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Startups grow, but future still uncertain

U.S. Census Bureau data reveal that entrepreneurs applied for federal tax-identification numbers to register 4.54 million new businesses between January and October, up 56 percent from the same period of 2019. According to the Wall Street Journal, that was the largest number on record dating back to 2004. In a Tuesday article, the Journal said that two-thirds of the tax-ID-number applications were for businesses that are not expected to hire employees. “Workers quit jobs in droves to become their own bosses” was the headline. However, the article did not delve into questions ...

Russell’s legacy will last forever

All of Blair County has shared in the sorrow that erupted — and which has continued — since county corrections officer Rhonda J. Russell died Nov. 17 in the line of duty. At the same time, that sorrow has extended well beyond this county’s borders. On Monday, when Russell was laid to rest at Blair Memorial Park in Antis Township, following a funeral service attended by hundreds at the Blair County Convention Center, sorrow was accompanied by overwhelming appreciation for the splendid service she provided — especially for her dedication to providing positive guidance to so ...

Support our local merchants

Black Friday shopping is not what it used to be. It no longer is concentrated in one 24-hour period of purchasing mayhem, with millions of people across the United States staying awake all night or jumping out of their beds extra-early in hopes of being first in line at a favorite store. Instead, references to Black Friday prices and product availability have been going on for at least a month, especially at some big-box retailers. And anyone who has any interest in keeping track of what is happening on television and on the Internet has seen references to Black Friday and holiday ...

With cautious optimism, let’s celebrate Thanksgiving

Many families here and in most other parts of the United States are returning to their traditional Thanksgiving celebrations today, buoyed by vaccine-based cautious optimism that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is over. Perhaps the worst is over, but for many families with members still struggling with the lingering after-effects of the virus — remembrances of family members or friends who lost their battle against COVID-19, or some survivors still experiencing ongoing physical challenges stemming from their illness — Thanksgiving 2021 will not be anything near a triumphant ...

Weighing women as draftees

The issue of whether young women should be required to register for the military draft has been hovering mostly below the proverbial radar as COVID-19, abortion, infrastructure, Build Back Better, free speech, gun rights and other major topics have continued to dominate attention. However, with the U.S. House already having passed the female draft registration measure as part of a $777.9 billion annual defense policy bill and the Senate expected to act on the proposal in the not-too-distant future, it would seem that robust expressions of opinion by the public — pro and con — ...

Pennsylvania infrastructure must improve

For months, but what to most Americans might seem like years, the word “infrastructure” has been running a close second to “COVID-19” and its horrible toll of sickness and death. Now that President Joe Biden has signed into law the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, much center-stage attention has begun giving way to the president’s roughly $2 trillion healthcare, education and climate-change package that remains some distance away from final resolution and a presidential signature. But, like it or hate it, what has transpired on the infrastructure front, ...