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Opinion

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, ...

Health insurance needs to be affordable

Letters to the Editor

As someone living with a chronic health condition, affordable health insurance is essential. My family purchases our own health care through the individual health insurance marketplace because we don’t get coverage through an employer. Enhanced premium tax credits have made it possible for us to afford a plan that covers the care I need to stay healthy. These tax credits are set to expire in 2026. If Congress doesn’t act now to extend them, our premiums will skyrocket. We simply can’t afford that, and neither can the other Pennsylvanians who use these tax credits to afford ...

Internet often not source of good info

Editorials

It is not uncommon to be suspicious about much of what is posted on the internet. That’s not new, of course. It’s as old as the internet itself. However, when the internet was new, most people gave scant thought to the misinformation and evils that could embrace it and be hidden within it. It was something new, something fun, something exciting, something intriguing — and people increasingly were captivated by it and its myriad possibilities. Over the years, however, attitudes and perceptions changed, the one big change being that people have, as noted in this editorial’s ...

Gerrymandering shows term limits needed

Opinion

Americans are seeing a political spectacle playing out not in town halls or debates, but in backrooms and courtrooms: redistricting - gerrymandering. What should ensure fair representation has devolved into a cynical game where politicians carve up neighborhoods like pieces of pie to guarantee re-election. We are seeing it unfolding again in Texas, California, and across the nation. Whichever party is in power manipulates district lines to entrench incumbents, silence opposition, and render elections meaningless. It has become a bipartisan sport. But here’s the truth most ...

Politicizing Federal Reserve hurts economy

Editorials

It’s not hard to find mistakes in the Federal Reserve’s recent history, but Donald Trump’s latest attempt to erode the institution’s independence is dangerous. The president wants lower interest rates, but any benefits coming from that would probably be outweighed by supercharged inflation and the economic hangover that comes with it. Last week, Trump announced that he would try to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook, whose term otherwise expires in 2038. He cited an unproven allegation of mortgage fraud that one of his appointees dug up and broadcast on social media, but Cook denies ...