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Opinion

Orchard Park should be saved

Letters to the Editor

Orchard Park in Altoona is something special. The City of Altoona decided that creating green and grassy spaces through the various areas of the city made pleasant layouts for the neighborhoods. Recognizing the success of such parks and playgrounds in similar cities, Altoona decided to design and lay out such parks in Altoona. Orchard Park was a beautiful choice. A picnic table pavilion was built among some established trees in the park. Neighbors and children used this area to discuss matters and get to know each other. Many friendships were formed. Altoona’s recreational ...

Boy Scouts fallout will be felt for years

Editorials

People of faith and nonbelievers alike were shocked and saddened when the issue of child sexual abuse by clergy erupted across this nation, even here. Similar responses poured forth when an ugly sexual abuse problem within the long-respected Boy Scouts of America became the focus of Americans’ attention, as former Scouts began revealing revolting conduct by adults supervising, helping or guiding them in their Scouting endeavors. The adults in question were dealt the responsibility of setting a good example with the young people under their supervision but, instead, in multiple ...

Peaceful protest was filled with hope

Letters to the Editor

On June 14, in the pouring rain, hundreds of people from across Central Pennsylvania streamed into Canal Basin Park in Hollidaysburg. Many of us had been unsure about publicly taking a stand. Everyone felt affected in some way by the tumult of the past few months and the threat to the American ideals we cherish. For some, the sight of the National Guard and Marines being pressed into service against their fellow citizens was too much. For others, the possible loss of the right to speak openly was the issue. We were watching the institutions that mattered be torn apart, services ...

New prison is needed

Letters to the Editor

I would like for this to go in on the Opinion page because I am speaking from experience. RHU stands for Restrictive Housing Unit. The hole is what it is nicknamed. This is where people go that were fighting or violated prison rules. You people that are saying “not in my backyard” should spend a day locked up and see just how crowded the jail is. I was put in RHU for no reason except for overcrowding and have to sit here for a couple weeks. F Block, E Block and J Block are still the original jail when it was built in 1868. It’s time for a new jail. So stop saying “not in ...

Optimism over airport rewarding

Editorials

Optimism already is paying off for the Altoona-Blair County Airport. It is important that there be no interruption in it, going forward. Last July, officials in charge of the local air facility — specifically, the Altoona-Blair County Airport Authority — were knee-deep in planning for redirecting the airport’s 30-passenger jet service away from Philadelphia International Airport, which increasingly had been judged an inconvenience to most Blair-based air travelers, from a directional standpoint. Now, the optimism that was the foundation for that successful move, effective last ...

War is not a good answer

Letters to the Editor

I remember the phrase “weapons of mass destruction” as the cover story of why we needed to go to war in Iraq, when the real truth of the matter was the desire to get rid of Saddam Hussein. In the days just before, when the go-to-war sabers were rattling, I participated in a bonfire circle where we prayed for peace. Our leaders at the time were not listening. Ultimately, 4,419 American lives were lost and 31,933 were wounded at a financial cost of just over $1.1 trillion dollars. And here we are again. Jumping in as the aggressor in a war which we are told is necessary to ...