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Reading a great way to relieve stress

I recently attended the Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce’s annual Bloom Conference. This is an event featuring several motivational women speakers and activities. I had a grand time listening to these awe inspiring speakers and conversing with fellow female attendees. This event showed me the importance of self care. Then I got to thinking, what exactly does self care mean to me? Fruity scents make me happy. So I buy scented lotions and cherish the aroma. I buy nail polish stickers and apply them to my nails. I see my fancy fingernails everyday and grin. I have ...

A nation in crisis

I think we would all agree our country is greatly divided. That disturbs me as a Christian. But the division I am concerned about is not about economics or taxes or deficits or surpluses or prescription drugs or entitlements. The division that concerns me is not anything political or social. In fact, in this time in the history of America we live in an environment where socialized economics, reallocation of wealth, big government and excessive taxation is firmly established and it can be only slightly altered no matter which party is in control of the House and the Senate. So the ...

Much for preachers to consider presenting God’s word

Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. — Mark 15:38 For the last three articles, I have focused on the necessity of presenting the oracles of God (word or message) accurately. We must not add to or take away from His message or God will hold us accountable. Even the misused and abused verse in I Peter 4:11 is about being accurate and presenting God’s Word as it was given. The goal of the preacher today should be to present God’s message in such a way that he adorns it rather than diminish or take from it. To present God’s message accurately today we ...

Once a Mingo, always a Mingo

I was an anomaly of sorts as one of the few people my age who had never gone to a high school reunion. There is no particular reason for my absence, I just never quite made it there. Recently, however, that changed. I discovered that the planning committee for the Chief Logan graduating class of 1978 (so very, very long ago) could use some assistance in planning this year’s event and I was anxious to serve. We began our planning a year in advance. As we worked to set the date and book the venue and caterer, we meticulously checked the Penn State schedule to be sure we avoided any home ...

Digging deeper into teacher shortage

By MINA PHILLIPS MCHS Class of 2024 LEWISTOWN — It can be argued that teaching is one of the most important professions in the world. Without teachers there would be no one to teach the younger generations what they need to know, and society would struggle to prosper. Knowing this information makes the nation’s severe teacher shortage more than a little concerning. In some cases, teachers leave for another district or decide to retire during the school year, leaving students without consistency until a new teacher can fill the position. MCHS Junior Mara Gallo said, “I have had ...

By OLIVIA SUYDAM MCHS Class of 2024 LEWISTOWN — With the school year in full-swing, students are immersed in their daily routines, and the Class of 2024 has begun its countdown to graduation. Graduation is bittersweet. tudents can’t wait to be an official adult, but with that comes the rest of their life and the constant question, “What am I going to do?” Not everyone who graduates this year will be attending college, but for those who are, autumn will be filled with the stress of applying to schools and planning for this massive transition. This is a hectic time for ...