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Practice safety on Independence Day

July 4 is synonymous with summer barbecues, kayaking and fireworks. It’s a time for families to get together, be care free and enjoy the outdoors. But, there’s a difference between being carefree and careless. While much of the Juniata River Valley will come out with family and friends to see fireworks in Lewistown or Milroy, we know some of you like to build your own displays. We remind everyone to exercise caution when handling fireworks. June is Fireworks Safety Month — a time for agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission to reiterate measures that should be ...

Juniata Terrace has good week, preserves history

The borough on Wednesday had the honor of celebrating the distinction of being named to the National Register of Historical Places with a ceremony. The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the nation’s historic places that it deems worthy of preservation. According to the National Historical and Museum Commission, this designation makes Juniata Terrace eligible for certain federal tax incentives for income-producing buildings, as well as state and federal grants for planning and rehabilitation of buildings owned by not-for-profit organizations and local ...

New York about to make high school diplomas worse than useless

The State Education Department just announced that it plans to make the value of a New York high school diploma worthless. New York parents should be up in arms. Gone will be the need for students to pass five state Regents exams to earn a diploma. Instead, all students will have to show nebulous “knowledge and skills” in seven areas, including “critical thinking,” “cultural competence” and “global citizenship.” High achievers who pass enough Regents tests won’t get distinctive diplomas — vs. the old, tested system of Regents Diplomas, Advanced Regents ...

Don’t dismiss hurricane warnings

Blair County residents can be excused for not becoming very concerned about the worst-ever Atlantic hurricane season predicted last month by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Seldom is this county affected seriously by those weather events, witnessed most often in southern states such as Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana. However, Blair has not always escaped impacts from such storms, as looking back, especially to 1972, can attest. That was the year when Hurricane Agnes, “downgraded” to tropical storm status, wreaked havoc in Pennsylvania, causing $2.3 ...

Soap Box Derby a reminder of importance of sportsmanship

The rush of excitement, of course, was palpable. The fun the youngsters had racing their Soap Box Derby cars down Market Street Hill was clear to all. But the volunteers who spoke with the Sun-Gazette were right: The most important part of the Soap Box Derby is the lessons about sportsmanship it teaches. Racers shook each others’ hands and congratulated each other after each race, without bragging or gloating or showboating. Any rivalries were good-natured, and the competitors treated each other with respect sportsmanship and its foundation of humility, teamwork and courtesy are ...

‘Go Big Red!’ Cheers for Juniata Indians softball team

It’s a feat that doesn’t happen very often: Winning PIAA gold for the Juniata Indians. In fact, the last state titlist came in 2003 when Juniata’s wrestling team won the PIAA Class 2-A Dual Meet Team championship. The Juniata softball team hopes to strike it rich this season with a PIAA 3-A crown, after falling one victory short a year ago. The lasting memories of a season ago were seeing the sea of red as the Indian faithful filled the stands at Penn State’s Beard Field at the Nittany Lion Softball Complex. Last year, Juniata fans came by the droves, decked from head to ...