Jul 25, 2025 4 min read

Miss: There has been no shortage of news stories warning of ticks and the dangers they pose to both humans and their four-legged companions. No one is immune to the unwanted stowaways that latch on during a long hike through the woods or a quick stroll through the back yard. All it takes is momentary contact in tall grass or shrubs, and the tiny pests will dig in, questing for their next blood meal. Pennsylvania is among the top 10 states in the country for the disease, with the state Department of Health reporting 16,620 confirmed cases last year. The most common variety, the blacklegged tick, or deer tick, is responsible for Lyme disease. To transmit the disease, a tick needs to remain attached for 24 to 36 hours, so it’s important to remove it as soon as it’s discovered. Prevention is key, Zachary Basinger, environmental permitting manager for the Greene County Conservation District, told the newspaper last week. Apply insect repellents containing DEET, and wear long-sleeved shirts or tuck pants into boots when walking through brush or wooded areas. And after any outings, check all over for any clingers. “That’s all we can do,” Basinger said. “They’re everywhere, and I don’t think they’re going anywhere. It’s only going to get worse.”

Hit: Family and friends of Shawn Patrick Nairn, who lost his battle with addiction five years ago, are commended for their commitment to help those recovering from substance abuse. They appeared last week at the Washington County commissioners meeting, where the board disbursed a third round of opioid settlement money, including $350,000 to help launch the Shawn Patrick Recovery House in Washington. Nairn’s parents, Shawn and Melissa Nairn, and his brother, Regis, along with his best friend Devin Reed, have put a plan in place to operate a residence that offers accountability and steps to succeed. Shawn Nairn said there needs to be better options for people leaving rehabilitation to assimilate back into the community. “We want it to be a higher level of recovery,” he said. “And that’s not an easy task.” He said the facility they plan to operate will be at an existing recovery house that they plan to upgrade and improve, although they declined to release details until agreements are finalized. Reed said operating their recovery house in the city is important so people “work and live in their community,” giving them a better chance for success. “We want to be that next step,” Reed said. “People (living) there have to work to live in that house.”

Miss: The plight of immigrants living in the United States has hit close to home. Jesus Teran, a civil engineer from Venezuela who works for a local carpenters’ union, was taken into custody July 8 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Tervan, who has been living in the country on asylum since 2021, had reported to the ICE field office in Pittsburgh for a scheduled check-in when he was detained. He is being held at a detention center in Phillipsburg, despite efforts to bring him home by the St. Oscar Romero Parish in Washington County, where he and his wife and two children regularly attend services at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Meadow Lands. “It’s been a heartbreaking experience. He’s been faithfully appearing at ICE appointments for more than four years, he was following the protocols of ICE, he was complying with everything he’s supposed to do. All of a sudden, he’s detained,” said the Rev. Jay Donahue, senior parochial vicar at St. Oscar Romero Parish. Donahue, who served in Mexico for eight years and offers pastoral assistance to the Latino community, acknowledges the immigration system needs to be reformed, but tearing families apart isn’t the answer, he says. “We need some type of pathway here. Jesus is here because of the trauma in Venezuela,” said Donahue. “To put him in jail and separate him from his family isn’t the right option.”