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Public media, communities, under attack

Imagine turning on your TV or radio and finding silence where “Sesame Street,” local news, and emergency alerts used to be. No more “Our Town” stories celebrating your neighbors in Blair County. No more trusted voices guiding your children through their earliest years. No more WPSU. That’s the future we could face if Congress approves the rescission package recently submitted by the White House. Among its sweeping cuts is the elimination of critical funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — the lifeblood of local stations like WPSU. This funding represents ...

Test assessments are not education

Education faces a lot of criticism, some with good cause. The U.S. ranks low in reading and math compared with other developed nations. A recent trend to combat our shortcomings is to “assess” students regularly. These reforms began in K-12 education with renewed emphasis on standardized testing. Test scores are tied to federal and state funds to incentivize improvement. These assessment type reforms have now reached higher education. Colleges and universities must assess all aspects of their institutions — from teaching to athletics, student services to library use — to ...

Local government work important

This is Pennsylvania Local Government Week. It should not be the only time we celebrate and thank our local elected officials. Many evenings, while most of us are at home with family and friends, those who have stepped up to run for a local office, head to public meetings throughout our boroughs, townships, school districts, cities and counties. They are giving their time and expertise to keep delivering the municipal services, policies and public infrastructure upon which their constituents rely. When things go well, nobody notices. But when things go wrong, they usually hear ...

Does it have to be your daughter?

At this year’s PIAA indoor track state championships on March 2, young ladies from across the state traveled to State College for their shot at gold, something they had been working their entire lives towards. However, as they prepared for their events, they noticed that there were two males competing. They also noticed something else. These males had taken spots away from well deserving girls. Sadly, this is not an isolated instance as some claim. Since 2020 in Pennsylvania, 37 female athletes have lost first place, and another 13 lost second or third place. Overall, this injustice ...

Life depends on protecting natural world

As President of the Juniata Valley Audubon Society, I stand with many who believe in protecting the natural world we depend on — our parks, wildlife and air. In my experience, this is a shared value of both my Republican colleagues and Democrat colleagues. These wonders must be preserved, yet today, they face unprecedented threats due to regulatory rollbacks under the Trump administration. Conservation is a human issue, not a political one. Our environment affects our health, economy and quality of life. Many of my Republican and Democrat friends can agree on this. Unfortunately, ...

No matter the vote, your voice matters

I grew up in Claysburg and learned the importance of my political voice at an early age. As a kid, I would walk with my grandparents down our rural road to the Greenfield Township Building to cast our vote. Of course, I was too young for my vote to count, but the poll workers, amused by my resolve to “vote for the candidate of my choice,” handed me a fake ballot. I proudly walked back home with my grandparents, already feeling the power of democracy. Politics was often discussed in our home, and disagreements were common — but that was OK. My interest in American ...