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Time for a restful summer vacation

Local Columns

Many take time off for summer vacation. The goal is to rest. Whether that happens or not depends on kids’ behavior, how long sandwiches last on the road trip, and the weather at the beach. I vividly recall the camping trip to Florida at age 10. My dad had 13 weeks of vacation that year. He bought a huge tent and off we went with our green station wagon. Starting with budget friendly tuna sandwiches, 5¢ chicken wings, and bargain burgers, we first had the exhaust fall off on the DC Beltway. One day, our clothes and tents got wet, so we stayed in a $15 motel for two nights. We ...

What Jesus meant by ‘rest for our soul’

Local Columns

Matthew 11 Have you ever felt overwhelmed with stress or know someone who has? Just about everyone has felt overwhelmed from time to time. How has stress affected you? Responding to a poll on the effects of stress run by a mental health foundation in the United Kingdom, many said overwhelming feelings of stress led them to overeat, drink and smoke. Stress made them feel depressed, anxious, alone, even suicidal. Unrelieved stress is a serious condition, so we all need healthy ways to deal with it. Some find temporary relief by watching videos on YouTube. That’s not surprising. ...

Rural libraries: The heart of our communities

Local Columns

One of the aspects that drew my wife and I to live and work in central Pennsylvania was the beautiful landscape. The ridges and valleys are gorgeous, pristine and peaceful. There are few traffic lights in the more tucked-away parts of Juniata and Mifflin counties, which means less traffic. While the open space brings a sense of peace, it also brings challenges in uniting those geographically distant. In the United States, 84% of all land is rural and 25% of the population lives in a rural area. Rural areas can thus be known for isolation, low population density, mobility disadvantages ...

More than a vacation: Lessons from the Hudson Valley

Local Columns

(Editor’s note: This column is part two of a two-part series.) As promised in my last article, here is the continuation of our adventure, this time focusing on Eleanor Roosevelt, with a brief stop at Mills Mansion along the way. Mills Mansion was once again a stunning example of Gilded Age opulence. As we drove through the massive iron gates and up the winding lane, the scene before us left us wide-eyed and speechless. Perched high atop a hill overlooking the Hudson River, the mansion offered breathtaking views. The rolling green lawn and bright blue sky provided a beautiful ...

Mifflin County makes history, and Ray Wilde brings it home

Editorials

Mifflin County’s 15-16-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars have already given this community something worth celebrating. They’ve reached the final four of the Babe Ruth World Series in Missouri, becoming the first Mifflin County team to reach that stage since Babe Ruth expanded this level to international competition. They got there by winning their pool and then beating Central California 5-0 on Thursday behind Haven Bridge’s one-hit shutout. That achievement belongs first to the players. They’ve handled the pressure of a World Series, the long trip to Missouri, and opponents ...

Being fiscally responsible is now costly

Editorials

Saying that fiscal responsibility can “rear its ugly head” seems incongruous or nonsensical. In most cases that’s true. But Blair County taxpayers are being dealt evidence again that that statement is not as preposterous as it might seem. Those individuals too young to know, or those older taxpayers who have not allocated enough attention to county government business over the decades of their adult lives, might express puzzlement about how “fiscal responsibility” and “rearing its ugly head” can be used correctly in the same sentence. However, increasingly, that ...