How to Avoid Shingles After Age 50

An FDA-approved vaccine cuts risk of the painful infection by 70 percent, experts say making the experience for Diamond Bar residents a little less stressful.

I wasn't planning to think about shingles all week, but couldn’t avoid it. It started with an email from a close friend saying she had the painful skin rash, which is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. I winced, recalling my own bout of shingles, when I drove to and from work every day, steering with my right hand and holding the seat belt away from my torso with my left, because the pain from having the belt touch the rash on my rib cage was intolerable. The next day, I came across a 2011 Institute of Medicine report on chronic pain.  One of the leading causes? Post-herpetic neuralgia, the nerve pain that sometimes follows shingles, and which can last anywhere from weeks to years. The shingles theme continued the next day when I saw my…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Does Bob Huff Embrace A Nanny State?

One Orange County writer Steven Greenhut calls Huff a "big fan of crony capitalism."

Letter to the Editor

Thank You CHP Volunteers

The Baldwin Park CHP serves Walnut and Diamond Bar.

Throughout the year, there are numerous days and weeks designated to honor groups and/or individuals.  The week of April 15th is designated as National Volunteer Week and the men and women who comprise this very special group are often under-recognized.  As the commander of the CHP office in Baldwin Park, I am incredibly fortunate to have a cadre of senior volunteers that exemplify exactly what it means to fill such a special role.  The ten men and one woman who give unselfishly of their time and energy donated over five thousand hours of service in 2011.  Some assist the support staff working in the office, others participate in ride alongs with officers, many attend impaired driver checkpoints and hand out literature to those driving …

• Photos (1)

Dick Clark Dies, Share Your Memory About the TV Legend

Several media outlets are reporting that legendary television producer Dick Clark has died.

Several media outlets are reporting that legendary television producer Dick Clark has died at age 82. At least two reports said Clark had been at St. John's Hospital in Los Angeles. Details regarding his death were not immediately available. Clark is most famously known as the host of "American Bandstand" and "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve." Clark was born in New York in 1929 and began his show business career in the 1940s in the mailroom of a radio station, according to an NBC report. He worked as a news announcer and weatherman, then graduated from Syracuse University in 1951. Please share any memories you might have of the late television icon with us.

•  5 Comments
• Videos (3)

Jesus Revered by Muslims as Healer, Prophet, Messiah

“I always tell people, there are millions of Muslims named after Jesus and Mary—we call them Isa and Mariam,” Imam Ibrahim Sayar said. “Nobody names their children after someone they don’t like.”

5 Easy-to-Pull April Fool's Day Pranks

Pulling a prank on someone can be done easily with these five April Fool's Day tips.

April showers may bring May flowers but April 1 brings the jokes! Although the day, also called All Fools' Day, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery, according to History.com. No matter the origins, it has become a beloved tradition for hoaxters, pranksters or anyone who likes a good laugh and Patch has five ways for our readers get in the spirit. 1. Keep the kids occupied with a word search puzzle. Although it looks like a normal word search, none of the words listed are actually in the puzzle. Your victim will search endlessly for the words while you egg them on to keep searching. The puzzle, created by Aprilfoolzone.com, conveniently includes spring time words like basket, …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Would You Support a Gas Tax Freeze?

The proposal by a State Board of Equalization member could save consumers more than one billion dollars, if gas prices go up to $5 per gallon.

A member of the State Board of Equalization is looking to freeze the sales tax on gasoline anytime it costs more than $4 for a gallon of gas. The idea comes from Republican George Runner, and his proposal is expected to be introduced in the Legislature soon, the Los Angeles Times reports. California has the second highest tax per gallon in the nation, at 67 cents. New York is in first place, with 67.4 cents per gallon. According to the Times, freezing the tax could save consumers $1.4 billion per year if a gallon reaches $5. It would also cut revenue to cities, counties, and other local governments. What do you think? Would you support a gas tax freeze if a gallon went above $4? Vote in our poll below, and tell us why in the comments.

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

"Pink Slime" Manufacturer Stops Production At Most Plants

What do you think about the so-called "pink slime" filler?

The manufacturer of “pink slime” has suspended operations at all but one plant, the Huffington Post reports, amid an uproar over the product. “Pink slime” is an ammonia-treated filler that can be used in beef. It has been used for years, sold in beef from several grocery stores and served in beef at many schools, and is known in the industry as “lean, finely textured beef.” Federal regulators say that the product, which was brought to the public’s attention by a disgusted federal microbiologist, meets food safety standards. The microbiologist is the person who coined the term “pink slime.” According to the Huffington Post, the ingredient is low cost to make, and is created by taking fatty bits of meat left over from other cuts, heating …

• Photos (1)

Joanna Ramos' Fatal Fight Spurs This Girl's YouTube

For Anti-Bullying Week, 10-year-old Reagan McKenzie wrote new lyrics to The Cure's LoveSong and pleads for you, the viewer, to do something specific.

Anything that will inspire a 10-year-old to do anything this personal and positive is worth watching. When it is inspired by the Long Beach after-school fight involving Joanna Ramos, it got our attention. Then 10-year-old Reagan Mackenzie posted it on our Patch story about the case. It is her vocal rendition of The Cure's Lovesong. On the story comments, she wrote: "I am 10 yrs old and even tho they said the other girl was not bullying her I think if they planned a fight there must of been some talking about ea other in a bad way and that is bullying even if they were both doing lit. Im sad for them both but I wrote a song for joanna for anti bully week it is about making other kids feel bad and making them want to fight or hurt themselves…

•  27 Comments
• Videos (1)