News • Ideas • Events
EDITOR’S DESK
Turn the Page on Doomscrolling
My mother loves flipping through magazines, especially if the Royal Family is involved. Unfortunately, even Penn Lines takes a back seat to the House of Windsor. Lately, though, she’s been doing less page-turning and more scrolling, thanks to a new tablet.
Recently, that scrolling left her a little shaken after she came across a story about a devastating earthquake in California. Only, there was no earthquake. Somewhere in her social media feed, she had clicked on an AI-generated video made to grab her attention. After a bit of searching, I had to gently explain to my 85-year-old mother that not everything on the internet is real.
My mother’s experience reflects a habit that has quietly taken hold of many of us: doomscrolling — that act of compulsively flicking through our social media feeds, consuming one alarming story after another, unable to stop. We tell ourselves we’re just checking the news, but before we know it, we’ve spent an hour spiraling through content that leaves us anxious and exhausted.
As a survival instinct, humans are hardwired to pay attention to threats and bad news. Social media platforms have tapped into this evolutionary trait, using it to keep our attention fixed on a relentless stream of outrage, disaster, and controversy — something our brains and bodies were not meant to handle. Add autoplay videos, AI-generated stories, and infinite scrolling, and we find ourselves trapped in an endless cycle of anxiety and compulsive clicking that’s hard to escape.
Recent studies suggest roughly two-thirds of Americans admit to this digital habit. Health experts warn that prolonged exposure to distressing content contributes to declining mental and physical well-being. They suggest establishing digital boundaries: turning off notifications, limiting screen time or putting the phone away. They also recommend seeking out local or community-focused news, which tends to be more uplifting and less gloomy. Better yet, pick up a magazine and read without digital distractions.
And there’s a great place to do just that: Penn Lines. Sure, it might not feature the House of Windsor (sorry, Mom), but holding a magazine can have a ritual, calming effect. It’s intentional reading, where the simple gesture of turning the page moves you forward, one story at a time. Scrolling, on the other hand, too often just pulls you down.
PETER A. FITZGERALD
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
ON THE HUNT
Pa. Game Commission eyeing same start date for upcoming deer season
The Pennsylvania Game Commission recently voted 6-3 to tentatively keep the start date for firearms white-tailed deer season where it has been in past years — the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Before the vote, there was hope among hunters that the date could be moved a week earlier — or the Saturday before Thanksgiving; however, commissioners decided they would like to examine more data and revisit the proposition before making a final decision.
As a result, the public is invited to submit comments on the move before the commission’s next meeting, April 10 and 11, during which it is slated to finalize the 2026-2027 hunting seasons and bag limits. If the commission decides to not change its mind in April, the dates for white-tailed deer season would be Nov. 28 to Dec. 13.
Hunters attended the meeting to urge an earlier start to the season, arguing the current timeline forces them to choose between spending time with their families or spending time hunting. Since the vote, many have taken to voicing their opposing opinions online.
NO CHANGE — yet: The Pennsylvania Game Commission recently voted to tentatively keep the start date for firearms white-tailed deer season as the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Some have asked to move it to the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The commission will make a final decision on the issue in April.
NO. 1 WITH A BULLET
Report: Pennsylvania grabs top spot in buck harvests per square mile
Pennsylvania hunters rejoice: The Commonwealth is one of the best places in the country for deer hunting.
According to a 2026 report from the National Deer Association (NDA), Pennsylvania took the nation’s top spot for most antlered bucks harvested per square mile. The report states that in the Keystone State, 3.9 bucks were harvested. Nearby Maryland finished with 3.3 per square mile.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania was listed as second in the country for antlered buck harvests with 175,280. Texas took the top spot with 424,529, and Wisconsin ranked third at 162,336.
The NDA works with wildlife agencies across the country, including the Pennsylvania Game Commission, to compile the report. To learn more about the study, visit deerassociation.com/2026-deer-report.
ALL CLEANED UP
Once polluted, Conestoga River transforms, earns prestigious title
A once-polluted river recently earned 2026 River of the Year honors after a public vote that included thousands of participants. The Conestoga River, a 61.6-mile-long tributary that primarily flows through the center of Lancaster County, received 2,510 out of the 5,604 total votes cast.
“This river is an example of what can happen when we prioritize clean, healthy waterways,” said Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). “Its transformation has made the Conestoga a hub for outdoor recreation, providing a boost to the region and demonstrating that rivers build thriving communities.”
The Lower Schuylkill River, which runs from Phoenixville to Philadelphia, finished in second place with 2,312 votes, while Chillisquaque Creek in Montour and Northumberland counties received 782 votes for third place.
As a result of the win, the Conestoga River Club, which nominated the waterway, will receive a $15,000 grant to fund activities throughout the year.
NO BABIES ON BOARD
Warren General Hospital ends labor, delivery services
With the announcement that Warren General Hospital in Warren County ended in-patient labor and delivery services in January, there are now eight counties in northwestern Pennsylvania without a hospital where women can give birth.
The decision to end the services at Warren General came after one of its two OBGYNs decided to leave the practice, and officials spent more than a year trying to fill the position. Warren County, part of Warren Electric Cooperative’s service territory, is now the latest addition to the region’s expanding maternity-care desert.
TIMELINES
A decade ago, Penn Lines examined both the future and the reliability of the nation’s electric grid. In doing so, the magazine looked back at some of the most important blackouts in North American history, including the Great Northeast Blackout of 1965 and a blackout in 2003 that affected more than 50 million people in the Northeast and Midwest. Ten years later, it serves as a reminder of how important grid reliability continues to be in the modern day.
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