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Cheers & Jeers

3 min read
article image - Associated Press
Front row, from left, President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff and second row from left, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President George W. Bush, Laura Bush, former President Barack Obama, President-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump, stand during the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Cheers: A student who had been diagnosed with tuberculosis was sent home from Charleroi High School Monday after it was discovered that the student had not received a clearance from a doctor to return. The district said it quickly isolated the student and that, at least for now, there is no larger threat to public health. In 2023, the last year data was available, cases of tuberculosis had gone up by 15% in the United States. That’s not good news, obviously, but we are doing much, much better in combating tuberculosis than we once did. Two years ago, there were 9,633 cases of tuberculosis reported in the United States. Compare that to the 1910s, however, when upwards of 60,000 Americans died every year from it, enough to fill a stadium. It was the development of antibiotics in the 1950s that led to the rapid decline of death rates. This is another example of why we should be grateful for the advances science has made over the last century and how it has lengthened our lives and improved them significantly.

Cheers: Last week, the United States bid farewell to Jimmy Carter with funeral services at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and at the Baptist church he attended in Plains, Ga. President Joe Biden attended the National Cathedral service, as did the four remaining former presidents. Biden delivered a eulogy and family and colleagues offered remembrances. Perhaps the most memorable tribute was offered by Steven Ford, the son of the late President Gerald Ford. Carter and the elder Ford were once fierce political rivals, and Carter narrowly defeated Ford in the 1976 presidential election. But once they both left office, the two former presidents became genuinely close friends. Steven Ford read a eulogy his father wrote for Carter before his own death in 2006. The younger Ford appeared to choke up when he read the conclusion: “I’m looking forward to our reunion. We have much to catch up on. … Welcome home, old friend.” Given the toxicity in today’s political world, you have to wonder if such a warm friendship between rivals is still within the realm of possibility.

Jeers: January is Radon Action Month, and though that might not get anyone’s pulse racing, it does focus attention on the fact that Pennsylvania homeowners should get their dwellings tested for radon if they have not already done so. Pennsylvania is prone to elevated radon levels due in part to its geology and climate, and radon is the culprit in an estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States every year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The best time to test for radon, experts say, is in colder months, when homes and other buildings are closed up and radon has a chance to build up and be trapped. Jessica Shirley, the acting secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), said in a news release that radon is “a serious concern within the commonwealth.” Radon tests are available at many home improvement and hardware stores and state-certified radon laboratories. Additional information is available from the DEP’s website, https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dep.html.

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