Breaking News

Letters to the Editor

Support Ward’s fight for women’s sports

State Sen. Judy Ward deserves recognition for her continued work to protect opportunities for female athletes in Pennsylvania. Ward sponsored the Save Women’s Sports Act, Senate Bill 9, which passed the state Senate 32-18 in May 2025 with bipartisan support. The legislation would require athletic teams at public schools and colleges to be designated male, female or coed, with teams designated for women limited to female athletes as defined by the bill. Ward has argued that separating sports by biological sex is necessary to preserve fair competition and the opportunities created for ...

Vote Republican on Nov. 3

For some looking at a ballot, they see a name. When I look at the ballot, I see people I have interacted with for three years and I personally know care about this county and country. Sen. Judy Ward, Rep. Scott Barger, Rep. Andrea Verobish and Congressman John Joyce continually communicate with and work with the county on important issues and funding. I have never seen someone with as much energy as Stacy Garrity. As a veteran and current Treasurer, she will place this state first instead of using her position as a platform to run for a presidential election. I support all these ...

Second Amendment membership

In a Sept. 29 letter, a writer commented on what he saw as a lack of NRA membership. He added that the right may be precious, but the Bill of Rights has no membership requirement for keeping and bearing arms. That would be one of the infringements mentioned in the Second Amendment. As far as his complaint is concerned, there are other national organizations such as Gun Owners of America, the Second Amendment Foundation, the Firearms Policy Coalition, the National Association for Gun Rights, the Citizens Committee For The Right To Keep and Bear Arms, and Specialized and demographic ...

Your vote counts in the midterms

Turning out the vote is of utmost importance when it comes to state and local elections. Recently our current governor was pursuing an overreach by changing regulations within the department of health which would have deeply affected privacy and autonomy in regards to our families, children and businesses. Republican Sen. Judy Ward was the first to stand up via media to call out the governor with this dangerous overreach. Her boldness enabled many of us to speak out and stop the overreach. Ward has been one of our most valued consistently conservative candidates since winning the ...

Help Garrity, Ward, Verobish make history

Aside from being a total upgrade on our present Governor, electing Stacy Garrity would mark a huge historical milestone by making her the first female governor of the commonwealth. In Blair County, we benefit greatly from great female leaders like Sen. Judy Ward and Rep. Andrea Verobish. I believe Garrity's greatness, though, comes not from her gender but from her qualifications. A veteran, a business owner, and now State Treasurer. Help Garrity make history on Nov. 3 and vote Republican. Dave Woleslagle Altoona

Bills Joyce voted against

U.S. Rep. John Joyce voted against: 1. Raising the minimum wage for Pennsylvania workers. 2. Allowing Medicare to negotiate lowering drug prices. 3. The $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill that sent billions to state and local governments. 4. The American Rescue Plan that sent $40 million to Altoona and $11 billion to Pennsylvania. 5. the $1,400 stimulus checks. 6. Increasing unemployment benefits. 7. The $3,000 child tax credits. 8. Small business relief. 9. Funds for vaccine distribution. 10. Renters assistance. 11. Support to rehab blighted properties. Joyce acts like he cares about his ...