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March 19 primary heading our way

It’s time again for Ohioans to begin considering candidates, issues and levies ahead of the March 19 primary. This year candidates are vying for positions all the way up to the headline-grabbing presidential race. But as always, local residents must become educated and choose carefully when it comes to the races here that will likely have a greater impact on their everyday lives. Those who are eligible have until Feb. 20 to register to vote. But simply registering is not enough. Learning about and understanding the people and issues on the ballot is essential. Once a voter is ...

With February comes Black History Month

With February comes Black History Month. Its celebration of our nation’s Blacks became a national observance in 1976 under President Gerald Ford. As always, the month calls to mind great community leaders, from the civil rights movement, from academia, from city leadership, law enforcement and daily life. Black History Month was established by Carter G. Woodson. Woodson, born in 1875 and the son of former slaves, himself a former coal miner and educator, understood a proper education was important in seeking to make the most out of one’s freedom. He earned his high school diploma ...

A year later and East Palestine strong, indeed

The harshest of tragedies usually come unexpectedly. Call it the randomness of fate. Call it the worst of plain old lousy luck. But the whole of East Palestine was carrying a bull’s eye on its back a year ago. The recovery and healing will continue for weeks, months and years. As devastating as the derailment was — which, of course, never should have happened — community residents directly impacted have been remarkable in coming back and leading, in varying degrees, normal lives. Also, good — actually quite wonderful — is that not a single death occurred due to the ...

Ohio lawmakers continue with their power madness

Ohio lawmakers have gone power mad, as they continue their march to prove they are uninterested in allowing families, doctors, schools, or even local governments to make their own decisions. In their most recent override of one of Gov. Mike DeWine’s vetoes, legislators flexed their muscles to keep local governments from being able to regulate tobacco in their own communities. DeWine had rightly criticized the Home Rule-violating measure, pointing out it helps the tobacco companies and keeps communities from deciding how they want to protect their kids from poisons such as flavored ...

West Virginia building a workforce for the future

Though politicians are still fond of diminishing West Virginia as only a fossil fuels state, the reality points to an even brighter future. According to West Virginia Affiliated Construction Trades Director Justin Williams, apprenticeship programs are growing here. And yes, some of those workers are in coal mines, but others work in a variety of trades that will literally build our state’s next chapters. “There are 2,500 apprentices in West Virginia, and we represent about 24,000 construction workers,” Williams told WV MetroNews.” “It’s not a huge number but it’s people ...

Ohio: ‘The heart of it all’ or just half-hearted?

Though the signs are up all across Ohio, elected officials still feel compelled to remind us that the Buckeye State is “the heart of it all.” Lt. Gov. Jon Husted took another such opportunity on Monday when he visited the Rotary Club of Toledo to talk about the jobs landscape. According to a report by WTOL, Husted said of the revived slogan: “We brought it back because we are a state that’s growing. We have more jobs than people to fill them right now.” In fact, WTOL says Husted told the group there are 16,000 open positions in northwest Ohio alone, in a variety of different ...