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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 ...

Looking for a word

As the world strives to reach a point beyond “languishing,” everyone wants the same thing: normal. On your list of things that money can’t buy, what words are you looking for? Some words that come to my mind include hope, faith, resilience, friends, family, children, recovery. Everyone has had to recover from something. When you think of the happiest person you know, pause for a moment or three. Why do you suppose that particular person is so happy? No matter what they face – and they have times of adversity just like everyone else – they manage to look on the bright side, to ...

Some leftovers from Johnson interview

It’s one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving. Sometimes they also come from news interviews. Here are some leftover things I discussed with U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson that didn’t make it into my recent article. Because of congressional redistricting, Johnson, R-Marietta, will run for re-election next year in a new 6th District that will include all of Mahoning and Trumbull counties — assuming the Ohio Supreme Court upholds the Republican-drawn map. Johnson first was elected to the U.S. House in 2010 and has represented portions of Mahoning County since then. But this is a ...