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Letters to the editor

The ‘F’ word

Sam Stea Cogan Station The truth no longer holds water. Slogans have seized our minds. Our founding, common history no longer has relevance. The press is not free. Our enemies lie within and without. Intimidation and cronyism rule the day. A hundred years ago, millions died to rid the world fascism. Yet we have welcomed it back with open arms and resounding applause. It is time we take stock of what is going on through the lens of history. Tom Brokaw wrote “The Greatest Generation.” Let’s pick that book up again and relearn what we never meant to forget.

Jokes no more

Jim Newton Itasca A friend told me about lying on his bed when he heard the TV on in another room. He got up to see what sounded like Saturday Night Live running a Trump speech parody. It turned out to be an actual Trump speech, the one given during the Gaza end-of-war ceremonies. We both had a brief chuckle over the parody-reality confusion. I said “brief” chuckle because in some circles, robust laugh-out-loud moments are less appreciated. My friend’s anecdote reminded me of a phrase adults used when I was young: “We laugh to keep from crying.” American society ...

Deportation numbers — the questions they raise

Tim Mannello Williamsport Back when Barack Obama was president, the U.S. deported about 914 undocumented immigrants every single day. Fast forward to the Trump administration, and that number has dropped slightly to around 800 per day. On the surface, these figures might seem like just statistics — but they open the door to deeper concerns. So here’s the real question: Is this just about immigration enforcement, or is something bigger at play? Some wonder if these deportations are less about reducing undocumented populations and more about justifying a growing presence of ...

The state of our nation

Kathryn V. McFate Loganton The tearing down of the East End of the White House is happening. Trump has gone ahead with this and my question is this: Who authorized this? He says there are people who will pay $250 million to pay for this. He is such a liar that this may not even be true. Are the Republicans going along with it? Is the election of someone as president an assurance that they can do this? Do we really need a ballroom? Wouldn’t the money spent improve the office space needed or a new fence to keep out dangerous people? This is another example of the people WE ...

The case for a 20-Second Hug Club

Doug Keith State College Modern society faces a crisis of disconnection. Loneliness, mistrust and polarization fuel anger, anxiety and violence. Yet one of the simplest ways to rebuild connection and calm conflict has always been with us — the healing power of human touch. Neuroscientist James Prescott showed that pleasure and violence circuits in the brain act like a switch: when one is active, the other is suppressed. Healthy touch such as hugging activates oxytocin — the “bonding hormone” — which fosters trust, lowers stress and reduces aggression. This is not ...

High cost of prescription drugs

Roberta Doyle Mackeyville In late August, I received my EOB (Explanation of Benefits) from my Medicare Provider. From January 2025 through July 2025, my three drugs increased in price 47.5%, 99.8% and 149.6%. These are huge increases. As Republicans control all three branches of the government, I emailed Senator McCormick and Representative Thompson as to how they plan to address these increases. As of writing this, I have not received a response from them. I read where President Trump was negotiating prices with Pfizer for Medicaid. That doesn’t help those of us on Medicare. The ...