Breaking News

Other Commentaries

Tourism transparency key, success critical

We agree with the Altoona Mirror. Transparency in any public process is key. Lasting positive impact and outcomes are equally critical. The Commissioners’ desire for a different tourism approach, one focused on developing outdoor assets, is less about an organization or how things have been done in the past, and more about our kids, and future generations of Blair Countians. We need to attract and retain new residents. We see each visitor as a potential resident and investor. Our mountains, rivers, slopes and trails have been part of our economic history and are now part of our ...

Voting for Trump hazardous to your health

My grandmother used to say: “As long as you have your health, you have everything. If you don’t have your health, you have nothing.” As we prepare to vote in the upcoming presidential election, it would be well to remember her admonition. Donald Trump has been vague about his policies and proposals regarding health care, promising only that it will be “great,” and better than before. He has offered no specifics about how he plans to accomplish this, but we do have his track record. During his presidency he: sued unsuccessfully to overturn the Affordable Care Act; tried ...

Illegal immigration taxes economy

With illegal immigration in the news for almost four years, and a presidential election approaching, viewing this situation from an economic lens seems appropriate. According to Customs and Border Patrol Protection, encounters were 10,617,065 since Inauguration Day. More than 10 million were admitted. This doesn’t include what CBPP calls “got aways” as they intentionally avoid an encounter. This number is unknown but is estimated to exceed 2 million. The magnitudes are generally acknowledged as substantially larger than the 2016-20 period. How large is large and what ...

Mourning the loss of objectivity

Over 50 million people viewed the last presidential debate. The aftermath still reverberates in many current conversations. At least in my lifetime, I don’t recall another more consequential debate. One aspect of the debate particularly intrigued me. So, I developed a short quiz for individuals open to answer the questions. The answers I received reveal a stark pattern and two concerning observations. As a young person I recall the advice to “be careful when raising politics or religion” in conversation unless willing to risk friends and family relationships. The advice was ...

Rudel: Thankful to reach ‘semi’ retirement

I’ll start this column in a similar way I began one in January 2006 after being named the Mirror’s managing editor: “I’m winding up the first week of the rest of my life.” Today, 18.5 years later, is the first day of the rest of my life. But I guess we can all say that, right? You may have seen the June 15 story that I’m retiring as managing editor and will be succeeded by Holly Claycomb, our news editor whom I could not recommend more highly. We’ve worked together for the internal succession to be smooth, and the Mirror’s 150th anniversary edition marked a public ...

Setting record straight on cyber charter

Gov. Josh Shapiro and a growing number of legislators from both sides of the aisle are calling for changes to the way cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania are funded and operate. And more importantly, once you know the truth, you should, too. Despite what the ads say, cyber charter schools are not “free.” School districts and their taxpayers are required to pay tuition to the cyber charter school for every student that enrolls. Each of the 500 school districts in the state pay a different rate — up to $26,500 for a non-special education student. Yet, the cyber charter school ...