Oddities of this pandemic-year election

November 8, 2020

What a surreal election this has been. And I’m not even talking about the large number of incumbent upsets in local races, the days and days of ballot counting or the public accusations from our president of fraud and attempts to “steal” the election from him. Yes, civil suits have been filed, with more still to come. And there is other insanity. At least one lawsuit filed in Arizona stems from voters’ use of officially issued — wait for it — Sharpie markers that allegedly bled through to the other side of the paper ballot, apparently limiting the Phoenix metro vote ...

Feeling rested after extra hour of sleep?

November 1, 2020

If you’re reading this and you haven’t yet turned your clock back, you’re probably already late for church. Or were you early for church? I can never keep those straight. Either way, we’re told we should have awoken today feeling exceptionally rested since we supposedly gained an extra hour of sleep. Or an extra hour to binge watch NCIS on Netflix. Or, some graveyard shift workers might have gained an extra hour of work. When my boys were babies, the beginning and end to daylight saving time was always a struggle. Just when you get them into a good sleep routine, ...

Unorthodox November quickly approaches

October 25, 2020

These days, white silken ghosts hang from the hooks on my front porch that only recently held my purple flowering hanging baskets. Halloween is quickly approaching, and just like that, the Nov. 3 election will be here, and then Thanksgiving. (I already know what I’ll be thankful for this year — for this election to be over.) Seriously, this November, like the rest of 2020, will be unorthodox and, in many ways, even disheartening. As of this writing, it appears there won’t be an annual Trumbull County Veterans Day parade on Nov. 11. Sadly, it’s been canceled due to fears ...

We’re still fighting for fairness and balance

October 18, 2020

My office phone has been ringing a lot lately. In past weeks, I’ve seen a trend in the calls from readers taking on an accusatory tone that we, like all mainstream media, must be in cahoots to keep Donald Trump out of office. Amazingly, those two sentences actually appeared as the start of this column almost exactly four years ago — Oct. 30, 2016. Who says history doesn’t repeat itself? The only difference this year is that I seem to be receiving a similar number of calls and emails from equally accusatory readers who say this newspaper is way, way too far right. Daily, ...

Don’t forget to check out all Medicare options

October 11, 2020

Medicare open enrollment period is quickly approaching. While most Americans have been so wrapped up in the upcoming election, presidential candidate debates, the coronavirus and everything else that’s affecting all our lives, I thought it might be wise to take a moment to remind you of that. Medicare open enrollment is a topic that affects many readers of this newspaper, and certainly, it’s one that should not be allowed to slip through the cracks. The annual open enrollment period runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, and allows Medicare plan enrollees to re-evaluate their coverage, ...

Don’t give up on voting despite debate debacle

October 4, 2020

Perhaps after the debacle that was last week’s presidential debate, you might be rethinking whether you even want to vote Nov. 3. I watched the first debate broadcast from Cleveland last week. So if you’re frustrated, I feel your pain. Yes, it was a “presidential” debate, but these two men were anything but presidential. Even if you didn’t waste your time Tuesday night, you’ve probably already heard by now about the childishness of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden that included cross-talk, butting in, speaking over one another, raising their ...