By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team
Heartbreaker is a common name shared by several songs released over the years. Two of the most famous are those performed by Pat Benatar in 1979 and Dionne Warwick in 1982. Pat Benatar has sold over 35 million albums and has won 4 Grammy Awards. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November of 2022. Dionne Warwick’s song Heartbreaker was on her 1982 album by the same name. Her song was written by the Bee Gees, who later released their own version in 1994. Dionne won six Grammys and is the second-most charted female during the rock era. Interestingly, she served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations.
So, why the talk about heartbreak during the most wonderful time of the year?
Early in my pharmacy career, I was working Christmas Day in the hospital emergency room. We had a patient come in with a heart condition and the physician’s diagnosis was holiday heart. At first, I thought the physician was making a joke because we were both working a holiday, but then I realized he was serious.
LIMA--The Ada swim team finished 13th in the 29-team Bluffton Holiday Invitational meet Tuesday, December 27, at the Lima YMCA.
Ada sophomore Lily Baumgartner set a holiday meet record by winning the 100 butterfly. She broke the 12-year old meet record by .66. Baumgartner also broke the nine-year old meet record by 1.04 in winning the 100 backstroke amid a pool of 69 swimmers.
Carol Sue Perkins, age 80, of Lima, passed away on Monday, December 26, 2022, at the Carriage Court Assisted Living, Hilliard.
She was born on December 26, 1942, in Lima, Ohio to the late Lloyd L. and Cora Ruth (Kidd) Stoodt. On September 5, 1965, Carol married the late Wendell Perkins.
The following items were shared in December 2022 by Ohio Division of Wildlife officers in Northwest Ohio:
During waterfowl season, State Wildlife Officer Levi Farley, assigned to Paulding County, was patrolling after a heavy snowfall. Officer Farley contacted a group of four waterfowl hunters in layout blinds and checked for licenses, Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamps, HIP certification, and federal Migratory Bird Hunting Stamps. Later, Officer Farley noticed a mail carrier’s vehicle stuck in deep snow and activated his overhead lights to inform oncoming drivers of the hazard. With help from the waterfowl hunters he had just checked, Officer Farley pushed the vehicle back onto the roadway. The mail carrier was grateful for the officer’s and hunters’ help.
By Nathaniel Ratnasamy, MD
Infectious Disease & Travel Medicine
Winter season can be a season of joy with the gathering of families and friends for the holidays, but it can also become the season of spreading respiratory infections. While most of the time, respiratory infections are mild nuisances for healthy people, influenza, RSV and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) can lead to consequences that are more serious for those with chronic illnesses. COVID-19 has been linked to about 200-400 deaths a day in the past several months. Blanchard Valley Hospital has seen hospitalizations go from single digits to the teens in the past few weeks. Hospitalization for influenza has also increased. Influenza in a typical year is associated with 25,000 to 50,000 deaths.
Program: You’re not too young to make a difference
On December 15, students from Ohio Northern University and Ada High School gathered for a luncheon and awards program as participants in the Pi Sigma Alpha Empowering Youth Through Civic Engagement Essay Contest. The students also heard from Ada Area Chamber of Commerce director Lindsay Walden Hollar on the subject of civic engagement.
Did recent days stuck at home leave you wishing for a few good books on your shelf? This www.BlufftonIcon.com share has plenty for you to check out.
Bluffton writer Joanne Niswander (1929-2022) was also a voracious reader as indicated by her mini book reviews for the Bluffton Public Library. The library shared monthly “Joanne Reads” installments from January 2021-October 2022.
The sampling below from October 2022 hints at the range of Niswander’s reading and a glimpse into her perspective as a reader.
“REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES” BY SHELBY VAN PELT
This first novel might have been just another story about love and loss, with a spare list of ordinary characters with the usual quirkiness that carries a plot along. But, instead, plan to be charmed by the most unusual of - shall we say - heroes? Marcellus, an aging giant Pacific octopus tops the chart as this book's most surprising (and astute) character who will wrap you in his tentacles and make the ensuing story a delight. It's a great read.
Request issued by AEP Ohio at 9:00 a.m., December 24 with the note that customers should use electricity needed for personal safety and to protect against property damage.
"Extremely cold temperatures across the region have created extraordinary demands on the power system. PJM Interconnection, the electricity grid operator for 65 million people in 13 states and the District of Columbia, has requested the public in its region to conserve electricity.
"We are asking businesses and the public to help by immediately reducing electricity use as much as possible without sacrificing safety.
On the second day of winter storm Elliott, being out of doors continues to be dangerous due to extreme cold, wind, snow and ice.
For the Ada area, the National Weather Service predicts "Mostly cloudy and cold, with a high near 9. Wind chill values as low as -25. Windy, with a west wind 25 to 28 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%." A wind chill advisory is in effect until noon on December 25.
