Month: August 2022

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to my wife for 32 years. I love her dearly. Recently, though, her smoking has been really bothering me. Her father passed away from COPD five years ago because he was a lifetime smoker. I thought that would convince her to stop. She has tried, but she always goes back.

She tries to cover it up by making frequent trips to the store and other places to get out of sight to smoke. It infuriates me that she would lie, but she doesn’t seem to have a problem with it at all. It makes me wonder what else she’s been lying about.

My biggest concern, obviously, is that her health problems are increasing — frequent colds (she blames “allergies”), coughing while she sleeps, snoring terribly. We now use separate beds at times just so I can get some sleep. When I bring up the

And it’s not just short-term gains, there’s also lasting benefits to swimming.

Calm waters

While the physical boosts of swimming are widely documented, the mental health benefits of getting into the water are less well-known, yet equally as impactful.

Open

ANN ARBOR – Washtenaw County has been bumped up to the “high” COVID-19 community level, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On Friday, the Washtenaw County Health Department alerted residents to the shift and highlighted prevention and safety strategies.

To determine the community level, the CDC uses data determined by the number of hospital beds being used, hospital admissions and the number of new COVID-19 cases. At the “high” level, there is a high level of severe illness and potential for strain on healthcare systems, says the Health Department COVID-19 website.

Between July 19 and July 25, there was a weekly test positivity rate of 13.7 percent with 224.4 cases per 100,000 residents reported in Washtenaw County.

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The CDC recommends that everyone wear masks in indoor public spaces for communities at a “high” level. Multilayer surgical, KN95, or N95 masks are more recommended than cloth masks.

WASHINGTON — It’s been more than a year in the making and has seen plenty of ups and downs. Now, a Democratic economic package focused on climate and health care faces hurdles but seems headed toward the party-line passage by Congress next month.

Approval would let President Joe Biden and his party claim a triumph on top priorities as November’s elections approach. They have not forgotten that they came close to approving a far grander version of the bill last year, only to see Mon. Joe Manchin, DW.Va., one of their most conservative and contrarian members, torpedo it at the eleventh hour.

This time, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., has crafted a compromise package with Manchin, to the surprise of everyone, transforming the West Virginian from pariah to partner. The measure is more modest than earlier versions but still checks boxes on issues that make Democrats giddy.

Here’s what