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Dear Annie: Standing firm when family is divided

Dear Annie: Hopefully you can help me. I’ve read your column for years. My two kids are adults and have kids of their own, and they have always gotten along. However, last Thanksgiving, my son and his family decided not to stay when they found out my granddaughter was there. My granddaughter is gay and was recently married last fall to her partner. My son isn’t religious at all, but he follows his wife’s lead, and she is very Catholic. Both of them think that if they spend time with gay people, it will somehow hurt their children. They don’t want to expose their kids to my ...

Getting vaccinated is most effective to ‘scare away’ viruses

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 82 years old and in very good health. I have no major medical issues so far, but I work on my health as I believe in prevention. During the past eight months, I’ve had three colds, plus COVID-19 for the first time this past November. I remember the old days when we used to wear camphor necklaces every winter in order to “scare away” viruses. Before I order one, I want your advice on it. — N.G. ANSWER: Camphor is a waxy substance that is derived from the camphor laurel tree. It is often used topically to relieve pain, but some people use it as a skin rub ...

Economic development 101: The Williamsport Lumber Yards

Economic development is truly the process by which communities are transformed. Nowhere is this more evident than in Williamsport’s Lumber Yards project, set to host its first tournament this coming weekend. The facility features six lighted synthetic turf fields for youth baseball and girls’ and women’s softball, a convertible collegiate-size field, concessions and a hospitality hub. The story of the Lumber Yards begins with the acquisition of the former Susquehanna Supply site, a neglected brownfield that the Lycoming County Visitors Bureau and the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber ...

Veterans are leading the way in healing – again

By any honest measure, veterans have long been unintended pioneers in the advancement of medicine. The unique realities of war and military service have forced innovation that later benefits civilians for generations. Modern triage systems emerged from battlefields where medical personnel had to decide, in seconds, who could be saved. Medevac transportation by helicopter increased survival rates in conflicts like Vietnam and later became a staple of civilian emergency medicine. Advances in trauma surgery, prosthetics, rehabilitation medicine and even treatments for post-traumatic ...

Good fences, better boundaries

Dear Annie: I have a neighbor whom I used to enjoy very much. We would chat at the mailbox, exchange holiday cookies and occasionally sit on each other’s porch for a friendly visit. She was the kind of neighbor everyone hopes to have close by. Lately, though, things have changed. She now drops by without calling, often at the worst possible times. More than once, I have opened the door in my exercise clothes, with dinner half-cooked and papers spread all over the kitchen table, only to find her smiling and ready to settle in for a long visit. If I say I am busy, she laughs it off and ...

Woman’s HPV test comes out positive for three risk types

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 35-year-old female. My doctor did a Pap smear and a human papilloma virus (HPV) test that was positive for one of the “risk types” (16, 18 and 45 according to my chart) — but not one of the really bad ones. I am otherwise healthy. My Pap smears have always been normal. I never did get my HPV vaccine. Should I get it? Should I worry? What are the chances of it going away? I am engaged to be married; how do I tell him? — V.S.P. ANSWER: HPV is the cause of cervical cancer in women and head and neck cancer in men. Although there are many different types, ...