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Editorial

Coastal erosion threatens parks

Baldwin Beach Park’s doomed pavilion is a “poster child” for the damage coastal erosion and sea level rise cause. This newspaper has been chronicling the pavilion’s plight for decades. Almost every August or September we run a story or photos showing how currents, wind and waves have cut into the beach to create cliffs where a month earlier was a hill of gently sloping sand. The progression of photos shows the ocean advancing farther inland each year to nibble away at the pavilion and tumble its amenities and shade trees one by one into the sea. This year, about a third of ...

Indoor rally a reckless event

We know from reporter Bob Woodward’s new book, “Rage,” that last spring, when the coronavirus pandemic was spreading across the United States, President Trump was aware that it posed a grave threat. Still, he lied to the public frequently and unforgivably, saying the virus would just go away. Yet it may be even less forgivable that now, six months later, Mr. Trump is still lying and still denying the reality of the virus. His campaign rally Sunday in Nevada is clear evidence. Thousands of Mr. Trump’s supporters crowded into a manufacturing hall in Henderson, a Las Vegas suburb, ...

Big Pharma takes a stand

Perhaps you assumed, as many Americans do, that pharmaceutical companies believe in science. It’s the main component of their business model, after all, and their corporate lifeblood — the use of science to discover new lifesaving drugs and boost profits. So it was more than a bit extraordinary that nine major pharmaceutical companies felt the need Sept. 8 to publicly pledge to do what they always have done — follow the science — in developing a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine. But the unfortunate truth is that their announcement — under the heading “BIOPHARMA ...

Look before you leap

“Watch this.” Whether it is a kid on a bike about to christen a homemade jump or a tourist set to leap off a waterfall without first checking the depth of the mountain pool below, good things rarely happen after those two words are spoken. The declaration is where risk meets a suspension of caution, and where, “go for it,” often turns quickly into, “go to the hospital.” Having covered tragedies and written heartbreaking headlines, journalists have a motto to guide them when they stand at the precipice. Don’t become part of the story. It is one of the first rules of the ...

Duty, honor lost on Trump

America’s armed forces impress certain core values upon their recruits. The Army’s, for example, are loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. “In serving your country,” the Army explains, “you are doing your duty loyally without thought of recognition or gain.” How can anyone not get that? But there’s someone who doesn’t. It’s their commander in chief, President Donald Trump. As reported by Atlantic magazine editor Jeffrey Goldberg recently and confirmed by other media, Trump has said that American men and women in uniform ...

Credit where credit’s due

Among popular Christmas season activities during recent years has been finding the Elf on the Shelf. The stuffed toy, about 12 inches long, delights children who wonder where in the house he or she may be hiding. Thanks to COVID-19, a good place to start looking for the Elf this year would be the factory where the novelty is manufactured. The Elf, along with a substantial number of other products, may become a victim of the coronavirus. Blame a credit insurance crunch. As a recent Associated Press story explained, many manufacturers and distributors rely on credit insurance. They ...