Examining expanded bus service

March 10, 2023

The big question hanging over Amtran’s proposal to extend bus service by two hours into the evenings is whether the ridership will continue to exist to justify that additional transportation availability indefinitely. That is not a question limited to Amtran. Any transportation entity pondering or implementing extension of service, whether it be hours of operation or additional routes, faces uncertainty over whether the novelty of that additional service will devolve into lackadaisical interest and support over time. Any new or modified service must be monitored closely to gauge ...

White House must address our inflation

March 7, 2023

The Associated Press accurately summed up the circumstances in one word: alarming. Under the key measurement the Federal Reserve uses to determine the severity of inflation, in January inflation rose at its fastest pace since June. On a year-over-year basis, the Associated Press reports, prices were up 5.4 percent. The trend dashes economists’ hopes that inflation was decelerating. But for too long, hope has simply played too great a role in how the inflationary pressures on middle-class and working-class families are being addressed. The Biden Administration’s response, as ...

Election looming, so get ahead

March 6, 2023

It is heartening to see many people stepping forward to run for public office and serve the citizens of our region of Pennsylvania. Serving as an elected representative is kind of thankless these days, what with our divisive politics. The May 16, 2023, Primary Election in Pennsylvania will see various local offices up for election. Yes, this year is a big local election year. At the county level, you’ll see races for sheriff, commissioner, auditors, district attorney, prothonotary and register and recorder. In local courts, you’ll see races for magisterial district ...

Railroad has some image work to repair

March 4, 2023

For Altoona and other communities in this region through which Norfolk Southern trains traverse, the railroad generally is regarded as being a good community partner. Blair County Emergency Management Director Mark Taylor voiced that exact description in recent days as cleanup continued in East Palestine, Ohio, from the Feb. 3 NS derailment that produced an environmental mess, plus raising concerns about whether derailment-related adverse health impacts might be in the future for some residents of the small community. Among the train units that derailed a quarter-mile from the ...

Don’t fight blight with jack-o-lantern

March 1, 2023

Altoona City Councilman Bruce Kelley probably did not appreciate fully the significance of a comment he made at a council meeting in January when he and his municipal colleagues were brainstorming how best to promote housing construction within the boundaries of the Mountain City. Actually, the comment was more than an observation. In fact, it merits being the foundation for what ought to be forthcoming on the city’s housing front this year and in years beyond. For those who might have missed Kelley’s words or forgotten them, they are worth repeating: “We tear down and never ...

As a country, we must help our children

February 25, 2023

Most of today’s parents accept that their daughters and sons are being challenged in ways they were not while growing up. Unfortunately, many parents today, especially those who remember fondly what they describe as carefree teenage years, resist the notion that the feelings their teenagers are experiencing in the America of today might be much different from what they remember regarding their lives while in high school. Even the shootings and other violence some schools have experienced over the past several decades in this country have failed to sway some parents’ thinking that ...