Breaking News

Column

Stepping up in a despairing world

Sometimes headlines grab our attention with shocking effects: How can this be so? Columbiana County kids at higher risk for mental health problems (WKBN – Sept. 29, 2022), OHSU researchers find startling increase in suicide attempts by preteen children nationwide (Oregon Health and Science University, March 15, 2022). Increased suicide rates among children aged 5 to 11 years in the U.S. (Children’s Welfare League of America), Our kids in crisis (AARP Bulletin, September 2022). What is drastically wrong with our society that children – 5-years-old – are taking their own lives? ...

Biden mistake could end America’s solar industry

President Biden has talked a lot about “Made in America”—and creating 10 million clean energy jobs. However, he’s just made a serious error for America’s solar manufacturing industry that poses grave consequences for the nation’s energy future, including a greater dependence on Chinese solar panels. China accounts for roughly 70 percent of global solar panel production. Much of that stems from the massive subsidies Beijing provides to its state-owned manufacturers. China also “dumps” solar panels in the world market at below the cost of production—all to put U.S. solar ...

America’s power grid is facing real trouble

There are two reasons why consumers experience a power outage. The first is obvious: a storm comes along and knocks down trees and power lines. That’s what typically happens. But there’s now a second reason for power outages in the United States—there simply isn’t enough electricity to go around. Power generation in the United States has always been an extremely dependable commodity. But recently, there’s been a startling decline—and both Texas and California have offered previews of this worrying trend. In February 2021, portions of Texas’s natural gas infrastructure and ...

Older adults hit harder by ‘holiday blues’

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following column previously ran Dec. 13, 2019 It’s normal for most of us to get a little melancholy over the holidays. As we reflect on the year gone by and those family and friends no longer here to celebrate with us, it’s not unusual to feel the “holiday blues” set in. The stress of rushing to find that perfect gift, coupled with the time change and shorter, colder days, can be overwhelming for anyone. But for older adults, the holidays can be an extremely hard time emotionally. They may feel forgotten or lonely as declining energy and mobility keep them ...

Holiday driving: Do you drive defensively?

Say you are driving along and someone coming toward you swerves left of the center line and into the path of your car. Maybe you are driving through an intersection. A car blows through the light on your left, against a red light, because the driver is so busy with a cell phone or adjusting a radio station or heater or air conditioning. In these times when marijuana has been legalized, some people think that means it’s OK to use and drive. When you are on the highway, you have no idea what condition the other driver is in, but you want to believe everyone respects each other enough ...

Troubling predictions for electric grid this winter

As the nation slides into winter, the U.S. could very well be facing another energy crisis. But this one won’t be at the gas pump. Instead, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC)— which oversees the reliability of the nation’s power supply—is warning that a prolonged cold snap could spur blackouts across dozens of states this winter. We’ve heard these warnings before—and they’ve proven to be chillingly accurate. Last February, for example, a winter storm led to massive power outages in Texas. More than 4 million customers were left without electricity for ...