Editorials

Adult victims of child sexual abuse have been riding a roller-coaster of emotions in recent weeks – joy over long-awaited news that a Constitutional amendment might go to voters this spring, then deep disappointment when they learned that the Department of State had failed to advertise that move early enough to get it on the ballot. Read more

Gov. Tom Wolf says the state must do a better job of getting vaccines distributed and injected, but claimed the real problem is the limited availability of the COVID-19 inoculations. Read more

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed telehealth by creating a sudden imperative for remote delivery of medical care to the benefit of patients and providers alike. That transformation has catapulted telehealth and its many benefits to the forefront of mainstream medicine. The challenge now: Make those benefits permanent and expand them further to improve value in care delivery. Read more

Bravo to Philadelphia Orchestra music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin for urging the Biden administration to create a cabinet-level arts and culture post. In an open letter recently, Nézet-Séguin — who is also music director of New York’s Metropolitan Opera — said the pandemic’s crippling impact on the creative economy makes “a voice at the table” in Washington, D.C., even more critical. Read more

I belong to the group of people that usually have many New Year’s resolutions. Read more

For American healthcare consumers, the New Year will be very happy, indeed. Read more

COVID-19 has killed nearly 350,000 Americans. And with case counts and hospitalizations soaring, many more deaths are sadly in store. Read more

If ever there was a question about the need to improve America’s infrastructure, it has certainly been dispelled, as the cost to the United States due to lost productivity continues to climb. Read more

The state Department of Transportation plans to accelerate major rehabilitation or reconstruction of five to 10 major bridges across the state by establishing tolls for their use. Read more

The Department of Defense (DOD) is backing a growing grassroots effort nationwide to designate local schools as military friendly because of the huge benefits they provide the children of U.S. service members when transitioning into new schools. Read more

Here are all the ways to vote in this election, safely and securely Read more

Some Pennsylvania dairy farmers, after years of struggle with volatile and evolving markets for their product, entered 2020 cautiously optimistic about their financial situation. “Then, COVID-19 hit. And by mid-March, a government-ordered shutdown forced dairy-buying restaurants closed, instead sending customers to clear out grocery store shelves,” LNP ‘ LancasterOnline’s Sean Sauro reported for a story that appeared in the Sept. 27 Sunday LNP. “It was an abrupt change in the farm-to-consumer supply chain — one that left processors unable to quickly adapt, leading to waste and yet another round of profit loss.” Read more

Altoona Mayor Matt Pacifico has been criticized by city council members for what they regard as premature concerns about municipal finances related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more

Gun shops are among the few businesses that have thrived amid the COVID-19 public health emergency, all the more so since the Wolf administration classified them as “essential” businesses exempt from state-enforced closure. Read more

Babies are at far greater risk of brain damage than previously thought. Read more

The coronavirus pandemic has triggered massive changes in consumer behavior. Read more

The death of George Floyd at the hands of police should never have happened. It was murder and a dark moment in America. The looting, terrorism and burning of American cities by so called protestors is criminal and a dark moment in America. Read more

Normally when 2 p.m. arrives on Saturdays here in Latrobe, a certain peacefulness resounds and it’s as if the world is standing still. There is little movement and silence takes over. That’s been typical ever since I lived in this town. Now, however, that same silence has caused a certain stillness brought on by a disease that has spread around the world. To make it worse, government has mandated rules we stay inside causing more lack of movement. Read more

Recently, Apple and Google caused a stir among cybersecurity experts and privacy advocates in particular with their announcement that they are jointly working on an application to enable contact tracing through their respective devices’ Bluetooth systems. But these digital applications could pose privacy and security concerns of which communities should be aware. Read more

Social distancing is necessitating a fundamental shift in how many of us connect with others in the world. Those of us with no prior experience self-isolating are learning that the undeniable importance of expressing care for ourselves and for others in our community by keeping our distance from them does not make it much easier in practice. Read more