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With COVID-19, 3rd time not the charm

I just recovered from COVID-19 for the third time. My journey with COVID began in March of 2020. My father developed respiratory symptoms after an extended stay in the hospital for rehab. He was 65 and he had never had respiratory issues a day in his life. Doctors worked to come up with an answer as to what was happening, but they could only say they had no answers other than Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). According to the MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome is “a life-threatening lung condition that prevents enough oxygen from getting ...

Postcards from the edge of cannibalism

SCRANTON — Several years ago the Smithsonian magazine ran an elegant story about the use of postcards in American culture as a way both to communicate to loved ones far away and to illustrate what the traveler wants you to see about where they have been. The key phrase is “wants you to see.” Smithsonian used as an example the work of Curt Teich, a German immigrant who in 1931 used his small printing company to introduce idyllic, brightly colored postcards that always included the familiar “Greetings from,” then inserted the name of a town or state the family member or ...

Lift the LNG permit ban

Pennsylvania holds the answer to domestic and global energy and environmental challenges. We can slash emissions impacting our air quality, sustain job growth, and strengthen our nation’s energy and national security. Natural gas is the solution, as it’s ready to be deployed at greater scale here and abroad. But, President Biden’s LNG permit freeze and the inability to build critical energy infrastructure in this country – because of environmental extremism – stands in the way. Bipartisan leaders, including U.S. Senators Casey and Fetterman, and Governor Shapiro, agree: ...

Truth and the free press

I have a bone to pick with those who are badmouthing the media. The first Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the rights of a free press. This is vitally important. Think about how non-democracies use state run media to spread what they want people to believe. Although there are a lot of biased news outlets, we have a choice as to which ones we follow. Many spew lies and what politicians of a particular leaning eschew. But again which ones we watch, read or listen to is up to us. There used to be a creed for news. It called for reporting to be unbiased and to allow equal ...

Steps to be taken by governor’s budget plan provide optimism

In a recent address, and in testimony before the state House and Senate Appropriations Committees, Dr. Val Arkoosh, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) made me feel optimistic. As the brother of an elder with significant life challenges due to intellectual disability, autism, physical disabilities and dementia, I’ve spent most of my life waiting to hear state leaders speak of the concerns of people with ID/A as an actual important state issue. As family members of people with disabilities, a lot of us were taught growing up that our family concerns ...

Defining the needs of a City Hall

The Williamsport city administration and City Council have been struggling with decisions over how to house city government offices. Before engaging an architectural and engineering firm to provide ”…professional services related to identifying and designing the optimal long term facility to house city government offices” (to quote the recently issued RFP), we really need to decide if we want a traditional City Hall or a more expansive Civic Building, as defined below: • A City Hall houses the City Council, its associated departments and their employees. It also usually ...