Opinion

Steve Sheetz brought spiritz to community

Letters to the Editor January 23, 2026

A humble and kind human being. An extraordinary business role model. A selfless and generous supporter of his community and all of the organizations for which he served as a champion. This does not even begin to characterize Steve Sheetz or describe the void that his passing has created. Even with the well-deserved national recognition and stature that Steve is respected and admired for, he remained “just Steve”! The “guy” that built a convenience store empire from a single location on Union Avenue, Steve was still a “guy” whose life was shaped by a community he ...

What defending life looks like

Letters to the Editor January 22, 2026

Jan. 22 is observed by Catholics across the United States as the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. It is a day to mourn lives lost through abortion, but also to ask a deeper question: do we truly believe every human life has value? Tom and Lena Hudson of Wauconda, Illinois, are the parents of nine children. Their seventh child, Sarah, was born weighing just four pounds and diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a severe genetic condition. Sarah cannot speak or walk. She cannot sit up for long. She is prone to illness and requires constant care. From the moment she was ...

PSU gatekeeping leads to closures

Letters to the Editor January 21, 2026

Penn State’s closing of 7 Commonwealth Campuses because of declining enrollments is its own fault. However, it fails to acknowledge its camouflaged complicity in that decline. University Park, the main campus, is The Gatekeeper for all campuses. It favors student placement at University Park to increase revenue to support its growth. Since 1967, University Park’s construction spiraled and student enrollment increased from 22,000 to 48,000. To pay for it, enrollment grew. Annual student costs increased, with out-of-state students paying $24,000 more. When students with equal ...

Return to Sunday school important

Letters to the Editor January 20, 2026

Bellwood attracted me and my family in the fall of 1959. We have enjoyed almost a lifetime of Christian leadership here and now I am 91 with 65 years in three business developments and Christian teaching our youth. I see troubling concerns facing our town as we journey to the future. Recently, our borough has worked to update our streets and services while we see the loss of M&T Bank, and an old 1896-built stone United Methodist church. Thanks be to God for establishing The Hope Center with a food program along with THE DOOR helping our youth to come to know Jesus. I read in the ...

Biden vs Trump

Letters to the Editor January 19, 2026

Recently a writer on the Editorial Page said that America was heading in the right direction after four years of chaos under the Biden administration and his cabinet being the worst that ever served in the White House, well let’s talk about this terrible administration. Biden passed the Infrastructure Bill which Altoona received $40 million dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act, The American Rescue Plan, The Pact Act for veterans, The Chips and Science Act, lowered prescription drug prices for seniors, saw the creation of over 15 million jobs with job growth every month for over ...

King helped America better itself

Editorials January 19, 2026

On this day each year honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., there are many people who expend too much time recalling the details of his death rather than appreciating the hard, challenging work in which he engaged in what was a very different America than today. It was an America too caught up in noticing people’s skin color, as well as other physical differences, characteristics and limitations, while failing to acknowledge that minorities were people also — people who experienced the same feelings, anxieties, pressures and desires for betterment as those who otherwise ...