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BASD school board issues statement following public outcry regarding expulsion

Letters to the editor

(Editor’s Note: The following was submitted by Bellefonte Area School District Board President Jon Guizar following public outcry regarding the expulsion of a senior at Bellefonte Area High School. This letter is printed in its entirety and includes a leading statement by Guizar.) The Bellefonte School District Board of Directors is offering this public statement to address recent concerns regarding a board action that has generated significant public attention. While we are unable to correct or clarify every aspect of public perception surrounding this matter, we believe it is ...

Dear Annie: Caught in the crossfire

Columns

Dear Annie: I need some serious help. Our son, 36, has been married for three years. In May 2024, our daughter-in-law became pregnant. We were elated. She is a nice young woman, but she does have some anxiety and other issues, which have taken a rather turbulent turn. Unfortunately, the change in hormones and other unfounded fears caused her to go off the deep end. I have received hundreds and hundreds of texts saying hateful, offensive things to me. Today, our granddaughter, “Janie,” is 15 months and a gem, but we have been limited to when and where we can see her. Our son is ...

A lesson in economics for AOC

Columns

I am not an economist, but I do have some personal experience with the principles of economics and the rules that allow especially Americans to prosper while becoming more self-reliant and less dependent on government. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), aka AOC, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, graduated from Boston University cum laude, and then returned to the Bronx and worked as a bartender and waitress to help her mother fight foreclosure of their home. Nothing wrong with that, but her life experience apparently has taught her little. In some recent comments she ...

Woman’s persistent spinal pain after surgery fails to improve

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: My wife is suffering from a failed back surgery that was caused by a neurosurgeon. The operation was four years ago, and she also had a spine stimulator that was implanted three years ago. Her pain management doctor said that she’ll get progressively worse as current medical care hasn’t improved for this condition. She’s currently consuming the maximum dose of pain medication. To your knowledge, is there any “light at the end of the tunnel” for patients with chronic arachnoiditis? — B.B. ANSWER: Persistent spinal pain after surgery (PSPS), which was formerly ...

Lock Haven history more than meets the eye

Columns

High atop a gleaming white 17-story building is the plush Pier 66, a rotating, glass surrounded club with a 360 degree view of the magnificent Gold Coast’s Fort Lauderdale. Nightly, in a booming voice you’d hear, “Ladies and Gentlemen, Pier 66 proudly presents Carl and Mary Keller!” Castanea-born in the city’s Nittany Road reservoir home, Carl was the son of Boyd who bore two daughters (Kate and Helen) and two sons (John and Carl). When you hear of our Keller reservoirs and dams, they are the namesake of Carl’s father. The given name Keller traces back to Peter ...

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: What’s better for your health: beer (light or full) or soft drinks (sugar or sugarless)? And why? — W.C.G. ANSWER: Neither alcoholic drinks nor sweetened beverages are on my list of recommended beverages. Alcohol has many toxicities, whether it’s short-term or long-term use, and is a known carcinogen (cancer-causing substance). The Centers for Disease Control estimate that 178,000 deaths per year occur due to alcohol in the United States. While “light” beer has slightly less alcohol and calories than regular beer and is therefore less toxic, I still can’t ...