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PGC’s canine program helping to crack down on crime

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Outdoors with Tom Venesky: NRA missing point on PGC vote

<p><strong>Dear Annie:</strong> In the past, Valentine&#8217;s Day usually made me anxious because I didn&#8217;t have a date. This year, I&#8217;m nervous for the exact opposite reason. I&#8217;ve just started dating a great guy, &#8220;Jeff,&#8221; and he just asked me to officially be his girlfriend &#8212; a few weeks before Valentine&#8217;s Day. We were talking about how we wouldn&#8217;t be able to spend the holiday together because he would be traveling abroad. To tell you the truth, I was a little relieved. Getting a gift for a significant other is always tricky, but it&#8217;s especially intimidating when there is the pressure of a holiday early in the game, particularly a romantic holiday. I thought maybe we could skip the potential awkwardness of Valentine&#8217;s Day, but then Jeff said we should just celebrate it a week late.</p><p>Valentine&#8217;s Day is always advertised as a day of hearts and flowers and oversize teddy bears, which all seem to be marketed more obviously for women. What is a girl supposed to get for a guy? I want to show that I care, but I don&#8217;t want to come across as clingy or make it seem as though I&#8217;m moving too quickly and getting too serious. As all girls know, that is a very fine line to walk. Do you have any advice for a girl who wants to be a great valentine but doesn&#8217;t quite know how to do that? &#8212; Valentine&#8217;s Rookie</p><p><strong>Dear Valentine:</strong> You can be a great valentine just by being yourself. Jeff&#8217;s the one who made a point of setting a date for you two to celebrate together. He sounds like a romantic, not the type to think you&#8217;re &#8220;clingy&#8221; just for getting him a gift.</p><p>That said, I can see how picking out a material gift might be stressful because you don&#8217;t know his taste all that well yet. Consider opting for a fun experience-based gift &#8212; such as tickets to a concert or a gift certificate to a favorite restaurant.</p><p>And please relax. I&#8217;m sure your new beau is most looking forward to the gift of your presence. Anything else is just icing on the heart-shaped cake.</p><p><strong>Dear Annie:</strong> A few weeks ago, my beautiful 35-year-old daughter, who is also a wife, mother of two, sister, aunt, friend and caregiver (to the developmentally challenged), received a much-needed kidney through the United Network for Organ Sharing.</p><p>She was first diagnosed 14 years ago and was told 10 months ago that a transplant was necessary. Although her husband and all of her immediate family members were tested &#8212; as well as several members of her extended family, friends and even strangers &#8212; none of us was a match.</p><p>Our hearts and condolences go out to the members of a certain family who saw through their pain and grief to make the decision to donate the organs of their young adult daughter. Thank you doesn&#8217;t seem like enough, and I hope to someday personally acknowledge this family with our sincere thanks. Our family is forever grateful to you, wherever and whoever you are! &#8212; A Very Grateful Mom</p><p><strong>Dear Grateful:</strong> Thank you for this beautiful letter. It is truly amazing how blood, organ and tissue donation makes it possible to have our lives saved by total strangers. I encourage all those who aren&#8217;t already to consider becoming organ donors. Visit organdonor.gov for more information.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Dear Annie</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Annie Lane</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Ask Annie is written by Annie Lane. Please email your questions to <a href="mailto:anniesmailbox@creators.com" target="_blank">dearannie@creators.com</a>, or write to: Dear Annie, c/o Times Leader A&amp;E dept., 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre PA, 18711. To find out more about Dear Annie and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at <a href="http://www.creators.com/" target="_blank">www.creators.com</a>.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Dear Annie: Romantic gifts early on