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The craziest lure: The Coike baits

Local Columns

Match the hatch. Almost any expert will tell you the key to catching more fish is to offer a bait or lure that matches what they are naturally eating. It makes sense, after all, that a hungry fish is more likely to be enticed by something that they are already searching for. But one of the most popular lures to hit the market is ignoring all the rules. The Coike baits, also known as an urchin or dice bait, do not look like anything bass eat or even see in freshwater. Yet they are catching fish and reeling in a lot of anglers. So, what is the Coike bait? Basically, it is a plastic ...

America does not succeed by accident

Local Columns

Consider this my belated birthday celebration announcement — much like the card that arrives a few days late from your great aunt with a handwritten note explaining, “I’m sorry I missed the day, but I was thinking of you.” In my case, the delay wasn’t because I forgot; it was because I represented the U.S. Small Business Administration through a series of regional outreach events focused on promoting administration programs and services. During this time, I spoke at a regional planning luncheon in West Virginia, met with local lenders and partners, launched a Matchmaker Prep ...

NS merger must be watched

Editorials

The fate of the proposed merger under which Norfolk Southern Railroad would be acquired by Union Pacific Railroad, creating America’s first transcontinental rail freight carrier, is beginning to undergo scrutiny by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board under what is being touted as a tough new standard. Therefore, the review, now just beginning, will not only decide whether the proposed merger would be in customers’ best interests; it also will deliver a verdict on the correctness and effectiveness of the new standard itself. For communities like Altoona that have a stake in ...

Cellphone use ban reflects reality, disruptiveness

Editorials

It’s more apparent every year that when children are in school, they should not be using their cellphones. We have all been entranced by the lure of the technological marvels we carry with us every hour of the day. But we have also begun to realize how distracting and disruptive they can be, for adults and students in school. Frederick County Public Schools is implementing a policy to completely ban cellphone use during the school for the upcoming school year. The district will be ahead of the deadline to comply with the Maryland General Assembly’s recently passed Phone-Free ...

Progress should not come at the expense of Mifflin County’s future

Local Columns

Few decisions shape a community more than how it chooses to use its land. The proposed hyperscale data center in Granville Township is one of the most significant economic development proposals ever considered in Mifflin County. It promises billions of dollars in investment and has generated excitement among those who see it as an opportunity to place our county at the forefront of America’s growing technology economy. I understand that enthusiasm. The United States is in a global race to develop artificial intelligence and advanced computing technologies. Data centers are ...

State’s health care system needs triage

Editorials

The cost of staying healthy is climbing. The cost of getting sick is even worse. Prescription drug costs are up. So is the amount of money people spend in urgent care — and that’s affordable compared with an emergency room visit. Testing, diagnostics, office visits, the little extras you don’t think about until the bill shows up in the mail. They all add up. It’s not surprising. Everything is more expensive these days. And people are more and more concerned. According to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, healthcare costs are making people worry a lot, more than food, ...