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Closed primaries are driving America crazy

Columns

How could Donald Trump with bottom-scraping approval ratings decide who would represent the Republican Party in the upcoming Texas senatorial race? The primary system offers an explanation. A simple open primary system would have let the broader public choose — and, ironically, save Republicans from a very possible loss in November. Open primaries let registered voters cast a ballot without being members of the party. Closed primaries allow only party members to vote. About 15 states now run genuinely open primaries. There are mixed systems that still help small numbers of voters ...

Looking toward the future of vaccines for Lyme disease

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I understand a vaccine to prevent Lyme disease is in the works, but I wonder when it’ll be available. We’ve had multiple tick bites in our family, with some that resulted in Lyme disease. While I appreciate that our dog receives a vaccine and monthly anti-tick prevention, we’re long overdue for prevention for humans. Your thoughts are appreciated. — K.L. ANSWER: Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, which is spread mostly by deer ticks in the United States. The only Lyme disease vaccine (Lymerix) was voluntarily removed from the ...

Doctors leave stroke patient without a single treatment option

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: A dear friend of ours was diagnosed with lung cancer and subsequently had a stroke. Since then, he was told that he had disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and that there wasn’t any treatment for it. The doctors don’t want to do surgery for the cancer because they’re afraid that he might have another stroke, so he’s been left without options. They told him that he could spend his time going from doctor to doctor or go home and be with his family for whatever time he has left. Does all this sound reasonable to you? Any light you can shed on this would be ...

AI bots are busting loose. Have we seen this movie before?

Columns

As an old-school newshound — meaning I can remember typewriters — I am familiar with the old newsroom saying, “If you don’t like the news, just wait a few minutes.” Lately, I find myself waiting more than a few minutes for another shoe to drop in a present-day saga widely referred to as the “Hugging Face” breach. Or perhaps you’ve heard it referred to as the “rogue” OpenAI agent, although I still have questions about just how rogue it was, since it seems to have been doing only what it was designed to do, like it or not. The story began July 21, when tech giant ...

Renovo, Pa. goes “rustic”

Letters to the editor

Dave Dowling Wellsboro A year ago (3-01-25) I wrote a Letter to the Editor in the Lock Haven Express titled “Renovo, Pa — My Hometown.” The subject was based on the idea of having the Mail Pouch Tobacco on the side of the 11th street building repainted. At the time the sign was in poor, weather worn condition in need of a “professional” paint job. My letter was throwing hints (and Thank You) to all the nonprofit organizations that were responsible for the many awesome large Murals placed around town including the Renovo signs at each end of town and the town clock. Each ...

Another reminder that now is the time to build resilience

Our View

If your social media feed is anything like ours, odds are you have seen pictures and accounts of the floodwaters which surged through much of the Williamsport area on Sunday. Here’s a shocking fact that you might not have seen: according to the National Weather Service in State College, Sunday’s deluge was Williamsport’s 5th rainiest day in recorded history. That puts Sunday’s 5.28 inches of rain, in a 24-hour period, below only 1972’s Agnes (8.66), 2011’s Lee (6.76), 1999’s Dennis (6.29), and 2004’s Ivan (5.58). You may ask why this fact is shocking. After all — ...