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Another round of smoke reminds us all: Nature does not respect man’s opinions

Our View

The year is 2023. Beginning in April and continuing through October, over 7,000 wildfires will burn 18.5 million hectares of Canadian wilderness. Locally, much of June would be dominated by repeated rounds of air quality issues as dangerous, particulate-heavy smoke would move through Pennsylvania. The year is 2026. Beginning in April and continuing through the present day, over 3,000 wildfires have burned over 2.4 million hectares of Canadian wilderness. Locally, the last week of July has served as a reminder of the 2023 smoke season — a term which we must begrudgingly begin to ...

‘Old folks’ and ‘rookies’ in politics

Columns

After what we have experienced recently I assure you America will never again hire anyone who would serve as president into their 80s. No blame can go to the founders of our nation who did not feel that it was necessary to put an age limit on the presidency. And then we had the “Joe Biden and Donald Trump combo.” By 2028, we would have had 12 consecutive years of total dysfunction, for various reasons, coming out of the Oval Office. There is virtually no corporation, nor is there any other occupation or career that would allow anyone to work in an official capacity into their ...

Providing information on how to combat chronic kidney disease

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your column every day. I haven’t seen any information on chronic kidney disease (CKD). There are many articles on the internet about this subject, telling us how to combat it with easy, at-home remedies. Most articles discuss how to cleanse your nephron filters with things such as pumpkin seed oil, cinnamon, etc. I’m a borderline Type 2 diabetic, and I take Jardiance. My last eGFR was 52. My last creatinine level was 1.39 mg/dL. Could you possibly provide me with some useful information on this subject? Is there a simpler way to combat CKD? There are millions ...

Your next senator will finally face the Social Security decision point

Columns

Americans will soon choose a set of senators who will take office in January 2027 and serve through early 2033. In the final months of that term, Social Security’s retirement trust fund is expected to run dry and trigger benefits cuts of 22% — not just for the wealthy, not just for new retirees, but for everyone up to and including widows living on survivors’ checks. Somehow, this has yet to sink into the national consciousness. The precise timing is a projection. The cuts are not. They’re activated automatically following the law: Once the trust fund is empty, Social ...

Waiting room worries

Columns

Dear Annie: The doctor I have been seeing for over 20 years has decided to discontinue her practice in the town I live in and move to another town. I can’t get to that town, so I’ve asked friends to recommend their doctors. But I’m dreading having to set up an appointment with a completely unfamiliar doctor. How do I get over the anxiety of seeing a new doctor, new office, new staff and now a new medical portal I have to learn to navigate? I’m just anxious about starting all over again. — Anxious Dear Anxious: Twenty years of trust doesn’t transfer with your file, so the ...

Durty Dabbers

Letters to the editor

Carol McDermit Lock Haven The weekend of May 30-31, the People’s United Methodist Church of Farrandsville had the pleasure of serving breakfast to the Durty Dabber Cycle Club at the Castanea picnic grounds. This annual event is one of our church’s biggest fundraisers, and we are incredibly grateful to the club for once again allowing us the opportunity to serve them. A special thank you goes to Lisa Bolopue and Lana Sachetti for all of their hard work and dedication throughout the weekend. We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to the local businesses that ...