In response to the Michael Stubler letter to the editor (“Trump isn’t fit to lead the country,” March 5), first of all, public education is not a choice because of expense. All kids should have a choice where they want to be educated, private or public. For those students who choose ...
OK media, enough fear mongering about this virus. Tell us the facts and put this whole situation in perspective. First, the perspective: Last year in the United States 42.9 million people got the flu, 647,000 people were hospitalized and 61,200 people died. These are numbers from the ...
As a daily reader of the Mirror, I truly appreciate the meditation Bible verse. So many times, it is exactly what I need for my situation. My question concerns the amount of space you give the horoscope in comparison. A “Scientific Inquiry into the Validity of Astrology” in the Journal ...
I wish to address the inaccuracies of William Straesser’s recent letter about the ongoing drama surrounding the county board of commissioners. Voters of Blair County (not just Republicans) chose Amy Webster as one of their commissioners because they are furious with the reassessment debacle ...
In a 500-word diatribe directed in part against critics of Blair County Commissioner Bruce Erb, former Bill Shuster campaign staffer William Straesser alleges that Amy Webster’s campaign was financed by an unnamed “outside organization.” That isn’t true, although we have little doubt ...
I am a supporter of the Second Amendment along with the other 26 amendments given to us in this great country. I am also for reasoning and understanding the implications of attempting local ordinances to support our rights — a middle-ground conservative who looks at all options and ...
I was reading an article in “market.businessinsider.com,” and I could not believe what I was reading. There was an article about a Donald Trump’s gathering at Fox News Town Hall Forum. It stated, “Trump said he’ll cut entitlements like Social Security and Medicare if reelected in ...
The state of condition of the streets and roads of Hollidaysburg Borough is both unacceptable and embarrassing. Justin Beigle Hollidaysburg
The pond at Lakemont is nothing more than a large retainage area for runoff and drainage for the mall, the ballfield and all of eastern Pleasant Valley from First Street down. It never was anything but a drainage ditch to collect runoff from sewers and discharge drainage the whole way down ...
I have attended several meetings in the last few weeks dealing with our Second Amendment rights. Some would say that in Blair County, the people who live here would support the right to bear arms. Well, I am here to tell you that the number of people showing up for these meetings would make ...
With the death of 15-year-old Devon Pfirsching, I have to wonder why we don’t see more police patrols on our Altoona streets. I respect all police very much, but it’s my opinion that, as a city, we could do more to ensure safety, public security and well-being. Traffic lights can’t ...
Stopping by the post office, I came upon yellow caution tape blocking off the crumbling front steps of the federal building. That small example of neglect started me thinking this example was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Trump administration and the Republican Senate’s ...
This letter is in response to a recent letter from Mike Brown regarding the Blair County commissioners being led by Bruce Erb. Brown seems to play fast and loose with his facts for several reasons. The election of the two newest members of the body of commissioners was an exercise of picking ...
To all of you saying, “If my candidate does not get the nomination, I’m just not going to vote,” let me tell you about an amazing lady that lived to be 102 years old and never missed voting in every election — my grandmother, Alma Leamer. She was born in 1909, when women did not have ...
As a Blair County resident, I am ecstatic that we are finally ratifying one of the critical amendments in the Bill of Rights, but we should certainly not stop there. For the sake of consistency, I would ask that the following resolutions be presented at the next commissioners meeting: 1. ...
Where are the jobs that we were promised? I want to take the time to address the current job situation in and around our Altoona and Blair County area. The facts are that we have lost well over 800 family sustaining jobs in the last year alone in our area, (Norfolk Southern, Watco, Sproul ...
I have a question to pose to the readers of the Mirror. How much longer can we tolerate the sophomoric, puerile behavior demonstrated by the POTUS? He has successfully attacked American institutions such as the intelligence community, the Department of Education and now the Centers for ...
The rule of law is a bedrock principle of our democracy. In theory, this means we have a system of laws, meted out in an equitable fashion without regard to race, social status, or who you know. In practice, it is difficult to achieve equity, and we can point to many ways in which the ...
While I applaud Bob Casey’s vote for impeachment, we are unfortunately now beyond that. We need to look ahead to Pennsylvania’s primary elections and those throughout the U.S. and devise a plan to ensure that Russian influence will not play a part, whether that’s here in Pennsylvania ...
Infant mortality continues to be a national crisis in the United States. Currently, the average national mortality rate is 6.1 deaths per 1,000 live births (National Institute for Children’s Health Quality, 2020). Sadly, this statistic increases significantly in underserved populations, ...