Getting vaccine out shouldn’t have to wait

October 13, 2020

When will there be an effective, safe, vaccine against COVID-19? That depends. Federal public health officials who are in the know and without any political agendas have said deliveries of vaccine can be expected sometime in January. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services predicts a vaccine could be approved by the end of the year, but points out it will take time to distribute. Dr. Moncef Slaoui, described by The Associated Press as “leading the government’s vaccine effort,” elaborated on Friday. He said researchers may know as early as later this month whether one ...

Tourism agencies can help you get out again

October 12, 2020

It has been seven months since Americans began locking down against COVID-19. Many have attempted to get back to “normal” by donning masks, washing hands more frequently and taking a step or two backwards sometimes to maintain social distancing. But many others have remained cloistered at home, and with good reason. For mllions of people who are older and with pre-existing health conditions, any risk of contracting the disease is too much. If you are among them, you are growing very, very tired of not getting out. A little fun would be nice. Never fear. Now is the perfect time ...

Et Cetera …

October 10, 2020

Getting more efficient The city of Welcome this week studied a proposal for new water meters and readers. We hope the city moves forward with the project, as it seems ready to do. We also hope other area cities, including other small towns, are paying attention. Modern meters can transmit their information without anyone having to walk up to them and “read” them as in days gone by. This improves efficiency and monthly billing, and can be used in combination with online bill pay or an app to make life easier for utility customers. It’s win-win for everyone. Projects move ...

Politics of pandemic come with trade-offs

October 9, 2020

The recent presidential and vice presidential debates have, rightly, put a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue has been politicized for some time now, and so the race for the presidency would not be expected to be immune. Wednesday night’s vice presidential debate between Republican Mike Pence and Democrat Kamala Harris put a spotlight on COVID, with Pence defending what the Trump administration has done and Harris arguing that the administration has failed completely. It is difficult to be in a position to have to defend yourself when people are dying from a virus for which ...

Iowa Secretary of State makes compelling case

October 8, 2020

It would seem to us — as it does to Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate — that uniformity in elections is a good guarantee of fairness. Pate has been waging a fight in Iowa to enforce his directive that requires counties to mail blank absentee ballot applications to voters, instead of ones pre-filled in with their personal information. If some counties choose to do one thing while other counties do another, then the state’s uniformity in voting is skewed. Some critics go further, saying that what some Iowa counties are choosing to do will create election “chaos.” Earlier this ...

People, businesses looking to lawmakers

October 7, 2020

Many sectors of the U.S. economy continue a slow but steady recovery from the COVID-19 slowdown. By the end of September, the unemployment rate had dropped to 7.9%, down from 8.4% in August. But as many have warned, some businesses — and millions of their employees — continue to struggle. In addition, a significant number of companies failed to weather the coronavirus storm. They have closed their doors forever. In the news recently have been airlines. Passenger count is everything for them. With it down drastically, most carriers are struggling. Restaurants too have been ...