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Bullying bill leaves too much to imagination

We like the idea behind Rep. Jennifer O’Mara’s bill that would require schools to notify parents if their child has been bullied at school. Too many parents find out about incidents in school after the fact from their child, if they hear about them at all. That’s because, unless you’re reenacting your favorite episode of Colombo, getting children to talk substantively about their day is about as useful as talking to a brick wall. It’s not uncommon for parents to find out about bullying only after months of behavior that should have been stopped when they started. The ...

Unhealthy behavior not illegal

State Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Williamsport, isn’t wrong for wanting to stop people from smoking when children under the age of 12 are in a car. No study has found that cigarette smoke or e-cigarette vapor are good for anyone, much less young children. But there is a line between actions being unhealthy and actions being illegal that Yaw’s proposal ignores – to its detriment. To be fair, we haven’t seen legislative language yet, simply a co-sponsorship memorandum. But we have a hard time believing that Yaw’s proposal can be enforced at all. We don’t have enough police officers in ...

Rubber dams offer a lesson for others

The Altoona Water Authority has learned too late that it must be extra-vigilant regarding the inflatable rubber dams employed to increase water capacity at Lake Altoona and the Impounding Dam near Horseshoe Curve. Apparently, the authority, about seven years ago, put too much faith in the quality claims put forth regarding rubber dams made in China that ended up being installed locally. These current rubber dams are “clearly inferior,” said authority general manager Mark Perry. That’s indicative of the possibility that seven years ago not enough attention was given to quality ...

State should fund predator program

Last year we supported District Attorney Cody Brown’s WRATH unit. The group is a specialized investigative unit of local law enforcement officers committed to protecting children from online exploitation. The unit, as envisioned by Brown, works to identify and capture those who prey on children through digital means. Its mission is to expose and prosecute those who seek to exploit minors online. We have seen too many instances locally of children locally who have victims of online child sex predators, which is why we so vocally backed Brown’s initiative. But we recognize such units ...

Harris wrong about packing Supreme Court

The rule of law for thee, but not me? To “fight fire with fire,” former vice president Kamala Harris is calling on Democrats to consider packing the Supreme Court with liberals and punishing conservative justices for lying during their confirmation hearings. “This is a moment where there are no bad ideas,” she said on a podcast this week. In any moment, these bad ideas would endanger the constitutional order. No matter how much someone disagrees with recent decisions by the high court, threatening to subordinate judicial independence to the whims of a political party befits a ...

Gratitude on Memorial Day and every day

Monday is Memorial Day. On this solemn holiday, we often reflect on whether we do enough to commemorate this important day, whether we do enough to honor these heroes’ sacrifices throughout the year and whether we are doing enough to ensure future generations understand how important these observances are and how important this sense of gratitude is. Remember these sacrifices not just on Memorial Day or on Memorial Day weekend, but every day throughout the year. Our armed services have placed hard work and values above all, and on this weekend, we honor those whose values led to ...