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Biden’s border nihilism will live long after he’s gone

Editorials

The spiteful open-borders legacy of Joe Biden will plague America for generations to come, long after the former president is a fading bad memory. Somewhere between 10 to 12 million foreign nationals are believed to have entered the U.S. illegally under his watch, to add to the existing 12 to 20 million illegal aliens. Almost all were unaudited. They stormed the border for four years without background checks of the sort that American citizens must undergo to purchase a firearm or take out a loan. At a time when citizens were expelled from the military for not submitting to the ...

Step right up: Your guide to can’t-miss summer fairs

Editorials

You can hear the season before you see it. A distant pop song on the breeze. The clang of a game bell. The sharp, sweet smell of funnel cake. In Mifflin County, fair season doesn’t so much begin as it blooms—one event spilling into the next, each with its own character, its own traditions, and its own pull on the community. This summer, the Embassy Fair’s bright lights and music once again fill Kish Park, marking the unofficial start of the fair season. And it’s only the first of many. From Reedsville to Newport to Port Royal and beyond, a circuit of fairs stretches out, giving ...

Stepping through time: Hiking Indian Steps Trail

Local Columns

The first Saturday in June, today, June 7 — is National Trails Day, a time set aside to encourage everyone to get outside and explore and maintain the many scenic trails we’re fortunate to have right in our own backyard. In celebration, I’d love to share one of my all-time favorite local hikes with you. I especially enjoy bringing my dogs along on my outdoor adventures. In case you haven’t met them, I have a ten-year-old labradoodle named Finley and a seven-year-old (and quite large) standard poodle named Murphy. Many of you probably have met them since they come to work with me ...

Don’t get ‘tick’ed off

Editorials

Sunshine and warmer temperatures mean more time outside, but a pest about the size of a sesame seed can bring a halt to the summer fun and have a potentially lifelong impact. Lyme disease, transmitted by a tiny deer tick, can affect both humans and their furry friends. While ticks can attach themselves any time of the year, the warmer months are prime time to get bitten. Nearly half of the 16,605 tick bites that led to Lyme disease in the state occurred between June and August last year, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which noted our state ranks first in the ...

Road work headaches affect us all

Editorials

Difficulty navigating streets and roads due to major infrastructure replacement projects is not a situation unique to what Altoona currently is experiencing. That is true even though the Mountain City is more compact than some other cities of comparable size in Pennsylvania and beyond the Keystone State’s borders — some of those cities engaged in their own efforts at ridding themselves of deteriorated remnants of the past. Like what is happening here, it is not uncommon to hear stories about motorists and non-motorists elsewhere who are frustrated and angry about what is going ...

Musk’s worthy DOGE spotlight and potential fiscal path forward

Editorials

Last Wednesday night, the world’s wealthiest man announced that his sojourn in the nation’s capital is almost over. “As my scheduled time as a special government employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President (Donald Trump) for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” Elon Musk posted to X, the social media platform he owns. While Musk was quick to add that “the (Department of Government Efficiency) mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” Musk’s departure will represent the effective end of DOGE as we ...