By Mike Myers No one wants to spoil the party. For that reason, Thanksgiving Day and the ensuing weekend will include big, traditional family get-togethers, just as they have for many years. For some people, Thanksgiving rivals Christmas as their favorite time of the year. It’s easy to ...

With the coronavirus coming back strong, a number of governors have already ordered new — or rather, renewed — steps to combat the disease. Most are reluctant to mandate widespread business closings, however. There are very good reasons for that. Our economy may not be able to withstand ...

Thankfully, we have learned — at the cost of tens of thousands of possibly preventable deaths — that COVID-19 finds nursing homes to be good hunting grounds. At one time earlier in the epidemic, more than half the nation’s deaths from the disease in many state were among residents of ...

American presidents need to hit the ground running, especially when it comes to national security. We have too many enemies in the world to let our guard down for even a few hours. President Donald Trump continues to challenge results of the Nov. 3 election through court challenges. That is ...

More than a few people who voted for Joe Biden as our next president were not unhappy with one aspect of incumbent President Donald Trump, we suspect. It was his pledge to battle the federal bureaucracy on behalf of the American people. Trump calls it “the swamp” — and there is ample ...

Joe Biden is not yet president-elect officially, but it seems clear he will be the nation’s next chief executive. The sooner he clarifies his agenda — especially regarding energy — the better. It is probably no coincidence that within days of the election, some energy companies began ...

U.S. policy regarding the granting of asylum to would-be immigrants ought to be based on the facts of their situations — not on technicalities. Yet, according to an Associated Press report, many asylum seekers are falling victim to just that. According to the AP, the new policy “forbids ...

The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan What lies ahead for President-elect Biden Congratulations, President-elect Biden. You’ve made your share of history already, from receiving the most votes for U.S. President in history to your running mate, who becomes the first woman and the first ...

We call them “citizen soldiers” because for most of the year, they are not in uniform but instead, among us at our workplaces, schools and elsewhere in our society. But this year, many are on the front lines of a war being fought not with firearms and other implements of combat, but with ...

How fortuitous it is that this week, while the attention of millions of Americans seems focused on controversy, we take time out to honor those about whom we are in complete agreement: veterans of military service. No matter how we view politics, we are united in revering the men and women ...

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch Oct. 26 Last week’s admission by Purdue Pharma of criminal responsibility for its role in fomenting and exploiting the nationwide opioid epidemic might be extraordinary, but it’s not satisfactory. Yes, Purdue has agreed to a remarkable $8.3 billion fine. But ...

By SUZANNE SCHNITTMAN While this year’s election and the 100th anniversary of woman suffrage that America is marking in 2020 are fresh in our minds, let’s wish Elizabeth Cady Stanton a happy birthday. On Nov. 12 Elizabeth, who was born in Johnstown in 1815, would have turned 105 years ...

Census Bureau officials’ claim the agency was able to collect information from 99.9 percent of the households in America strains credibility. It would during normal times, not to mention the middle of a deadly epidemic. If officials in several states, cities and organizations are right, the ...

At least the Russian and Iranian operatives attempting to influence public opinion in advance of the election have ideological goals. Not so with a more dangerous class of hackers — freelancers willing to kill for money. Federal officials warned last week of a new wave of online extortion ...

With COVID-19 slashing through populations throughout the world, some nations are preparing for lockdowns of the type employed last spring to curb the virus’ spread. Americans can’t afford to do that. Another business slowdown/shutdown of the type we experienced for a few months could ...

COVID-19 testing is more than a matter of individuals safeguarding their own health and that of their families. It has become an important tool in limiting the disease’s spread. Recognizing that, members of Congress included an important testing provision in the CARES Act approved earlier ...

Before long, the last American military veteran of World War II will be gone from among us. We can never thank and honor them adequately — but President Donald Trump is being asked to do something special that would provide an appropriate formal and national expression of gratitude. In our ...

Leaders of both major political parties agree on one thing: The presidential election scheduled for Tuesday is among the most important in American history. Its outcome will shape our government, economy, even our society for many years to come. Your life and that of your children and ...

By March or April, it was clear the 2020 Census would be much more of a guessing game than in decennial population counts. COVID-19 has seen to that. Our whole society has been disrupted in multiple ways. Responding to Census questionnaires has been the last thing on the minds of millions of ...

How is it possible for Congress to approve as much as $3.3 trillion in epidemic-related aid to Americans ­— the amount already provided ­— without ensuring at least that the health care network was made whole? It is, apparently. Nearly 240 members of Congress have signed a letter to ...