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Vance and Agnew

Letters to the editor

Jim Newton Itasca, Ill. Vice President JD Vance has given me newfound insight on, of all things, history. In Peter Baker’s recent NY Times column on Vance, Baker quotes the VP saying “If you’ve ever met him (a conservative columnist who criticized the administration’s Iran policy) in person it’s quite obvious the man has never missed a burrito.” Baker reminds us that similar insults aren’t particularly rare in today’s political climate, but that Vance has taken it to new levels. I agree, but former President Richard Nixon’s first VP Spiro T. Agnew comes to mind. ...

Bilger is the only choice for Congress

Letters to the editor

Mary Bruce Serene State College Central Pennsylvanians deserve a representative who has their needs and interests at heart. Glenn (GT) Thompson isn’t it. Thompson’s actions have hurt constituents. His failure to oppose tariffs contributed to inflation. His support of the Iran war helped drive up gas and diesel prices. His votes threatened food benefits and health insurance for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians. He knows he’s not representing constituents because he hides from us. No town halls in nine years. Refusing, as in the past, to participate in debates. ...

Dear Annie: Son’s free ride gets expensive

Columns

Dear Annie: My best friend of over 20 years has a son that is her world. Her entire life revolves around him. What I’ve noticed is that he has become such a master of manipulation that either she ignores it or she truly doesn’t see it. For example, he recently transferred colleges to accept an athletic scholarship. He insisted his car, a 2025 BMW, be delivered to him, for a delivery fee of $2,700. At first, she didn’t agree to it, but he pushed back so hard that she gave in. Then came over $1,000 in parking tickets — that SHE paid! He was supposed to pay them out of the ...

Communism for the price of gas

Letters to the editor

Arthur Keller Beavertown Only in America can a person wear $300 shoes, drink $5+ coffee, use a $1,200 cellphone and are willing to vote for Democrat Communists because they think gas is unaffordable. So, let’s explore the price of oil. There have been 3 times in the past 50 years where gas prices or shortages have been big news. In the summer of 1973 there was an oil embargo in the Middle East and supply was sharply curtailed. Some gas stations ran out; cars lined up by the dozens at stations still with gas. This crisis ended when the embargo was lifted. In 1979, another gas ...

Take the Wilderness Road and you’ll find the Appalachian first lady who fooled Washington

Columns

WYTHEVILLE, Virginia — Most people meet this town zooming past it at 70 mph. Interstate 77 comes up out of North Carolina. Interstate 81 runs down the Great Valley toward Bristol. They cross here, share a few miles of pavement, and then split again. Truckers stop for diesel. Families stop for a bathroom. Then they are gone. They miss the better road. U.S. 11 runs right through downtown as Main Street. In this part of Virginia, it is also called the Lee Highway. Before that it was the Great Road, the wagon road that carried settlers south out of Pennsylvania and Maryland and down ...

Dear Annie: Sick of the silent treatment

Columns

Dear Annie: I have been married to my husband for 18 years, and I love him deeply. He is kind, hardworking and devoted to our family. He will fix anything that breaks, drive across town if one of the kids needs something and make me coffee every morning without being asked. In so many ways, he shows up. But emotionally, I often feel completely alone. Any time I try to talk about something difficult, he shuts down. It could be a concern about money, something one of the kids is going through, a decision we need to make together or simply something he said that hurt my feelings. The ...