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 ...

Court ruling could impact health care

February 19, 2019

I am writing to voice my opposition to a proposed state Supreme Court rule that, if enacted, could have negative impacts on patient care. I started my orthopedic surgery practice in Altoona in 1986, having come here directly out of residency and fellowship in New York City. Central Pennsylvania appeared to be a nice place to practice and raise a family. That has turned out to be the case. However, in the early 1990s, venue shopping put such strain on the medical liability system that medical liability insurance became almost unaffordable, defensive medicine was bankrupting the ...

Counties eye ‘different tomorrow’

February 18, 2019

Do you know how often you use the services and programs provided by your county government? When you go to the courthouse for jury duty or to get a marriage license, it’s obvious that you are interacting with your county. But it’s not so obvious when you call 911. Or when you go to vote. Or when you drive over one of the 4,000 bridges owned by Pennsylvania’s counties. Or how about when you call ChildLine to report a case of suspected child abuse? It’s the county that’s responsible for investigating. The truth is, unless you have a reason to use the service, you probably ...