We’ve seen too many deaths related to dangerous drinking and hazing on campuses across the country. The horrific nature of Timothy Piazza’s death has further catalyzed a universal understanding that enough is enough. Many question whether these organizations are still sustainable. We ...
There’s a tension so deep in how we think about free expression, it should rightly be called a paradox. On the one hand, regardless of ideology, artists and writers almost unanimously insist that they do what they do to change minds. But the same artistes, auteurs and opiners recoil in ...
State government faces many tough choices as it works very hard to strike a balance between meeting critical needs and keeping the burden on taxpayers as fair as possible. One such tough balancing act involves addressing law enforcement needs across the state and keeping our highway and ...
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in the United States as of December 2016 is at 4.7 percent. The unemployment rate for Gulf War-era II veterans (since September 2001) is 5.1 percent and 4.3 percent for all veterans (Bureau of Labor Statistics). After ...
Pennsylvania lawmakers will soon decide if a bailout or subsidy is awarded to the state’s nuclear power plants. A bailout will cost Pennsylvania consumers and businesses billions in surcharges over a long period of time and an untold cost for an unwarranted interference in the competitive ...
The Trump administration has been exhaustingly eventful, but almost none of the events have involved Congress. The beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency has been an extension of the last six years of the Obama reign, when Capitol Hill was largely a sideshow to the main event in the ...
Without Virginia, we probably never would have become the United States. It was Virginian leadership and talent that created the nation. Think first of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe, and don’t forget Chief Justice John Marshall, Patrick ...
COMMENTARY BY Dr. Angela Rowe The physicians and staff of The Advanced Center for Surgery thank state Sen. John H. Eichelberger Jr., state Rep. Judy Ward and state Rep. John McGinnis for ensuring patient choice in the Greater Altoona healthcare market and for attempting to secure high ...
A tear welled up in Hal’s eye, a deep sadness etched across his face as he recalled the moment. Omaha Beach, the day after the D-Day invasion. Hal had been tasked by his company commander to go back down onto the beach and retrieve some equipment. A farm boy from Iowa now deep into ...
Random thoughts on a Sunday morning: I’ve traveled those mountains many times in my life. It seems like I know every bump and passing zone on routes 422 and 22 from Butler to Altoona. I departed my hometown Jan. 19, 1967, and headed east for three months and in April was permanently ...
To those of us working in AM radio in Altoona during the 1960s and ’70s and to a generation of listeners, he was Bill Robbins. A pulsating personality with a soothing delivery, Robbins came to Altoona as disc jockey and program director. He rapidly transformed an ordinary WVAM into a ...
I am getting tired of, according to media reports, the act of bullying in schools, and in the workplace getting swept under the rug — yes, swept under the rug. This is done by both the local school districts and various employers in the area. I personally know of children in the ...
American taxpayers pay far more than any other country in the world for health care, but are we getting what we pay for? Skyrocketing premiums, lack of choices, insurers pulling out of the market, and cancelled plans are all symptoms of a deeper problem I have been pointing to for years — ...
Gov. Tom Wolf and I would like to congratulate the members of our Pennsylvania House of Representatives for their bi-partisan actions on two pieces of legislation designed to help Pennsylvania consumers achieve and maintain lifelong financial independence. House Bill 780, sponsored by Rep. ...
Blair County is our home, and we love it. The scenery is lush. Our industries helped shape a nation. The people are generous and full of community spirit. With all these blessings, opportunity abounds, but not for everyone. Too many of our young children have been denied the chance to enjoy ...
The term “news media” can mean a lot of different things these days, but at the Pennsylvania News-Media Association, the news media that we work with are Pennsylvania’s newspapers and online-only news publications. There are 77 daily newspapers in Pennsylvania, more than 175 ...
Environmental health and sustainability is a growing priority for communities everywhere. A recent poll conducted by the National Recreation and Park Association found that most Americans want their governments to prioritize sustainable environmental practices in such things as water quality ...
They say you can never go home, that things have changed, and it’s never the same. Maybe there is some truth to that, but I think home will always be home no matter where your life resides. When I think of home, I think of Altoona and the mountains. I think of the Horseshoe Curve and ...
It’s fair to say that in today’s intense political climate, taking a stand to a vocal minority can be challenging, especially as it concerns disparate residents across the state. It’s a battle being waged not just here but across the country, and the consequences are real. Consumer ...
We had the opportunity to meet with Congressman Bill Shuster on March 3, and we learned a great deal about his viewpoints on a variety of issues. As constituents of his district and members of Indivisible Blair County, we would like to let others know about who we are and our interest in ...