington, D.C. Of course, that last plane ended up crashing in a field alongside a wooded area just outside of Shanksville, Somerset County, miraculously sparing that community and neighboring Indian Lake Borough of what could have been a ...

Gathering info on state seniors important step

Considering that by 2030 about one in three Pennsylvania residents — 33 percent — are expected to be over 60 years old, it is right that the state has begun working on a plan to ensure that adequate services and protections will be in place to serve that larger elderly population. Currently, about one in four residents of this state — 25 percent — are members of that age group. As an article in the Aug. 3 Mirror reported, five states already have plans in place for helping their elderly populations, going forward, while the Keystone State is one of 11 states in the process of ...

Shortage at AMED concerning

AMED is experiencing the same manpower-shortage pressures that many area volunteer fire departments have been dealing with for more than a few years. Fortunately for AMED, the ambulance service still is able to describe its manpower status as “flat” rather than critically deficient. Numerous volunteer fire services in this region would feel fortunate if they could justify using AMED’s description rather than being much more hard-pressed to have enough firefighters available most times when a call is received. For volunteer fire units, the future portends to be uncertain well ...

Significance of Labor Day remains high

This year the American labor scene has continued its journey back toward the way it was prior to the pandemic. It probably will take several more years for that journey — inevitable even from the pandemic’s first days — to be complete. For better or worse, depending upon from whose personal vantage point the current labor landscape is being viewed, many starting wages no longer reflect the pandemic worker shortages proclaimed by the “Help Wanted” signs that for many months dotted business districts and retail corridors. Anyone with an understanding about the business ...

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 ...