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Shuster was political maestro for our region

Much like Elias Baker and J. Edgar Thompson, Bud Shuster indelibly left his mark in Blair County history. Because of his vision to connect Altoona via a four-lane highway — which he later named I-99 — Shuster created a lasting legacy, much like Baker’s mansion and iron furnace and Thompson’s Horseshoe Curve. Shuster died Wednesday at his Everett farm at age 91. During his 28-year congressional career, Shuster was a formidable champion for his central Pennsylvania district, never losing sight of his goal and playing the long game to make it happen. Along the way, he stood ...

Election letters due today

Letters concerning the May 16 primary election or candidates running in the election must be received in the Mirror’s newsroom by 4 p.m. today, April 21. There is a limit of one letter per person in each election cycle. To be considered for publication, election-related letters cannot exceed 150 words and must include the author’s name, complete home mailing address and home and daytime telephone numbers for verification purposes. Letters can be submitted online at vnr.altoonamirror.com; mailed to Altoona Mirror letters, P.O. Box 2008, Altoona, PA 16603; emailed to ...

Election letters due Friday

Letters concerning the May 16 primary election or candidates running in the election must be received in the Mirror’s newsroom by 4 p.m. Friday, April 21. There is a limit of one letter per person in each election cycle. To be considered for publication, election-related letters cannot exceed 150 words and must include the author’s name, complete home mailing address and home and daytime telephone numbers for verification purposes. Letters can be submitted online at vnr.altoonamirror.com; mailed to Altoona Mirror letters, P.O. Box 2008, Altoona, PA 16603; emailed to ...

Lakemont’s water park challenging

It is troubling to feel compelled to express a pessimistic viewpoint about anything related to Lakemont Park, which has been such a fun, family oriented fixture of the Altoona area for so long. But a situation at the park has reached the point where being optimistic seems virtually impossible. The situation in question involves the water park complex, which apparently will not be open this summer. This year will mark the fourth consecutive summer season that the park will be without most major elements of the water facility. Unless some positive development of major scope springs ...

Attendance in church remains important issue

Statistics on Easter-related church attendance in the six-county Southern Alleghenies region never have dominated newspaper front-page headlines during the week following the commemoration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection following his suffering and death on a cross on Mount Calvary. Attendance here usually is reported by use of the words “large” or “low” or some other similar adjective, but actual numbers comparing the latest year with previous ones for churches in the region are unheard of. It would require significant effort and much time to compile such a report. ...

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 ...