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For verification purposes, letters submitted for possible publication must include: ■ the writer’s legal name. ■ full home mailing address. ■ home and day phone numbers. Only the author’s name and town will be published. Form letters, poetry, anonymous letters and letters dealing with private disputes will not be published. Letters expressing thanks to a business, an identified individual or a group generally should be a card of thanks advertisement. People who continually write on the same subject may have their letters rejected unless they break new ground or discuss ...

Orchard Park should be saved

Orchard Park in Altoona is something special. The City of Altoona decided that creating green and grassy spaces through the various areas of the city made pleasant layouts for the neighborhoods. Recognizing the success of such parks and playgrounds in similar cities, Altoona decided to design and lay out such parks in Altoona. Orchard Park was a beautiful choice. A picnic table pavilion was built among some established trees in the park. Neighbors and children used this area to discuss matters and get to know each other. Many friendships were formed. Altoona’s recreational ...

Peaceful protest was filled with hope

On June 14, in the pouring rain, hundreds of people from across Central Pennsylvania streamed into Canal Basin Park in Hollidaysburg. Many of us had been unsure about publicly taking a stand. Everyone felt affected in some way by the tumult of the past few months and the threat to the American ideals we cherish. For some, the sight of the National Guard and Marines being pressed into service against their fellow citizens was too much. For others, the possible loss of the right to speak openly was the issue. We were watching the institutions that mattered be torn apart, services ...

New prison is needed

I would like for this to go in on the Opinion page because I am speaking from experience. RHU stands for Restrictive Housing Unit. The hole is what it is nicknamed. This is where people go that were fighting or violated prison rules. You people that are saying “not in my backyard” should spend a day locked up and see just how crowded the jail is. I was put in RHU for no reason except for overcrowding and have to sit here for a couple weeks. F Block, E Block and J Block are still the original jail when it was built in 1868. It’s time for a new jail. So stop saying “not in ...

War is not a good answer

I remember the phrase “weapons of mass destruction” as the cover story of why we needed to go to war in Iraq, when the real truth of the matter was the desire to get rid of Saddam Hussein. In the days just before, when the go-to-war sabers were rattling, I participated in a bonfire circle where we prayed for peace. Our leaders at the time were not listening. Ultimately, 4,419 American lives were lost and 31,933 were wounded at a financial cost of just over $1.1 trillion dollars. And here we are again. Jumping in as the aggressor in a war which we are told is necessary to ...

Biden, Harris were the real ‘kings’

A recent letter-writer talked about Donald Trump trying to be King. Maybe they forget it was Joe Biden and Kamala Harris that were in office when they shut down America. They closed schools, businesses and started this work from home BS. They made us wear masks, they made our kids wear masks, they would not allow us to go see loved ones in nursing homes. We could not go to restaurants if we did not show our vaccine card. We could not fly unless we showed our vaccine card. This is what a king does, not what Trump is doing by trying to bring America back to where it was before Biden‘s ...