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Hooked?

Editorials

A front-page headline in the Oct. 20 edition of the Wall Street Journal — and the lengthy article that followed it — evoked the troubling question of whether many people in this country who don’t really need to be taking antidepressants are becoming hooked on them. “Out-in-the-open” dialogue dealing with the issue should be welcomed here. It might open many people’s eyes to a problem festering below the surface of widespread awareness. If that situation exists, it might be paving the way for a bigger problem down the proverbial road. Here is how the Journal’s article ...

Think Pink

Editorials

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time when pink ribbons appear across our towns and social media feeds. But beyond the color and campaigns lies a message that can save lives. Early detection remains one of our strongest weapons in the fight against breast cancer. Breast cancer continues to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, about one in eight women will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. Those numbers are sobering, but they are not without hope. The survival rate for breast cancer has ...

Accountability still matters these days

Columnists

For over a week, Democrats have attacked the Young Republicans for a leaked group chat that had lots of offensive comments in it. Some were very sarcastic and taken out of context to score points. Others were sincere. All were offensive. None of the Young Republicans are running for office. Most have lost their jobs. A Democratic Senate candidate in Maine has a tattoo on his chest of a Nazi SS skull and crossbones, the symbol used by the troops who initiated and carried out the Holocaust. Politico says the tattoo “appears similar to a Nazi symbol.” The Associated Press and other ...

TikTok around the clock

Columnists

The news business is constantly changing and that means changing with the times. So, reluctantly, I have started a news TikTok. I’m not a fan of TikTok. I don’t like how the app is designed or how it’s meant to keep a user swiping for minutes and sometimes hours. I don’t like its connection to the Communist Chinese government and how it constantly scrapes information and data. The problem is that is where the young’uns are, and if you want the teens and young adults to read your news stories, you have to be where they are. And TikTok is where they are. I don’t know when ...

Weaponized fact checkers

Columnists

Every once in a while, the “fact-checkers” at PolitiFact publish reader comments, and this one stuck out: “Your site seems to be mostly about Trump all the time,” read one comment. “How about a little less Trump, and write more about any other falsehood subjects?” PolitiFact’s audience chief Ellen Hine acknowledged they’ve published over 1,000 “fact checks” on President Donald Trump — 1,124, to be precise. But then she trotted out the false claim that their targeting is nonpartisan: “Without keeping count, we try to select facts to check from all sides of the ...

Autumn is definitely in the air in Barbour County

Columnists

Hello from Barbour County! Fall is in the air. My favorite time of the year. Fire season is also in. No burning between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Also, be sure to use common sense and if it is windy or extra dry, then don’t burn at all. Spooky season is also upon us. Philip Barbour will be having a Zombie 5K today, Oct. 25, beginning at 10 a.m. Also today, there will be a Hocus Pocus, sixth annual Trunk or Treat at the upper pavillion at Audra State Park. Treaters can begin setting up at 3 p.m. The pumpkin court will start at 4:30, and costume contest begins at 5 ...