Amid pandemic, kids still relying on food aid

September 8, 2020

Behind the unemployment statistics are the children. Millions are in homes where the coronavirus continues to make it difficult to put bread on the table. As the economy began throttling back because of the epidemic, many public school districts shut down too. To their credit, officials in many of them seem to have determined their responsibility to children went beyond open classrooms. They kept preparing meals and finding ways to get the food to millions of families. Other organizations, ranging from churches to social service groups, pitched in. Federal officials reacted by ...

On Labor Day: Know things will get better

September 7, 2020

Too many of our family members, friends, neighbors and, in some cases, former co-workers are in trouble this Labor Day for the holiday to be a time of carefree celebration. Plenty of room remains for pride in what working men and women accomplish, however. Reflecting upon it gives us reason for optimism, in fact. Last Labor Day, Americans were riding on top of the world. The U.S. unemployment rate was just 4.8%. Nothing could stop us. Six months ago, we received a rude awakening. COVID-19 not only stopped us — it shoved us backward. At the peak of the business slowdown linked ...

Et Cetera …

September 5, 2020

City plans virus relief The Fairmont City Council this week unanimously agreed to support development of a grant program, working with Martin County, to help businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The city and county have received federal virus relief funds, and the city already has received word from 10 businesses interested in receiving grants. There could be more. The federal government has given out the funds and we hope those dollars can make a positive impact locally. We believe the council moved forward appropriately this week to help facilitate that ...

Health privacy law battles common sense

September 4, 2020

With public schools in many states either reopened or ready to become so within the next few weeks, it is virtually inevitable that there will be COVID-19 outbreaks in some classrooms. That will result in calls to school officials from worried parents and guardians. “Sorry,” many of them will be told. “We can’t give you any details. HIPAA, you understand.” HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a federal law that, among other things, severely restricts the release of information about health care patients. The idea was to protect their ...

Violence in major cities does not need to go on

September 3, 2020

Politicians generally try to “spin” the reality around them to make themselves look good and their opponents look bad. When it comes to party politics, the same rules apply. Break down a politician’s message and it might be, “Well, our party is honest and well-intentioned, offering good policies. Our opponents are liars and idiots.” The truth is generally more nuanced. Parties promote a certain set of ideas or plans, then downplay some of the consequences as minor or irrelevant. But every policy choice has trade-offs. Which should be the basis of political discourse. These ...

Today, let us remember those who served nation

September 2, 2020

One wonders how many Americans know the significance of today. It is the 75th anniversary of Victory over Japan, or V-J Day — and the end of the most horrific conflict the world has ever seen. Though Japan’s surrender was announced on Aug. 14, 1945, the official observance in this country was set at Sept. 2. It was that day that Japanese and Allied dignitaries signed documents that officially ended the hostilities. For many years, V-J Day has been an occasion for soul-searching among many Americans. Some contend the United States never should have used atomic bombs on the ...