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Digesting Altoona’s crime report

There is much to like regarding the 2021 crime report issued by Altoona Police Chief Joe Merrill at a City Council meeting Monday. Unfortunately, there are some things not to like, although not nearly as many as some communities of Altoona’s size, in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, are encountering. Merrill was right in not trying to portray the report as a panacea, but at the same time there are bragging rights of which our city residents can be abundantly proud. Nevertheless, the bottom line is that there is room for improvement in the city’s crime picture, and the city as a ...

Fireworks limitations reasonable

As we approach the Independence Day holiday — which this year creates a three-day weekend because of July 4 falling on a Monday — we approach a time that many look forward to, but certain others dread. It’s not because of the celebration of America, it’s because of the method of the celebration of America — mainly fireworks. For many, fireworks are a fun tradition, whether setting off their own or watching a professional display. But for others, fireworks are at best an inconvenience and at worst a legitimate hazard. The inconvenience comes from those with small ...

Schools must remain transparent

With people of the United States still feeling shock and grief over the massacre of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, last month, officials of school districts across this country have embarked once again on the task of assessing security at their respective educational facilities and regarding students’ participation in various activities. While students and teachers get a break from what often is referred to as the classroom grind, not so for administrators and school boards, both of whom are tasked with assessing what went right and what went wrong during the just ...

Jan. 6 probe should be must-see TV

The U.S. House select committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol will take its investigation to prime time on Thursday, after having issued more than 100 subpoenas, after having conducted more than 1,000 interviews and after having collected more than 100,000 documents. Regardless of one’s political affiliation, opinions and loyalties being harbored, or conclusions already rooted for debate or argument, every American who loves this free country should deem it important — indeed, vital — to open oneself to the information that will be made ...

Legislators’ perks: It makes sense to look deeper at legislators’ perks

A Spotlight PA article printed in Wednesday’s Mirror — “Gift ban, other changes stall in Pa. legislature” — should have been an eye-opener to residents of this region and residents beyond. However, what the independent watchdog’s article did not do is devote “equal time” to some of the relevant issues that lawmakers are ignoring while they are pretending to be interested in passing measures targeting their generous perks — legislation that they know either House or Senate inaction will ultimately block. Taxpayers do not fathom the amount of their dollars being spent ...

Teachers react fast in crisis

Shining rays of sun on some good news: Two local school teachers are being credited with helping to save a man confined to a wheelchair from a potentially hazardous fire. Jess Zorger and Joy Finochio were dropping off their children at local care centers when Zorger’s daughter, Anna, noticed smoke coming from a home on Byron Avenue in Altoona. Zorger and Finochio knew each other. As they quickly approached the home, they saw two wheelchairs on fire and a roof over the porch melting. They hollered inside, and a man, Jason Muro, answered, “I’m handicapped, and I can’t get ...