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Bipartisanship? What’s that?

Despite an effort by a bipartsan coalition of dozens of members of Congress, agreement on a new COVID-19 relief bill seems no closer. More disturbing than the failure of negotiators is what appears to be a willingness to just let the issue go. At least there will be no “government shutdown.” Democrats and Republicans in Congress, as well as White House negotiators, are continuing. A spending bill needs to be approved by the end of this month to avoid suspension of some federal government activities. Even that measure, as bad as a partial shutdown of government would ...

Community needs to form task force to have influence in LHU ‘integration’

The Clinton County community must rise up to engage and put pressure on the chancellor and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education as they look to essentially merge Lock Haven, Mansfield and Bloomsburg Universities. This is so much more important ever since PASSHE initially announced an “integration” plan between just Lock Haven and Mansfield Universities. Frankly, with this latest edict late last week to add the much-larger Bloomsburg to the mix, we are alarmed ... and the community should be very alarmed, too. Is LHU to become a satellite campus of Bloomsburg? We ...

Is a fresh look at HIPAA in order?

With public schools in many states reopened, COVID-19 outbreaks were inevitable in some classrooms. That has resulted in calls to school officials from worried parents and guardians. “Sorry,” many of them will be told. “We can’t give you any details. HIPAA, you understand.” HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a federal law that, among other things, severely restricts the release of information about health care patients. The idea was to protect their privacy. HIPAA is used to refuse to provide communities with information that ...

It is right to look into decisions that impacted nursing homes, but …

Gov. Tom Wolf, along with governors of New York, New Jersey and Michigan, has been asked to supply COVID-19 data for public nursing homes to the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ says the information will decide if it will initiate investigations under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act regarding state responses to the coronavirus in public nursing homes. Specifically, the department’s Civil Rights Division will look into whether state orders requiring admission of COVID-19 patients to nursing homes is responsible for the deaths of nursing home residents. The four ...

Some easing helps, but let us fight the fight … together

In what we would call welcome news, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that beginning Sept. 21, restaurants will be permitted to increase how many indoor, dine-in customers may be served at one time — moving back to 50% of “normal” capacity or exactly what it was when the takeout-only restriction was first lifted. However, that’s provided the establishment’s owners self-certify with the state as complying with certain regulations. As we have highlighted, local restaurants and eateries throughout the Commonwealth have struggled to make ends meet while adhering to the restrictions. ...

A cautionary note to those who took up home canning

Plenty of people have taken on new hobbies this past spring and summer, spurred by uncertainties over the coronavirus pandemic. Backyard gardening became popular again, and the past month has seen the bounty of the season being harvested for meals and preservation. Evidence of that may be found in a shortage of home canning supplies on local store shelves — and on other store shelves nationwide, according to reports. We wonder, though, about the experience, or lack thereof, of those engaging in canning fruits and vegetables. There are risks involved in not preparing equipment ...