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Opinion

U.K.’s exclusion of left-wing influencers

Opinion

The U.K. government banned left-wing influencers Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker from traveling to the country because they blame everything on the Jews — and, true to form, Uygur and Piker blamed the Jews. Uygur and Piker were to speak at a South by Southwest conference in London and participate in an event at the Oxford Union, when their visas were canceled. They immediately smelled a rat, and, as usual, one emanating from Jerusalem. “I’ve been banned for criticizing Israel,” Uygur posted on social media. “Are we free anymore? This is oppression of Western citizens by our own ...

Dog owners urged to control pets

Letters to the Editor

By Thomas Hand As Postmaster of Altoona, I would like to ask our residents who are dog owners to assist us during Dog Bite Awareness Month. Although this campaign is highlighted in June, please know your letter carrier practices dog bite awareness year-round. Even the most predictable pets can act unpredictably when defending territory or feeling startled. Because dogs rely on protective instincts, owners must manage their dogs during delivery times to prevent accidents. Keep your dog in a separate closed room before opening the front door. If you step outside, ensure the door is ...

Will this be an unhappy birthday?

Opinion

In less than a month, the United States will observe its 250th birthday. It is shaping up more like a memorial service for a lost loved one than a party to celebrate something special. Rather than anticipating a happy occasion, America at 250 is increasingly characterized by anger, name-calling and scandals. Performers are withdrawing from President Trump’s Freedom 250 Great American State Fair in Washington, claiming organizers lied to them about its partisanship. Trump, who has contributed mightily to the growing divisions among us, is threatening to make a “major speech,” ...

GOOD Act should be on Trump’s desk

Editorials

The Las Vegas Review-Journal The Trump administration has made strides in chopping away at the corpulent federal administrative state. Nevertheless, the Competitive Enterprise Institute estimates government regulations still pile $2 trillion in annual costs on American consumers, or nearly $16,000 per household. “Businesses and citizens spend too much time and money trying to comply with rules and edicts imposed by Washington,” Wayne Crews, the institute’s Fred L. Smith Jr. fellow in regulatory studies, noted last month, “and those costs mean higher prices, lost jobs and ...

UPMC portal switch frustrating

Letters to the Editor

There is a frustrating and possibly harmful tech glitch between UPMC-Altoona and UPMC-Pittsburgh that has been going on for too many months. Last year, Altoona switched their patient portal from MyUPMC to MyChart, a nationwide portal used by over 250 medical groups. UPMC-Pittsburgh has not yet made the switch. Twenty-two days ago, I had tests, ordered by a UPMC-Pittsburgh physician, done at a Florida medical provider. Additional tests were done last week at UPMC Station Medical in Altoona. All results are available on MyChart. They can be viewed by UPMC-Altoona physicians, but not ...

Pharmacists integral to life in rural Pa.

Opinion

I began my career at Patton Pharmacy, my family’s pharmacy in Northern Cambria County, which my father started from scratch in 1974 — one of the few independents left in that part of the state. For more than 30 years, I have practiced almost entirely in rural Pennsylvania, including years at Mission Pharmacy in Armstrong County and Klingensmith’s Drug Stores across Armstrong and Clarion counties. In each community, I watched the same pattern: hospitals struggle to stay open, physicians retire without replacements, specialists move to urban centers , and the community pharmacy ...