Opinion

We all are living with the same government

Letters to the Editor February 11, 2026

Video evidence shows that on Saturday morning in Minneapolis Alex Pretti was shot in the back by an ICE agent while he was on his hands and knees. After he fell motionless to the pavement, he was shot multiple more times. A few days before that, Renee Good was shot in the face by an ICE agent while slowly turning her car to leave the area. Neither Pretti nor Good had presented a threat, yet both were killed. The administration and some right-wing media immediately claimed the shootings were justified, that Good had run over an ICE agent and that Pretti was armed and therefore ...

Housing problem is bigger than it looks

Letters to the Editor February 11, 2026

Altoona’s housing problem is no longer hidden. It is showing up where affordability failures always appear first: homeless shelters. Recent local reporting shows a sharp rise in new referrals, a clear sign that more residents are being pushed out of stable housing. This did not happen overnight. Like many small Pennsylvania cities, Altoona has an aging housing stock, limited new construction, and incomes that have not kept pace with rising rents and maintenance costs. When even modest increases hit households with thin financial margins, displacement follows quickly. This is part ...

America is not being ‘lastingly damaged’

Letters to the Editor February 10, 2026

The claim that Republican policies are causing “lasting damage” reflects rhetoric, not reality. Voters supported Republicans because they favor secure borders, enforcement of existing laws, economic growth and a foreign policy that prioritizes American interests. Immigration enforcement is not “terror”; it is the lawful execution of statutes passed by Congress. When tragic incidents occur, conservatives support investigation and accountability, not the abandonment of law enforcement altogether. Likewise, tariffs are not simply “taxes on Americans,” but strategic tools used ...

History of William and Adam Holliday

Letters to the Editor February 10, 2026

As our community prepares for the nation’s 250th anniversary, I hope organizers will pause before repeating the familiar tale that William and Adam Holliday arrived here in 1768 and began homesteading on the site of present‑day Hollidaysburg. That story, though often retold, simply does not align with the historical record. Its roots trace back to U. J. Jones’ History of the Early Settlement of the Juniata Valley, where he describes the brothers arriving on the banks of the Beaverdam Branch and William dramatically driving a stake into the ground, predicting a future town. It’s ...

Fire for power continues to burn

Letters to the Editor February 10, 2026

The world has always been on fire is a way of stating that one power or one person wants what the other has. The president wishes to be the sole power in this country and the world. He is wasting money in the Caribbean to remove a dictator who stands in the way of America’s corporate oil wealth and other interests. Venezuela and Madura are not a threat to us. However, China’s expansion in the North China Sea is. China surrounded Taiwan to show its power. The president is wasting resources in the Caribbean that should be applied in the North China Sea to strengthen Japan’s and ...

Americans don’t want another war

Letters to the Editor February 10, 2026

Roughly 70% of Americans oppose war with Venezuela. Even many of Donald Trump’s loyal supporters do not want to be dragged into another open-ended conflict — especially one launched without Congressional authorization, in direct violation of the Constitution. Trump’s reckless misuse of the U.S. military would inevitably cost civilian lives, put American service members in harm’s way and further damage our already diminished credibility abroad. We’ve seen this movie before, and it never ends well. If protecting Americans from illicit drugs were truly the priority, why did ...