Pennsylvania Injury Attorneys Blog

As we draw closer to Christmas, you may consider avoiding the hustle and bustle of mall shopping for something a little closer to home: online shopping. CNN.com offers some online shopping security tips when shopping from your computer, laptop, smartphone, or tablet:

Make sure the website is secure. Before you enter any personal information, look at your browser bar to make sure the URL begins with HTTPS, not HTTP. The “S” means you are on a secured site. Also look for a small lock icon in your address bar. This means you have an SSL (secure sockets layer) connection. On mobile devices, you may need to pinch-and-zoom to see the “S” on the address bar.

Experts recommend that you only window shop on public WiFi, since it may be unsecured. Wait until you are home before you enter your credit card number or other private information.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the children, staff, families, and all those affected by today’s events at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. We ask you to keep those who lost their lives in your prayers tonight.

In this week’s RepublicanHerald, Scranton officials gave tips for keeping safe this holiday season.

Shopping

It’s wise to keep your packages and purchased items out of site and in the trunk of your car when shopping. Acting Scranton police chief says, “Most of our holiday crime seems to come from packages in cars, that seems to be a big thing. This time of year, with people bouncing from store to store, they tend to leave packages in plain view.”

Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at O’Connor Law.

It doesn’t often receive the attention that breast cancer or prostate cancer receives, but what many people don’t know is that pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer related deaths. But health professionals and researchers are trying to change that by increasing the public’s awareness of this disease.

The attorneys and staff at O’Connor Law wore purple on Fri., Nov. 16, in honor of Pancreatic Awareness Day. Pancreatic cancer affects thousands of people in the United States each year. It is difficult to detect early and even more difficult to treat.

For more information on pancreatic cancer, visit the Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center at Johns Hopkins (http://www.path.jhu.edu/pancreas/) or the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research (www.lustgarten.org).

This year, the attorneys and staff of O’Connor Law pulled out all the stops to celebrate Halloween in spooktacular style. From vampires and cats to swammies and sports figures, nearly everyone donned a costume to participate in a scavenger hunt and costume contest. Atty. David Miller won Best Costume for his appearance as a pirate.

A good time was had by all!

Today applications will begin to be accepted for LIHEAP, the federally funded Low-Income Energy Assistance Program of the state Department of Welfare. The program offers grants to low-income families to help pay for heating bills. The grants do not have to be repaid.

According to an article on the RepublicanHerald.com, Georgene Fedoriska, executive director at the Schuylkill County Office of Senior Services, is quoted in the article as saying, “We encourage anyone eligible for the program to look into it, especially with the price of heating oil and the economy right now. Every little bit helps.”

Residents who either rent or own their home may qualify. They do not have to be on public assistance or have unpaid heating bills. The grants are sent directly to the utility company or fuel provider and are credited on the resident’s bill.