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Pump up the LH JAMS

The sound of beautiful music — from classic jazz to cosmic country — will bounce off downtown buildings this weekend as the 6th Annual LH JAMS Festival comes back to Lock Haven after a year’s hiatus. And we couldn’t be more excited. The annual event, organized by the Clinton County Arts Council, brings special music to our beautiful little town along the Susquehanna. Six bands are slated to perform Friday and Saturday on Main Street with a slew of arts, crafts and food vendors for locals and visitors alike. The brainchild of artist Steve Getz and Lock Haven University ...

Health systems ramping up quality of care

UPMC Williamsport has taken a major step forward with the announcement that it has been granted Level II Trauma Center accreditation, effective Sept. 1, by the state Trauma Systems Foundation. This puts into place a team of surgeons and specialists who deal with patients suffering from car accidents, gunshot and stab wounds as well as other serious, life-threatening injuries. “Trauma is any injury that occurs to the body from an external source,” said Dr. Ronen Elefant, medical director and a trauma surgeon, Trauma Services, UPMC of North Central Pennsylvania. Time is of the ...

Enjoy the outdoors, but be aware

It’s been said that we live in a dog-eat-dog world, a place of survival of the fittest. It could even be said that nature will always challenge our existence on this planet. Long before we became versed in coronavirus protocol, there were creatures big and small that threatened our health and well being. Some predators — sharks and bears, for instance — instantly capture our attention when they attack humans. On the other end of the spectrum is the largely ignored deer tick. This tiny creature — about the size of a poppy seed — can carry numerous diseases, and their ...

Barking up a tree: Changes due for Pa. dog licenses

Is it preposterous to suggest that fewer than 50 percent of Pennsylvania dog owners might not have purchased 2021 licenses for their pets — and perhaps neglect that responsibility every year? Maybe so, but probably not. That question is a reasonable topic for reflection as the Pennsylvania Legislature remains irresponsibly locked in inability to reach agreement regarding the puppy-sized “problem” of adequately funding what is reasonably described as the cash-strapped Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement. It is amazing that members of the General Assembly — individuals who ...

Let’s be clear on protocols to protect our kids at schools

With a new school year about a month away, school boards across the region have been adopting safety plans. Most say no masks will be required in class. Vaccinations are encouraged but not mandatory. Social distancing and hygiene protocol to be observed. But — and this is a big “but” — any new advice coming from higher government authorities should not be taken lightly or be automatically opposed. And so things have no taken a turn with a COVID variant raging in some parts of the U.S. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday recommended that everyone in K-12 ...

Are you a slob?

Not a week goes by when we don’t see trash dropped on a sidewalk, street, parking lot, along highways ... by people who have not regard for our environment. Slobs, we call you. What else do you call someone who is so lazy they simply throw their trash onto the ground out in the open? Oh, there’s another word: criminal. Whether littering or illegally dumping garbage, it is against the law in Pennsylvania, and violators can be prosecuted by a number of different state agencies. OK, let’s transition from that rant, but on a related subject. Over 500 million pieces of ...