Setting record about severance tax

May 14, 2019

In March, the Altoona Mirror reported on the fact that both the state and federal government agree on the need for expanded broadband access in rural areas. That’s because anyone living or working in a rural area understands how lack of access to high-speed internet hurts our students’ ability to learn, our doctors’ and emergency responders’ ability to provide medical care and our businesses’ ability to grow and thrive. Thankfully, Gov. Wolf has proposed the $4.5 billion Restore Pennsylvania initiative, which would provide the funding needed to enable broadband access for ...

Health care computers can kill you

March 30, 2019

Texting while driving is so dangerous that it’s outlawed. But doctors and nurses are expected to care for patients while keeping their eyes glued to a computer screen, following prompts and clicking boxes. Some electronic health record systems require 62 clicks just to order Tylenol, and a full emergency room shift involves 4,000 computer clicks. No wonder mistakes are rampant. Last week, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb pointed to “risk for patients” due to poorly designed electronic health record systems. Children can face overdoses when ...

New trade deal will help small biz

March 21, 2019

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was signed by President Trump and his fellow leaders at the G20 in Argentina. The accord modernizes the decades-old NAFTA and is chock full of provisions that will help American small businesses boost exports and safeguard their intellectual property (IP). Congress needs to approve USMCA as soon as possible. Small businesses drive the U.S. economy. Thirty million small businesses employ more than 58 million American workers. They also account for roughly half of U.S. GDP. Small businesses rely heavily on North American trade to ...

We are getting closer to the sun

March 19, 2019

The sun is getting brighter and the days longer. On Wednesday comes the Spring Equinox, marking the sun’s northward advance over our hemisphere and the promise of even more sunlight and warmth. Let there be life. The sun had its first close-up recently, relayed in December by NASA’s Parker Solar Probe spacecraft. The detailed view of a blazing solar streamer, a filament of hot plasma in the sun’s atmosphere, was shot from 14.9 million miles away from the sun, twice as close as any previous photograph. Closer close-ups are coming. The probe is on a seven-year voyage that ...

Altoona board must come together

March 10, 2019

I am writing this after seeing and hearing so much misinformation about the Altoona Area High School project. I served on the Altoona school board for 44 years. I have always had the best interests of the community in mind and wish to share some of the facts as I know them. In spring of ...

Compromise: Let’s share outdoors

February 22, 2019

In Harrisburg, there is a renewed push by some that Sunday hunting should be permitted. The PA State Grange respectfully disagrees. Even while disagreeing, we certainly understand the rationale. The PA Game Commission believes it will make more money from the sale of hunting licenses. Firearms manufacturers and those selling guns feel that Sunday hunting will help their economic bottom line. Others are worried about the decline of hunting by younger people because Saturdays are already crowded with non-hunting activities like soccer, swimming, etc. Personally, I come from ...