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Four long years later and COVID rules finally loosen

It took four long years, but U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials are finally ready to recommend parents should treat COVID-19 and its variants like any other respiratory illness. It is no longer a federal recommendation that students undergo isolation periods and masking. As deaths and hospitalizations from the virus drop, the CDC now says students can go back to school when their symptoms improve and they are fever-free for 24 hours without taking medication. The agency does still suggest that students are “encouraged” to wear a mask when they return to ...

Levy passage would keep county parks in great shape

Columbiana County has so much to offer. We are blessed with thousands of good, values-grounded citizens. We have strong school districts and businesses. We have a solid foundation of civic groups and churches. Great police, fire and first responder departments, too. We have plenty of things to do. Plenty of places to take advantage of including a wonderful parks system. Our parks are perhaps the biggest recreational attraction of our entire county. We need to keep it that way and we need to make the parks even better. A levy supporting the Columbiana County Park District is on the ...

Lawmakers make good decisions to protect West Virginia children

Lawmakers made some good decisions regarding the state House Education Committee’s substitute for House Bill 5180. They reinstated a requirement that those providing home instruction to students must have a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent. They removed a section that would have exempted homeschool, micro school and learning pod students who choose to attend a public school class from vaccine requirements. They also passed a bipartisan effort led by Delegate Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, and Delegate Brandon Steele, R-Raleigh, to amend the bill and add protections for ...

Checking for unclaimed funds might just be worth your time

As we approach the end of February, Unclaimed Funds Month may be wrapping up, but that does not end the opportunity to check with the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Unclaimed Funds about whether there is money being held in your name. Department of Commerce data shows approximately one in seven people in the United States has unclaimed funds. And in Ohio the department is “safeguarding more than $4 billion in unclaimed funds.” “Many unclaimed funds belong to individuals who are over the age of 50, as well as some individuals who have passed away,” Superintendent ...

Ohio BWC lowers premiums reflecting workplace safety

Employers of all kinds appear to be doing better at keeping their workers healthy and safe on the job, as private employers of Ohio will now see their sixth rate reduction in a row on premiums paid to the Ohio Board of Workers’ Compensation. This follows a reduction for public employers that went into effect Jan. 1 In fact, according to the BWC, there will be a total of approximately $67 million less paid next fiscal year because of the change. “This reduction is a result of employers’ dedication to workplace safety and Ohio’s strong economic position,” said Gov. Mike ...

Ohio lawmakers must stop dragging feet on marijuana

Ohio lawmakers cannot ignore the will of the people much longer. Gov. Mike DeWine was right this week to ask them to stop dragging their feet on implementing rules for legalized recreational marijuana, which voters approved more than three months ago. “What we don’t want to do is see a big black market expand in the state of Ohio with absolutely no control when people don’t know what they’re buying. So again, we need the Legislature to take action …” said DeWine, according to a report by WKRC-TV. Ohio House Bill 86 would allow recreational marijuana to be sold, and it would ...