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Electric bills cause concern

Editorials

Across Pennsylvania, rising rates for electricity are creating problems for numerous households. This week, the Altoona Mirror reported, a progressive new campaign, dubbed Building a Brighter PA, brought a call for protections to lower consumer electric bills while generating more power from renewable energy sources. “Electric generation rates have also increased between 18%-52%, depending on where you live in the state,” said Elizabeth Marx, executive director of the Public Utility Law Project. “The combined impact is severe, with roughly one in four state families reporting ...

Human verification essential to operating all municipalities

Editorials

Municipalities in this part of Pennsylvania generally feel insulated from the problems affecting big cities. For the most part that is true, especially regarding crime and the challenges — financial and otherwise — associated with providing needed municipal services. Even the issues of cities such as Altoona and Johnstown are of minor scope compared with those being dealt with by New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta, for example. Municipalities large or small and those of any size in between have one thing in common, though, the need for an adequate amount of revenue to prop ...

Lessons from a vacation in the Hudson Valley

Editorials

(Editor’s note: This column is part two of a two-part series that picks up in a cottage owned by First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt). For me, however, the most moving moment came when I stood before Eleanor’s writing desk. I couldn’t help but imagine the thousands upon thousands of letters and articles written there.At one point she received nearly 130,000 letters each year, and she insisted that each one deserved a response. Looking at that desk, I found myself wondering how many lives had been touched by Before learning about everything Eleanor Roosevelt accomplished, it helps ...

Phobias, elevators and rainbows

Local Columns

The fear of elevators doesn’t really have a name, like “elevatophobia.” Doctors usually link the fear of elevators to some other phobia. For example, people can have claustrophobia which is the fear of small, closed or locked spaces. And what’s an elevator but a closed and locked (for a short time anyway) space. Going along with that is cleithrophobia or the fear of being trapped or unable to escape. Not necessarily of being trapped inside an elevator but a person’s fear of an elevator can stem from this anxiety of being trapped. There’s also acrophobia or the fear of ...

Time for a restful summer vacation

Local Columns

Many take time off for summer vacation. The goal is to rest. Whether that happens or not depends on kids’ behavior, how long sandwiches last on the road trip, and the weather at the beach. I vividly recall the camping trip to Florida at age 10. My dad had 13 weeks of vacation that year. He bought a huge tent and off we went with our green station wagon. Starting with budget friendly tuna sandwiches, 5¢ chicken wings, and bargain burgers, we first had the exhaust fall off on the DC Beltway. One day, our clothes and tents got wet, so we stayed in a $15 motel for two nights. We ...

What Jesus meant by ‘rest for our soul’

Local Columns

Matthew 11 Have you ever felt overwhelmed with stress or know someone who has? Just about everyone has felt overwhelmed from time to time. How has stress affected you? Responding to a poll on the effects of stress run by a mental health foundation in the United Kingdom, many said overwhelming feelings of stress led them to overeat, drink and smoke. Stress made them feel depressed, anxious, alone, even suicidal. Unrelieved stress is a serious condition, so we all need healthy ways to deal with it. Some find temporary relief by watching videos on YouTube. That’s not surprising. ...