Pandemic made hospital better

July 10, 2020

In recent weeks, I have been reflecting on the unprecedented challenges that our community and our team at Conemaugh Nason Medical Center in Roaring Spring have faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, I’ve been intentionally looking for every possible silver lining in a time when — let’s face it — we all need some positive news. I believe that adversity is one of the greatest paths to improvement, and improving is what we have done despite the difficult circumstances. And the truth is: There are silver linings everywhere. First, I cannot say enough how ...

Improving election night process

July 9, 2020

Editor’s note: This commentary was written by Blair County commissioners Laura Burke, Bruce Erb and Amy Webster. As the Blair County Board of Elections, we always knew that the first election after the passage of Act 77, allowing no excuse mail-in voting, would be much different than the norm. However, we had no idea until March that COVID-19 would vastly impact not only the number of mail-in ballots cast, but also the number of polls that needed to be moved, the number of poll workers available and the need for sneeze guards and personal protective equipment at the polls. ...

Learn from the heroes in your life

June 20, 2020

My heroes have died. How fortunate am I. Though sad that I have had three life mentors die in the past two years, I feel fortunate to have had them bless my life in a time when many young men have none. What lessons have I learned from my heroes? My heroes were from the Greatest Generation. Like many of their peers, they were self-made men, willing to sacrifice their lives for their country and their personal ambitions for an unwavering commitment to family. They understood sacrifice for the greater good. My father, Dick Gildea, was born in 1924. The eldest child of a loving ...

PA holds troopers to high standards

June 17, 2020

Pennsylvania state troopers don’t enlist for medals or to win popularity contests. Many of us grew up wanting to be troopers, proud to serve our communities and willing to lay down our lives if necessary. Since the formation of our department in 1905, our ranks have suffered 98 line-of-duty deaths. Some date back so far we don’t even have pictures of those brave troopers. We believe our Call of Honor is nothing less than a sacred oath. Every trooper must memorize it. In particular, it includes this line: “It is my duty to obey the law and to enforce it without any ...

Cyber charters cripple public schools

June 15, 2020

Due to the economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pennsylvania’s public school districts face declining local revenue collection that is projected to range from $850 million to more than $1 billion for 2020-21. At the same time, Pennsylvania cyber charter schools are entitled to over $70 million in federal education stimulus funds this fiscal year to help them weather the financial crisis when they have not experienced any revenue cuts. Pennsylvania’s flawed charter school funding formula already results in overpayments to charter schools and in a time when school ...

‘Both sides put down their weapons’

June 12, 2020

Sorting out events of the last week, I flash back four decades ago. The first time I saw a rubber bullet was 40 years ago, when I lived in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I arrived there as a volunteer with a Nobel Peace Prize-winning group called the Peace People. They sent a hip young social worker to meet me outside the old and bomb-battered Great Victoria train station. The real welcoming party for every arriving passenger was a British soldier (younger than my 21), an armalite rifle slung across his shoulder, right at my shoulder as I stepped off the train. After being ...