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Letters to the Editor

Misplaced priorities in opioid crisis funding

Blair County recently approved spending $92,300 to train 142 law enforcement officers for opioid-related emergencies — paying some officers overtime to do a job they swore an oath to perform. Meanwhile, individuals entering the SUD (substance use disorder) counseling field often pay out-of-pocket for their education and training. First, why are we paying another state to train our officers when local, cost-effective options exist? The LETI program — offered free through the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office — was brought to the District Attorney’s attention in 2023 at a ...

Hoping rail merger benefits Altoona

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern announced an $85B merger. Pending all approvals, the deal is expected to close in early 2027. The big question is what does that mean to the Altoona, Enola and Conway rail yards and the Juniata repair shops? I seem to recall much anxiousness when Norfolk Southern bought Conrail. Let’s hope this is a favorable outcome for everyone. John Pierce Cocoa Beach, Fla., formerly of Bellwood

Trump’s bill doesn’t care about the poor

Donald Trump does not care about helping anyone who is not a billionaire. The proof of this is in his wanting to limit and eliminate various parts of SNAP benefits, Medicaid, Social Security and the American Care Act. He has no feelings for the poor, the elderly, the disabled and sick citizens of our country. He only cares about giving to the very rich. How did so many Republicans ignore the fact that he is a criminal and a liar? Also he lied about how he truly felt about abortion to get Christians to vote for him. In 1999, he was pro abortion. Trump just wants to be a king and ...

Accountability is needed now

Accountability likely strikes fear in the Trump administration. This fear is showing up in lots of places. In Texas, a mid-census Gerrymander is set to take place to provide up to 5 additional Republican seats in the U.S. House. Anti-voting legislation and actions are taking place across the country to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters. All targeting the 2026 mid-terms to prevent loss of power and accountability. Why are they so afraid of voters? If their policies are so good, then let everyone vote on them. Encourage voting. It’s obvious that Trump has no intention ...

Budget shreds services, undermines good

Americans understand that adversity can strike anyone at any time — and our instinct is to support our neighbors in times of need. So how can our elected officials justify a budget bill that threatens the security of countless families, while further enriching those already at the top? This isn’t just bad policy, it’s a moral failing. Despite overwhelming public disapproval of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, Republicans were determined to steal from the most vulnerable Americans in order to pass a bill giving even greater power and wealth to the billionaire elites. This bill ...

Are we lost?

The Christian ethos, “love your neighbor as yourself,” has taken quite a beating in this MAGA moment. How have we gotten here? What transformation in American values leads us to betray and exploit our democratic Ukrainian allies in their existential struggle against a ruthless, godless KGB dictator? How do we countenance barbaric medieval starvation and genocidal massacre of the defenseless civilian population in Gaza by an indicted war criminal and his political cabal? When did we condone brutal racist concentration camps, here and abroad, for harmless students, laborers, women ...