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Troubling predictions for electric grid this winter

As the nation slides into winter, the U.S. could very well be facing another energy crisis. But this one won’t be at the gas pump. Instead, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) — which oversees the reliability of the nation’s power supply—is warning that a prolonged cold snap could spur blackouts across dozens of states this winter. We’ve heard these warnings before—and they’ve proven to be chillingly accurate. Last February, for example, a winter storm led to massive power outages in Texas. More than 4 million customers were left without electricity for ...

Things you can’t buy

As the world strives to reach a point beyond “languishing,” everyone wants the same thing: normal. On your list of things that money can’t buy, what words are you looking for? Some words that come to my mind include hope, faith, resilience, friends, family, children, recovery. Everyone has had to recover from something. When you think of the happiest person you know, pause for a moment or three. Why do you suppose that particular person is so happy? No matter what they face – and they have times of adversity just like everyone else – they manage to look on the bright side, to ...

Some leftovers from Johnson interview

Mmm, leftovers. It’s one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving. Sometimes they also come from news interviews. Here are some leftover things I discussed with U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson that didn’t make it into my recent article. Because of congressional redistricting, Johnson, R-Marietta, will run for re-election next year in a new 6th District that will include all of Mahoning and Trumbull counties — assuming the Ohio Supreme Court upholds the Republican-drawn map. Johnson first was elected to the U.S. House in 2010 and has represented portions of Mahoning County since then. But ...

Some leftovers from Johnson interview

It’s one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving. Sometimes they also come from news interviews. Here are some leftover things I discussed with U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson that didn’t make it into my recent article. Because of congressional redistricting, Johnson, R-Marietta, will run for re-election next year in a new 6th District that will include all of Mahoning and Trumbull counties — assuming the Ohio Supreme Court upholds the Republican-drawn map. Johnson first was elected to the U.S. House in 2010 and has represented portions of Mahoning County since then. But this is a ...

Profound thoughts about some things

Sometimes, do you sit with your cuppa, staring into but not seeing your surroundings, and ask yourself profound questions like, “Does everyone on Spaceship Earth think we are living in a test tube?” Or, “Can anyone else remember a time when they consciously thought, ‘I do not want to be a statistic?’ Or, “Do people know what it feels like to not be good enough, achieve well enough, or just be enough?” The human condition “is all of the characteristics and key events that compose the essentials of human existence, including birth, growth, emotion, aspiration, conflict ...

Keeping seniors safe during holidays

Editor’s Note Thanks to breakthroughs in medicine and nutrition in recent years, we are living longer than ever before. But this increase in life expectancy also brings an increase in the number of diseases, injuries and impairments that affect older adults. With this in mind, we at the local Visiting Angels office in Salem have created this series of articles to keep our older population and their families informed and to offer some practical advice for meeting the challenges faced by seniors and those who care for them. ——— The holiday season is a good time to be sure that ...