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Seniors being scammed by strangers is common

He was a U.S. Navy veteran from Charles Town. After serving his country, he went to work for the federal government. He saved his money, invested it wisely, and accumulated enough to enjoy retirement. But he was lonely and so he passed his time at the local American Legion to be around other people. The veteran’s cognitive abilities were in decline, something recognized by Sam Bunner, an employee at the Legion. Sam befriended him, and became a caretaker of sorts, taking him to doctor appointments, and ultimately to a lawyer to sign a power of attorney. Sam used that power of ...

Keeping my cool by daring to try new things

Water is the stuff of life, especially during extremely high temperatures like those we have been experiencing over the past week. That got me thinking that it’s possible some of our readers may not know about a free-flowing source of fresh, cold water that can be found right here at home in Harrison County. First, a bit about my household. My husband, Mike, and I have had cats for years. One in particular, though, holds a special place. Her name is Fu (pronounced Foo), and she was born a stray on our front porch almost 19 years ago. Fu had a rough start in life. Her mother was ...

Why a lot foreign companies come to the United States

Americans can find a lot to complain about. Just watch any news channel. The reality is, we are very well off. We have abundant food, economical dependable energy, a high standard of living, a stable government, internal and external safety and security compared to most countries, personal liberty and economic opportunity. We now have the cleanest air and water of my entire life. Many of these benefits we take for granted. Earlier this year we did a Zoom call with a Ukrainian company who was in their bomb shelter. They don’t know if their factory will be standing tomorrow. It makes ...

How to address America’s historic drug shortage crisis

The United States is facing an unprecedented drug shortage, with a record 323 active drug shortages at the start of 2024—the highest number since 2001. Two major factors are driving this crisis: foreign government subsidies and regulatory failures by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). America has become dangerously dependent on foreign manufacturers—particularly in China and India—for generic drugs that account for 91% of all U.S. prescriptions. In 2000, China and India accounted for 25% of the global share of active pharmaceutical ingredient filings. By 2021, India ...

Reflections on fathers and their role in our lives

Is it Father’s Day again? It seems like it was Mother’s Day just a few weeks ago. I know Father’s Day does not get as much notice as Mother’s Day, but it is a holiday! Maybe it’s just in my mind. Father’s Day is the day my kids when they were young used to ask me for money to buy me a present. This Father’s Day is special due to the events playing out in the national news. This week it is said for the first time, a child of the president was convicted of a crime while their father was president of the United States. I have no judgment or opinion on the event. It is ...

Frustrations, flower baskets and hostas

I have decided to give up on my dreams of gardening this summer. Sometimes life just moves too fast for you to accomplish everything that you want to do. That seems to be the case this year, since my garden isn’t even prepared for planting and June is half over. Instead, I have tried to focus on ornamental plants to get my green thumb fix. I have vowed to do a better job of watering my hanging baskets of flowers and to regularly deadhead my petunias. So far, I am doing a better job at those tasks than I usually do, but it isn’t up to the standard of growers like my sister-in-law, ...