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Dear Annie: Some comforts never get old

Columns

Dear Annie: I hesitate to write this because I’ve never seen anything like this subject in your column. I am a grown woman, mom and grandmother and still have a “blanky.” When I come home from work and walk in my bedroom and see the piece of the silk end, I immediately feel relaxed. I know this sounds crazy, but it gives me comfort. I wouldn’t call it a problem — more of an insecurity, maybe? I sleep with it, but it stays in my bedroom. I swear I’m a normal person! But I wonder if other grown adults have a childhood habit they still do today. — Still Need My Blanky Dear ...

Never forget 9/11

Columns

I was sitting in my home office not far from the Pentagon when it happened. The TV behind me had the sound lowered but I suddenly became aware of a major development. I reached for the remote and cranked up the audio. A plane had struck one of the twin towers in New York. TV anchors initially speculated it must have been a small plane that had run off course, but soon a much larger plane struck the building and then a second one hit the other tower. It quickly became clear America was under attack. I saw smoke rising from the Pentagon and went up on the roof to get a better look. My ...

Thoughts on the 25th anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers in New York City

Letters to the editor

Ron Dotts Bellefonte As most of us know, Friday Sept. 11, 2026 is the 25th anniversary of the attack by foreign terrorist in New York City and Washington, DC. On Sept. 11, 2001, four aircraft were highjacked by al Qaeda terrorists. Two headed for Washington, DC; one aimed at The White House and one aimed at The Pentagon; and two headed for The Twin Towers in New York City. It is assumed that Flight 93 highjacked plane was headed for The White House. Some of the true heroes of that day were passengers on Flight 93 who courageously broke into the cockpit of that plane (manned by the ...

Who are the real bad guys? Sometimes we find out when we look within

Letters to the editor

Paul Nelson Tonawanda After 28 years of being a caregiver for four different family members, there is one question that remains with me from all four experiences. I am still a full-time caregiver for my autistic son. He’s taught me patience and how to live moment by moment. My late wife was psychotic and bedridden. She was addicted to opiates and became a full-time hoarder. I went through two bankruptcies, but learned that money is not nearly as vital as most people think. Caring for my parents was simpler and taught me to value every moment we have. My unanswered question is, ...

Keep foreign money out of Pennsylvania elections

Letters to the editor

Shirley Gorski State College Election season is coming soon. For Pennsylvania especially, the season means endless political TV ads telling us who to vote for or against. In 2024, Pennsylvania was the first state in history to surpass $1 billion in political ads spending in one year. A major problem with these ads is that no one knows where the money that pays for them comes from. It’s certainly not everyday Pennsylvanians donating millions to run the ads. But there’s a measure Pennsylvania can take to get the worst of this secret spending money out of our elections. Earlier ...

Society of Strangers

Columns

“True is it that we have seen better days.” — William Shakespeare Pearl Harbor brought out the best in the American people. We responded by pulling together for a major mobilization when an act of war landed on our soil in 1941. That December day, which Franklin Roosevelt eloquently declared would “live in infamy,” is within living memory. Twenty-five years ago, following the September 11th terrorist attacks, the opposite happened. The George W. Bush White House sowed a society of suspicious, separate and scared strangers. When the World Trade Center towers fell in ...