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Gopher tortoises, ecosystem intertwined

A rescued gopher tortoise arrived at the Nokuse Nature Preserve in Florida’s Panhandle while my sister Erica and I were there. It didn’t know how lucky it was. Across Florida, builders are required to obtain permits from the state to capture and relocate gopher tortoises found on development sites. It’s a system meant to save them — but does it? Without federal protection for the species across its range, conservationists might be only moving the problem, not solving it. Gopher tortoises’ only federal protections exist in small parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and western ...

Ending the scourge of gerrymandering

A consequential off-year election is weeks away and our mailboxes are stuffed with political flyers. One, from a free-markets organization known as the Commonwealth Leaders Fund, opposes the retention of three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices who were elected as Democrats. The flyer states: “The liberal Supreme Court gerrymandered our congressional districts to help Democrats win.” That statement is untrue. In fact, the opposite is true. You can look it up. In early 2018, a divided Supreme Court decided in League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania vs. Commonwealth that a ...

People with autism need understanding

I am an autistic adult who also has ADHD and I would like to say something about the remarks that our president has made about autism and the use of Tylenol by pregnant women. Whenever my mom was pregnant with me, she did not use Tylenol nor any over the counter medication. Nor did she smoke or drink alcohol or do any sort of drugs while pregnant with me. Autism is older than Tylenol. It is thought that people such as Sir Isaac Newton and Mozart had autism long before Tylenol existed. I do not hate President Trump. I respect and admire him very much. I think that he really ...

Pharma can keep you on hook for life

Only two countries on earth let drug companies pitch their products directly to you and me: New Zealand and the United States. Canada dabbled in these direct-to-consumer ads but quickly tightened up their rules. The European Union, back in 2008, took one look and said, “Nope — not here.” Here, however, the Food and Drug Administration requires the companies to list the risks and side effects. Consequently, pharma produces ads that are built around a warm Hallmark Movie family scene while a voiceover lays out a death march of side effects. It’s like watching a gentle ...

Rural PA vets risk losing health care

Pennsylvania’s rural communities are suffering from a healthcare provider shortage that has reached crisis proportions. As a new analysis by the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute documents, over half of the Commonwealth’s 67 counties have partial or severe shortages of primary care providers. More than 30 of the state’s rural hospitals have shuttered or reduced services over the past two decades, leaving entire communities stranded. The challenges existed even before the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” became law in July. But the legislation’s spending cuts ...

Gerrymandering shows term limits needed

Americans are seeing a political spectacle playing out not in town halls or debates, but in backrooms and courtrooms: redistricting - gerrymandering. What should ensure fair representation has devolved into a cynical game where politicians carve up neighborhoods like pieces of pie to guarantee re-election. We are seeing it unfolding again in Texas, California, and across the nation. Whichever party is in power manipulates district lines to entrench incumbents, silence opposition, and render elections meaningless. It has become a bipartisan sport. But here’s the truth most ...