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Railroads cannot be too careful

Myriad short- and long-term factors can be responsible for train derailments, and it is safe to conclude that there likely never will come a time when the possibility for such an occurrence will be reduced to zero. However, there never should be letup in trying to achieve such an outcome, despite the odds against total success. Amid that must be acknowledgment that railroading has produced remarkable safety numbers, considering the millions of miles traversed annually by those monstrosities on wheels, controlled by what only can be judged as skeleton crews, both on the trains and in ...

Easter message can still bring hope for future

People who live their lives on the foundation of Easter’s messages have to be wondering this weekend why so many people, and why so many leaders in all categories of leadership, refuse to do so. Tyrants around the world, unscrupulous leaders and violent and not-so-violent criminals are carrying out myriad forms of dishonest and evil acts, all as if the messages of Easter did not exist. What kind of cataclysmic wake-up call does the world need to start getting things right, once and for all? The pandemic didn’t provide that incentive; it merely exacerbated invective. St. Mark is ...

Gas stations challenged by evolution

Few residents of the Southern Alleghenies region probably have given much thought to how gasoline stations of today might have to change as more and more electric vehicles populate America’s roadways. Those who think they will not live long enough to witness whatever the changes ultimately will be need to shift their attention to a higher gear. The fact is those changes already have begun to be implemented, if not in a way that can be deemed drastic, then in a way that can accurately be described as managed evolution. Meanwhile, if you have the time and interest to seek ...

Holding hope police discover origin of hoax

Mass shootings, including the one at a Nashville Christian school on Monday, are horrifying. The emotional trauma experienced by survivors and the families of the victims must be indescribable. No words seem adequate to comfort them. Thankfully, the Altoona area was spared that horrid experience Wednesday morning. But what police, school personnel, parents and the community faced when a fake school shooting call came into the Blair County 911 Center was barbaric. The fear that spread throughout the community — and especially among the families of Altoona Area High School ...

Suicide program important

Mirror readers had the opportunity earlier this month to read about a number of ways Pennsylvania and its elected officials are hoping to cut down on teen suicide deaths. The important Blair County element of the article is this county is among 10 Keystone State counties that are being offered the opportunity to participate in a pilot program aimed at combating that problem. The other nine counties are Berks, Dauphin, Franklin, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Sullivan, Venango and Wayne. No county being offered participation in such an initiative should reject the opportunity, since those ...

Fungus among us must be guarded against

In this space last weekend, the Mirror editorialized that it still is too early for people to let their guard down regarding COVID-19. That editorial noted the existence of many unanswered questions regarding the origin of the coronavirus and troubling uncertainties about what might lie ahead, specifically ill effects from COVID-19 that might remain long into the future. Unfortunately, now there is another serious scare evolving on the health front. This new scare is not new; it’s been lingering predominantly below the public “radar” in this country since 2009, when it was ...