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Audit refusal should not have occurred

Editorials

It’s good that the troubling development regarding an audit of the Pinecroft Volunteer Fire Company apparently has been put to rest. The stated and voted-upon refusal that was at the center of the issue never should have occurred. Abiding by a promise made years ago should have precluded what occurred. From the get-go, there was nothing wrong with that promise. Back when the Pinecroft fire service promised to have its books audited every five years, the fire company was trying to recover from a theft involving company funds. Fortunately, the crime was uncovered without having ...

Second Amendment allowed guns that kill

Letters to the Editor

The 2nd amendment was added to the US Constitution in 1791. Since 1791, we have had the right to remove this amendment under Article V of the Constitution or to pass gun safety laws to control the harmful use of firearms but never had the votes necessary in the U.S. Congress or state legislatures to take this step. But importantly, we have had the power to remove it or regulate it with our right to vote. On Aug. 27, an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old lost their future right to have a say on the 2nd Amendment when they were shot dead while praying in their school’s church. The madman ...

Problem solved: Keep hands to yourself

Letters to the Editor

After reading the paper online and watching local news, I am compelled to write this letter. Almost every day, I hear about child molesters and abusers. Almost every day, I read about men who abuse their wives, girlfriends and children. And on some days, the genders are reversed. People, it is not that hard to keep your hands to yourselves. If you have an urge to harm anyone, in any way, talk to someone. You have to realize this is wrong. Doing anything to a child besides loving and nurturing them is wrong. Women were not made to be anybody’s punching bag. We were not ...

Consumer confidence needs a boost

Editorials

The Wall Street Journal reported in its Sept. 3 edition that the gap in confidence between high-earners and low-earners “is now the widest it has been in the seven years of tracking the data.” The newspaper said that, for this nation’s middle class, this summer has been one of cooling confidence, with consumer sentiment dropping nearly 6% in August. If that “confidence dive” continues, 2025’s end-of-year holidays could prove dismal for retailers, not only somewhere else but here in the Southern Alleghenies region as well. Black Friday, already a skeleton of its former ...

In-town tree loss noticeable

Letters to the Editor

Altoona’s government and many local businesses and organizations seem to refrain from maintaining or planting new trees. A recent example is the front of the Jaffa Shrine where new sidewalks were just installed. The existing trees were removed and none were planted to replace them. April 2025, a Broad Avenue resident attempted to retain his frontal trees. The city was not willing to alter the replacement sidewalk that shared space with these trees. Trees provide multiple functions. Trees filter the atmosphere, provide shade, shelter birds and small rodents, and they beautify our ...

Mistakes repeated when history ignored

Letters to the Editor

I was dismayed but not surprised to read the results of the Mirror’s poll to the query: “Do you think it was the right decision for President Donald Trump to call in the National Guard to police Washington, D.C.?” Fifty-six percent of respondents said it was OK. This is typical of the Mirror’s readership. Allowing themselves for generations to be snookered by the Republican party, and having been further brainwashed by Fox News, the majority of central Pennsylvanians are willfully and seemingly happily ignorant to both facts and history. Being obtuse when it comes to fascism, ...