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District Judge is making the right decisions for Ohioans

U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett is right to avoid the mistakes made by politicians such as Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, as he denies a group of anti-abortion advocates the ability to advise on litigation over abortion clinic transfer agreements. Barrett is working on how the abortion rights amendment Ohio residents approved last month will be affected by the case. And the national, state and local-level anti-abortion groups and individuals who banded together made it easy for Barrett to dismiss them when they told the court they have “direct and vital interests in ...

Do not sound alarms over pediatric outbreak

For Ohio parents, another health worry has crept its way into the state, though officials suggest it may not warrant the alarm bells some are sounding. With 145 children between the ages of 3 and 14 having been diagnosed with pneumonia since August, Warren County has made Ohio the first in the nation to report an outbreak of pediatric pneumonia. Though numbers so high make it tempting for some to add a label to the trend and even begin to invent new conspiracy theories, health officials say no novel/new respiratory diseases are being found to have caused the increase in cases. In fact, ...

Not buckling up defies sheer logic

For most people, putting on a seat belt shortly after sitting down in a vehicle is simply habit — and that’s as it should be. But too many still ignore the data that shows wearing a seat belt can save their lives … and ignore that it is against the law not to wear one. According to Ohio State Highway Patrol data released last week, there have been 2,847 people killed in Ohio since 2018 who were not wearing a seat belt. “Properly buckling up, every time you get into a motor vehicle reduces the risk of sustaining serious injuries or death in a crash,” said Col. Charles A. ...

No one should have to deal with racial slurs and actions

How many of us endured cringe-worthy conversations over Thanksgiving dinner in which it became clear that one or two family members or friends had gone all-in on the idea that racist and otherwise hateful language and behavior is no longer something they must hide? Certainly, a crop of politicians has worked hard over the past several years to ensure those folks believe there should be no social consequences for that garbage. The results have been horrific, even deadly. Early last week, a 20-year-old Ohio man walked into a Walmart near Dayton and shot four people before taking his own ...

Do what you can to help others who are struggling

It is one thing to be told there is anecdotal evidence the need for support of food banks is only growing. It is quite another to learn there is hard proof. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, Ohio food banks are seeing record-breaking amounts of need. In part because changes to the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, advocates say growing needs are not being met. According to the Southeast Ohio Foodbank, approximately 1 in 6 people in the region are affected by food insecurity. “Rising food prices, the end of SNAP Emergency Allotments, wage ...

Small businesses are a local economic lifeline

Today is Small Business Saturday. Not to be confused certainly with everything that went on yesterday with Black Friday. Today 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 your money with a locally-owned small business, you make an immediate impact — perhaps for an individual, a family, and your community as a whole. The big guys certainly provided benefits with an array of offerings under a ...