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Why Earth Day matters more than ever

Columns

Fifty-seven years ago, Earth Day changed American politics. On April 22, 1970, 20 million American, about 10% of the entire U.S. population, took to the streets, campuses, and town squares in a single day to demand action after 150 years of uncontrolled industrial pollution. The demonstrations were so large and bipartisan that Washington responded almost immediately, probably out of fear but also respect for the intensity and size of the demonstrations. Within just a few years, President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency and Congress passed 20 landmark laws including the ...

Dear Annie: Lost in mixed signals and broken expectations

Columns

Dear Annie: About six months ago, I grew close to a woman I had known casually for some time. She had recently come out of a painful breakup, and what began as friendship quickly turned into something much more emotionally intimate. We talked every day, shared deeply personal things and became part of each other’s routine in a way that felt meaningful and serious. Although she kept saying we were “just friends,” our relationship did not feel platonic. We became physically involved, and over time she began making comments that made me believe we were building toward something ...

Thank you Trump for starting the draft again!

Letters to the editor

Jim Hironimus White Hall Lets see: Trump started a war a few weeks ago without going to Congress! This drove gas prices and fertilizer prices for farmers way up because they cannot get it because it is stuck waiting in an ocean far away that was open! We had a Nuclear treaty of sorts with Iran: Until Trump tore it up! We used to be the strongest nation in the world and now we look like a bunch of fools! Trump put in tariffs and raised prices on goods! Now, if you haven’t noticed, Trump and his cronies instituted “the draft” so all your sons may get drafted and go to war ...

Gas prices keep rising. My electric car keeps saving me money

Columns

Gasoline prices have surged to their highest levels since the COVID-19 pandemic and it has me feeling pretty good about my electric vehicle purchase. I know that utility prices are also on the rise, but being able to plug my car in at home instead of paying horrid prices at the pump has still saved our family money. Charging an EV at home costs 40%-65% less than refueling a gas-powered car. Plus, driving an EV is a little gentler on the Earth, and that also feels good as we celebrate Earth Day. Even when factoring in the additional energy required to manufacture an EV’s battery, ...

​​Ans​​wer the call: Join CoCoRaHS today

Letters to the editor

Autumn Knepp Howard In 2026, April is the Rain Gauge Rally for CoCoRaHS, the Community Collaborative Rain, Snow and Hail Network. I’m encouraging everyone in Centre, Clinton and Lycoming counties to take part. With five minutes per day, you can contribute to a nationwide program to collect precipitation data. CoCoRaHS is a unique, non-profit organization. This community-based network of volunteers measure precipitation (rain, snow and hail) across the Northern Hemisphere. Anyone can join, given they buy the official 4-inch manual rain gauge and mount it according to the ...

‘Homeland Security’ in historical context

Letters to the editor

Kimball Shinkoskey Woods Cross, Utah TV journalists today are notoriously good-looking men and women having resonant voices and command of college-level vocabularies. Do they have any flaws at all? Yes, they do. Their flaws are the same kinds of intellectual flaws that American politicians, business leaders, culture mavens and even educators have. In brief, they are unable to bring any real historical perspective to their informational commentaries on current events. The education of supposedly exemplary American leaders today falls well short of the depth and breadth of ...