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‘Tis the season to be thoughtful

December is a busy month for most due to the holidays with family gatherings, office parties, then end of the year festivities. However, some people may not stop and think how December is in the middle of cold and flu season. It is that time of year where we will feel obligated to go to gatherings, even if we are not feeling the best. This is not the year to be going out when you are under the weather. Let’s be honest, it is best, no matter what time of the year, to stay home if we are not feeling well. Especially since COVID is here to stay. This cold and flu season, though, there ...

There is always more we can do about crime in Pennsylvania

Reports of murders, robberies, car jackings and property destruction dominate headlines these days as Pennsylvania communities fall deeper into chaos and lawlessness. Federal statistics show violent crimes reported across the state increased in 2021, outpacing the national average. According to the 2022 State of Safety report, nearly half of Pennsylvanians say the COVID-19 pandemic affected their personal safety. It’s a trend that’s repeated in a survey my office recently distributed asking residents to describe their concerns about rising crime. Many told me they feel less safe ...

COVID-19 disinformation revisited

In his final official briefing to the nation, Dr. Anthony Fauci urged Americans to get vaccinated and boosted in preparation for the upcoming holidays and cold weather gatherings. Nevertheless, only one eighth of area residents are currently up to date with COVID-19 booster shots. Two reasons to support Dr. Fauci’s advice easily come to mind. First, many of us, acting out of empathy, want to slow the spread of COVID-19 among people whose immune systems are weakened. While there is no guarantee that staying caught up with COVID-19 vaccinations will keep us from testing positive, we do ...

Who lost $6,000 in Old Lycoming?

Would you be concerned if you lost $6,000. of your budget and ready access to a tool that improved the efficiency of your police department? So would I. However, as reported in the Nov. 10 edition of the Sun-Gazette, that does not appear to be the case in Old Lycoming Township. At their Nov. 8 meeting the township supervisors could not explain why the Central Processing Center was suddenly being moved. It has been housed in Old Lycoming Township for nine years, through three police chiefs and two district attorneys with no difficulties. Suddenly months after the fourth chief arrived it ...

Studies may offer glimpses of good news about long COVID

There is hopeful news about long COVID and for the people living with it. Their months-to years-long journeys may be about to become shorter than the experiences of individuals who in the past suffered from the after-effects of infections like polio, Ebola, mononucleosis, borrelia (Lyme disease), and earlier coronaviruses. It is no secret that post-acute infection syndromes, the fancy term for symptoms that continue after an infectious illness is gone, have been neglected. This time around, due to dogged advocacy work by many of the world’s estimated 145 million people with long COVID, ...

Thank you for our travels together

How does one say goodbye without actually leaving? After 24 years in the Senate, I am stepping away from public life. But as a life-long resident of Centre County, I’m not going anywhere. Who could have guessed that nearly a half century ago when I walked on the floor for my father’s first swearing-In to the Senate of Pennsylvania, it would begin a near five-decade relationship between the Corman family and the citizens of the 34th Senatorial District? My father and I had very different careers. He was much more community-focused, holding constant constituent hours and working ...