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Opinion

Closing local IRS office is a disservice

Letters to the Editor

Altoona is facing the loss of a valued government service with the closure of the IRS office downtown. This office serves thousands of taxpayers annually, mainly small business owners, the elderly and low-income families. The IRS plans to close the office in November with no rationale. Closing this office is a disservice to taxpayers, a loss to our economy and a disruption to the public servants who work there. For years, the Altoona Taxpayer Assistance Center has helped our neighbors solve complex tax issues. Here, you can meet in person to get your problem solved. Now, the ...

Less mobility directly impacts US economy

Editorials

Politicians are abundant in putting their self-serving “spin” on issues, circumstances and new developments good and bad, and they’re not shy about voicing rosy predictions and making promises for if they are successful at the ballot box. People who follow politics closely recognize that, but so do many people who have what they consider to be “better things to do” than monitoring closely the issues on the political and governmental landscapes. But although statistics can be “shaped” to benefit one’s own viewpoints and advantage, it is “stats” as a whole, without ...

Beware what you share on social media

Opinion

By Richie Servello As the new school year begins, excitement fills the air for parents and caregivers, while kids may feel a mix of emotions. The Center for Child Justice, Blair County’s Children’s Advocacy Center, wants to remind everyone to exercise caution when sharing details about children on social media, especially on the first day of school. While the first day of school is a milestone worth celebrating, it’s important to prioritize safety in your social media posts. Those adorable chalkboards featuring your child’s name, age, teacher, and favorite things can ...

Orchard Park has always been a park

Letters to the Editor

I read about the city’s response to the Orchard Park Lawsuit and thought “who are they trying to kid?” I’m 61 years old. I grew up one block — and my mother grew up a half block — from the park. It was always called Orchard Park. My friends and I played baseball in the lower and upper part of the park. We played basketball there, where the court was dirt and rocks. We also played football. The park at one time had swing sets in both the upper and lower part. It had a sliding board and a fireman’s pole to slide down. It also had pull-up bars. At one time it had a ...

Kennedy’s policies may cost lives

Editorials

The single most important achievement of President Donald Trump’s first term was the lightning-fast development of COVID vaccines by the end of 2020. By some estimates, those vaccines developed under Trump’s “Operation Warp Speed” saved between 14 million and 19 million lives worldwide in their first year of use alone. While it’s true that the irresponsible mixed messaging Trump himself sent to his supporters (then and now) regarding the efficacy of the vaccines and of mainstream medicine generally has likely cost lives, the mortality score undoubtedly still lands in his ...

Stop the insanity led by the left

Letters to the Editor

Illegal immigration continues to take center stage in our national debate. What is difficult to comprehend is how individuals — many of them well-educated and experienced in law — fail to grasp the clear principles laid out in the 14th Amendment. The language of this amendment makes it plain: rights and protections extend to Americans and those who owe allegiance to the United States. Illegal immigrants, by definition, do not owe allegiance to the nation they enter unlawfully. Compounding this problem is the reality that, once in the United States, many illegal immigrants ...