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Teacher shortage concerning

As the 1960s ended, Pennsylvania teachers still were providing dedicated service to their school districts and students, despite embarrassingly low wages, paltry fringe benefits and, in many cases, not commanding the respect and parental support that they deserved. That unfortunate scenario began to change in 1970, due to the Legislature’s passage of Act 195, the Public Employee Relations Act, which paved the way for collective bargaining — contract negotiations — that over the years produced increasingly higher pay, better insurance coverage, better retirement benefits and other ...

Logan Township can’t chicken out on decision

Municipal zoning ordinances such as Logan Township’s are not rooted in devious, poorly thought-out goals and objectives, or built on revenge against some person or entity. Their foundation is not constructed on the premise of eroding residents’ rights, grounded in that goal alone, although some people over the decades have disagreed vehemently. There is ample justification for having good zoning laws in effect. One of the basic ones is that people should not have their properties devalued, or made less visibly desirable, because something inconsistent with the rest of a ...

Railroad tracks must always remain clear

No reminder ever should be necessary regarding the importance of keeping debris off or from very near to railroad tracks. That does not suggest any need for “dusting” the tracks like people or most businesses do to maintain the appearance or general condition of furniture, desks or other items in homes or workplaces. However, keeping railroad tracks free of debris of any significant size is a safety imperative, not just for trains but also for homes or whatever else of any importance that might be near the tracks. And, the necessity for “clear” tracks is no less relevant ...

Security must be paramount

Blair residents should not envision that the issue of security at the county’s magisterial district courts will be resolved completely anytime soon. It is a many-faceted challenge centering on a plethora of possibilities needing extensive discussion before they’re ultimately prioritized and ruled upon. However, “not anytime soon” must not drag out to the point of losing some or most of its urgency. Proceedings at the district courts don’t just involve police, defendants, attorneys and the district judge and his or her staff. Victims, siblings, spouses, witnesses and ...

PSU Altoona chancellor fueled growth

Shining rays of sun on some good news: Penn State Altoona Chancellor Lori Bechtel-Wherry has announced her retirement, effective at the end of this year. Bechtel-Wherry has served the school honorably for 38 years — the last 17 as chancellor — and leaves an outstanding legacy. She helped transition the former Altoona Campus into a four-year school while presiding over its impressive growth into downtown Altoona, which has benefited from the college’s presence with new or renovated buildings now being used as classrooms and educational centers. Penn State Altoona, too, has ...

We must remain vigilant for signs of elder abuse

Could abuse of the elderly, brought about in part by the pandemic, be a problem escaping detection in the Southern Alleghenies region? Whether or not that is true, families, agencies, elder-care facilities and law enforcement officials must be proactive in watching for signs of that serious problem and be aggressive in following up, when suspicions exist or are brought to their attention by others. For the bulk of two years, the illness and death tolls and the various COVID-19 variants, as well as the efforts to contain and defeat the virus, rightly have consumed most of the attention. ...