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Still too early to let guard down on COVID

For most Americans, including people of the Southern Alleghenies region — Blair, Cambria, Somerset, Bedford, Huntingdon and Fulton counties — life is returning slowly but steadily to the way it was prior to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Seeing a person wearing a mask is much less common, pessimism about COVID-19 is giving way to increased confidence that the battle against the prolonged scourge is on the verge of being won, and that refinements to the vaccines developed so far will continue to make a COVID resurgence by way of a deadly new variant much less ...

Addressing homeless dilemma

Praise is in order for Altoona City Council for its action — and its wide-ranging discussion — related to allocating $1 million in federal grant money to help address the local homelessness problem. Considering the scope of that Mountain City problem, it is but a small step, despite the cost, but it is an important one nonetheless. Specifically, the allocated money will be used by the Durbin Companies to construct a modular building with six two-bedroom apartments on a vacant lot on the 100 block of Lexington Avenue. Commendably, the Durbin family and its companies have been ...

Search for sunshine in ‘open society’

It’s been nearly 60 years since President Lyndon Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act. The signing was done out of the view of the public, ironic considering a statement released with the passing of the bill noted Johnson signed it “with a deep sense of pride that the United States is an open society.” Turns out, Johnson’s hand was forced by a unanimous vote in Congress, which marked the end of a very interesting story into how the act — those in the biz call it FOIA, pronounced foy-ah — came into existence. Sunshine Week is observed March 12-18 across the ...

Food banks never run short on area needs

Numerous food pantries in the Southern Alleghenies region no doubt had experiences around the Christmas-New Year’s holiday season similar to what some of Blair County’s food banks encountered. “Holidays cheery for food banks” was the headline of a Jan. 2 Mirror article, followed by the message “Local pantries experiencing a merry season for donations.” “All in all, inflation has not hindered the generosity of community members and businesses toward these pantries, and they are all extremely grateful,” the article reported. “They are hoping the new year continues ...

Examining expanded bus service

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

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 ...