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Saving Art’s memorial bench

I called him Herschel in this column, but his name was Art. Art was a good father-in-law. I knew it when he was alive. With each passing year I appreciate and feel it more deeply. Which is why it was important to me to rebuild his memorial bench. June, his widow, had it made after his death in 2001. It wasn’t her idea. Their church in Wintersville wanted benches for an outdoor pavilion and asked for sponsors. Each had a personal message carved into the backboard. His was, “In Loving Memory of Arthur D. Ryan.” Though they were made of pressure-treated lumber, after 20 ...

A great time to discuss driving with the elderly in your lives

How many of us greeted one of the more senior members of our family as they arrived for the Thanksgiving feast and wondered how in the world that person was still able to drive safely? How many threw in an extra “watch for deer” to that person on the way out the door, just in case? It may seem unfair to have such worries simply because of their age, but according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Safety Administration, fatal traffic accidents involving drivers over the age of 65 increased by 4.7% between 2021 and 2022, to 7,870 nationwide. That number was ...

Supporting your local retailers is supporting your own communities

Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday. Not to be confused certainly with everything going on today —  Black Friday — which seem to have become some kind of national holiday. Saturday is special because it reminds us that our small, locally-owned businesses are the heart of our communities. We all shop at the big stores. Certainly there are local folks working for the big guys. But the reality is that when you spend at least some of your shopping money with a locally-owned small business, you make an immediate impact — perhaps for an individual, a family, and your community as a ...

There are always reasons for each of us to give thanks

There is some debate over exactly when the first Thanksgiving was celebrated on our soil. Many trace it to a 1621 celebration in Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts. That feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest. It was, according to historians, actually celebrated between the Pilgrims and Indians. It’s been going on ever since. The message is timeless: giving thanks for an array of reasons. Even those we all take for granted day in, day out. Year in, year out. Pause and take a deep breath. Then let it release slowly. Be thankful for a simple breath of air. And it ...

Difference between consuming news and being influenced by it

During an age in which a universe of information is at most people’s fingertips, it is no surprise to learn some are changing their approach to how they consume what they consider to be news. In fact, Pew Research Center analysts, with funding from the Knight Foundation, reported last week a study showing approximately 20% of Americans say they regularly get what they consider to be news from digital influencers — most of whom (85%) are found on Elon Musk’s social media platform X. Only a slightly higher number of those who responded said they were Republicans than Democrats. This ...

Replacing Vance will be challenging for DeWine

“Being a United States senator is a big deal,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said earlier this month. “It’s a big deal for the state, and we need to get it right.” Given circumstances in Ohio and the U.S. right now, “big deal” might be an understatement as DeWine is tasked with finding a replacement to fill JD Vance’s U.S. Senate seat. Many who seem like easy options to consider are not really candidates. Vivek Ramaswamy has given other work to do, for the Trump administration. Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and state Attorney General Dave Yost are likely to face each other in their bids ...