Breaking News

Editorial

Grants will make our local fairs even better

Each year, Ohio’s communities host fairs and festivals that unite generations in summer fun. Among the resources that allow them to do that are the funds provided by Ohio’s County and Independent Fair Grant Program. This year, it distributed $10 million in grant funding to “support county and independent agricultural societies with improvements …” The money is expected to be used for projects such as new grandstands, fixing or replacing old buildings, restroom facilities, parking and camping sites, electrical upgrades, lighting, signs and ADA accessibility improvements. ...

Is the state of Ohio holding money that belongs to you?

Looking for a few extra dollars? The state of Ohio might be holding on to some that belongs to you. The Ohio Department of Commerce announced recently its list of the top counties in terms of the amount of money being “safeguarded by the state” that belongs to residents and businesses there. Cuyahoga came out on top, with $477 million in unclaimed funds. Money being held by the state Division of Unclaimed Funds is “lost or forgotten money that businesses and banks report to the Division of Unclaimed Funds after accounts become inactive, typically between 3-5 years. The money ...

Use common sense when dealing with the heat dome

Now what forecasters and weather geeks alike call a heat dome is firmly in place above us, let’s go over some dealing-with-extreme-heat pointers courtesy of ready.gov. — Recognize signs of heat-related illness. Heat stroke symptoms include: extremely high body temperature (above 103 degrees F) taken orally; red, hot and dry skin with no sweat; rapid, strong pulse; dizziness, confusion or unconsciousness. Heat stroke is serious. If you suspect it in yourself or a family member of friend, call 9-1-1 or get the to a hospital immediately. Cool down with whatever methods are available ...

A good son

A long day of sawmilling and a li’l ol’ hole punched in the side panel of my new truck reminded me of a profound blessing in my life: I have a good son. Fact is, Honey and I are blessed to have two good sons and a good daughter, not to mention their wonderful spouses and five grandsons to be proud of. But this is about Seed, our eldest child. He is 45. The hole was (and is) in my pretty white 2019 Ford F-150, the result of a little mishap near the end of a big work party Saturday. I had a portable sawmill come in to cut up oak logs I had lined up in our yard. I had just ...

Ohio lagging in overall racial economic equality

As Juneteenth approaches, it is important to take a look in the mirror and look at how far we have come (or not) since the end of slavery in 1865. There are plenty of measures to examine. WalletHub’s “State Economies with the Most Racial Equality (2024)” takes a look at the matter from an economic perspective. Based on the numbers, Ohio does not fare very well. In fact, our state is 44th in the country for overall racial equality in the state economy. (Alaska is best, the District of Columbia is worst.) According to WalletHub, nationwide for every $100 of wealth in white ...

The American flag waves for all citizens

Today is Flag Day. Flag Day deserves the respect of each and every one of us. Especially during the always ongoing turbulent social times. After all, we are all Americans first and foremost. Some seem to forget that. Flag Day doesn’t carry the same clout as many holidays. It isn’t part of holiday offs/let’s party themes that other summer holidays boast like Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. But as free American citizens we should all pause today and acknowledge the significance of our flag. And, yes, it does carry significance. Always. Ten of thousands of American have ...