Opinion

City ordinance would add costs, delays

Letters to the Editor February 4, 2026

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the city ordinance passed last week by the Altoona City Council regarding the new licensing program for halfway/recovery and institutionalized facilities. While the goal of “safety” is a sentiment we all share, this ordinance creates a redundant and overbearing layer of bureaucracy that threatens to stifle vital services. The city must recognize that these facilities are already among the most heavily regulated buildings in the commonwealth. Providers are required to meet the standards of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and ...

Taxpayers lose when repairs stall

Editorials February 4, 2026

Blair County Commissioner Laura Burke voiced an interesting point the other day when commenting on the newly approved third phase of the courthouse roofing project. It was a noteworthy point for any county resident who pays county property taxes — especially the longtime taxpayers who recall politicians’ claims, virtually year after year, of meeting their fiscal responsibilities and in particular, their talent for avoiding tax increases. However, rather than being elated about such taxpayer-friendly claims, whether accurate or not-so-accurate, taxpayers need to focus on a fact ...

US will be facing lasting damage

Letters to the Editor February 3, 2026

Trump voters were warned the Republican administration held malevolent designs on America. But hope for lower prices, safer streets by deporting criminals and decreased foreign military involvement gained their vote. Tariff taxes on Americans fuels inflation. Masked agents roaming America terrorize citizens. Court orders protecting civil rights are ignored. An innocent Minnesota mother was summarily executed. American health care funds were slashed. U.S. forces are entangled in Israel’s wars. War crimes steal Venezuelan oil. Planned attack against Greenland leads NATO allies to ...

Frustration felt with power shift

Editorials February 2, 2026

I write as a deeply concerned citizen who is increasingly frustrated by what appears to be a sustained abdication of constitutional responsibility by both Congress and the Supreme Court in favor of an ever-expanding executive branch. The Constitution was designed around a careful balance of powers. Congress was vested with the authority to legislate, appropriate funds and conduct oversight. The Judiciary was entrusted with interpreting the law and serving as a check on unconstitutional action. Yet in practice, both branches seem increasingly willing to defer to executive authority ...

End of the road for the diner that could

Opinion January 31, 2026

LIGONIER, Pa. — All that remained of Ruthie’s Diner on Jan. 21 was charred, ice-encased rubble — the aftermath of firefighters’ desperate efforts to extinguish the blaze that ultimately consumed the modest eatery, which for more than 70 years had served locals and the travelers, anglers and hunters heading east along the Lincoln Highway. Several locals pulled into the parking lot and simply stared, at a loss for words as they watched a community mainstay reduced to charred ruins, thin smoke still rising from the ashes. Ruthie’s was the kind of place where everyone felt ...

PIT count of homeless misleading

Editorials January 31, 2026

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual, nationwide Point-in-Time (PIT) count of homeless people is aimed at “getting a handle” on the scope of homelessness in this country. However, that task this month — conducted, for example, in Blair County on Jan. 21 — can best be categorized as barely meaningful. How can a meaningful count be carried out during a miserable-weather month like this month has been? Homeless people, more visible to others when better weather conditions exist, have resorted to whatever means they have been able to find to protect ...