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Tabling firearm ordinance misses mark

Letters to the Editor

The Blair Township Board of Supervisors has now twice tabled the Firearm Discharge Ordinance. I believe that tabling misses the mark on what needs to be done and that is for it to be rejected. It needs to be rejected because there are already enforceable laws in the PA statues which cover the exact issue that the ordinance attempts to address. For example, the township has not adopted a murder ordinance, but murder remains an enforceable crime. If someone is discharging firearms in a negligent and dangerous manner without regard for public safety, then I believe reckless ...

Overbooked colleges lets kids out in the cold

Editorials

College students can take the dorm experience seriously. You can’t walk into Walmart or Target without hitting a wall of ready-for-campus furnishings and accessories. For many, the must-haves range from comforters and clothes baskets to microwaves and mini fridges. Social media is thick with inspiration pictures and decorating videos. But not every student gets that experience. Some universities are treating the school year like a plane bound for Vegas: they’re overbooking. That means alternative accommodations are being brought into service. Students are being housed in ...

Monitoring weather keeps everyone safer

Editorials

Mother Nature generally has spared Pennsylvania the number and magnitude of weather calamities that Florida, the Carolinas and Gulf Coast states almost routinely have experienced. However, troubling weather events have been on the rise in the Keystone State, and officials have been studying ways to become more proficient at warning the public about possible pending dangers. Now they believe they have made progress toward that goal, and it is reasonable to assume that they are correct, considering what is being put in place. An article in the Mirror’s Aug. 7 edition provided a ...

Is it time people stand up for change?

Letters to the Editor

Here’s a civics class flashback: The people elect members of Congress to pass bills and decide how our hard-earned money can best be spent. Congress determines the needs of the country, then debates how much to spend and where. In public hearings, the budget and related issues inform constituents, allowing them to weigh in with their opinions. All of this takes collaboration and compromise before a final decision is made. What has changed? Now the Supreme Court allows the executive branch to override — at will — congressional decisions about pre-allocated money. ...

Where is promised transparency?

Letters to the Editor

I’m so disappointed in the Trump Administration. We were promised total transparency: Where is it? We all know there is an Epstein list. We also know there are some very influential people on that list. We are talking about well known politicians, Hollywood elites, and U.S. presidents and people in high-tech; sick individuals who prey on children. Now, we are being told there is no list, no children being trafficked, no people being blackmailed. I’m so tired of the cover-ups. If there weren’t children being trafficked, then why is Ghislaine Maxwell spending 20 years in ...

Don’t rewrite history

Letters to the Editor

Since the Covid epidemic, people seem to have forgotten that over a million Americans died. It was frightening. There was no cure. These were terrifying deaths. While a vaccine was being developed, government at every level worked to keep us safe.. Masking, social distancing and stay at home orders prevented untold numbers of fatalities. Most understood that, despite the hardships involved, saving lives was worth the sacrifice. Protecting our most vulnerable citizens from exposure was essential. While it was distressing to be kept apart, risking exposing loved ones was ...