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The tale of two countries

Over the weekend of Dec. 13, 2025, Australia and the United States experienced mass shootings. For Australia, the Bondi Island shooting was the third such event since 1996. The National Gun Archives reported Brown University was the 391st mass shooting in the U.S. in 2025. In the past 10 years, the United States has had over 5,700 mass shootings which killed or injured more than 19,000 people. Australia allows its citizens to own guns. However, after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, the Australian government established strict uniform gun control laws across the country, which included ...

Sasse’s courage in face of death

On Dec. 23, I, along with many across the nation, read the gut-wrenching message that former Sen. Ben Sasse wrote to the American people. “Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die.” The rest of his message is about his outlook, his faith and his family. Through both his writing and his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Sasse was an incredibly principled, conservative leader for Nebraska. In 2021, he became disillusioned with President Trump, and he was one of the Republican Senators who voted to convict the President in his second ...

Reshaping the American landscape

Did you see that the President is now building his own Arc de Trump. I guess the new gold ballroom was not enough. I did not know the President could dance. He always has film clips of the golfing, albeit he is lousy. I think everyone should come up with new ideas for the President, something he could build in your state or city. I was thinking of an Eiffel Tower, or maybe change the face of the Sphinx at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas to his likeness. Then we can move on to Mt. Rushmore, take off Washington, as he is the most prominent. I’m sure the list could go on but I am not ...

Stream restoration reduces flooding

The Intergovernmental Stormwater Committee’s current work to restore impaired stream reaches will reduce both flooding and sedimentation in the Hollidaysburg area and downstream communities. The Beaverdam Branch upstream of town and Brush Run at the Sylvan Hills Golf Course had been altered in such a way that flooding had increased, but action is being taken to restore these streams to a more natural state by stabilizing their banks and making their floodplains accessible so that the velocity and volume of downstream floodwaters are reduced. In addition to the corrective actions ...

Commissioners lack transparency

In a Dec. 19, 2025, Mirror article, it was disclosed the county commissioners are close to signing an agreement for an as-yet unnamed piece of ground for a new prison. There has been much discussion recently, but as usual, no specifics from our commissioners. The question arises, why the secrecy? Why can the taxpayers not be informed where a potential $90-120 million of our money will be spent? I must argue again the many drawbacks to a location outside of the current location of the prison, not the least of which will be the increased issues of transportation from the prison to the ...

Ward credited with changing lives

This is a follow up to the recent Altoona Mirror article: “Ward remembered for leadership, kindness to all.” In that wonderful article were several outside local businessmen paying tribute to G. Bill Ward. I would like to take you back to early October 1968, when I was discharged from the U.S. Navy, and returned to Hollidaysburg to join my wife, Thelma, and 1-year-old daughter, Lisa. My job search took me to Ward Trucking. I interviewed with W. W. Ward, chairman of the board, and President G. Bill Ward. These were two of the finest gentlemen I had ever met. I was so impressed ...