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Ohio House Bill 524 warns of dangers of AI, self-harm

Editorial

(This item discusses suicide and self-harm. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988.) Ohio House Bill 524 aims to address a problem few could have imagined a decade or two ago: Artificial intelligence chatbots encouraging people to harm themselves or others. State Rep. Christine Cockley, D-Columbus, is lead sponsor on the bipartisan bill, which would allow for imposing penalties for AI models suggesting harming self or others. It now sits in the House Technology and Innovation Committee. Testimony earlier ...

Ohio’s Safe Haven isn’t just about Baby Boxes

Editorial

We don’t hear about them often — because the decision to give up a child is an excruciating one, and does not often result in their use — but another Safe Haven Baby Box has been used to legally surrender a baby in Ohio. This one was at the Delhi Township Fire Department, where firefighters responded in less than a minute to deliver care to the infant, according to the Safe Haven organization. Founder Monica Kelsey took to social media to make the announcement, saying “We’ve had another baby surrendered legally in one of our Safe Haven Baby Boxes. This time down in the ...

Ohio Senate Bill 348 would protect college-aged students

Editorial

Worried parents often warn their children — of any age — to be wary when they go out to bars and restaurants. Generations of bar patrons have received admonitions from friends and family “Keep your eye on your drink! Be careful!” Despite those warnings, too many continue to fall victim to drugged drinks each year. According to a report by WTVG, state Sens. Louis Blessing III, R-Colerain Township, and Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, cited data that 1 in 13 college-aged people suspect they have been drugged at some point. They brought up the numbers as part of their introduction of ...

Consider the Foster Grandparent Program

Letters To The Editor

To the editor: My name is Allison Blevens, and I work with the Corporation of Ohio Appalachian Development (COAD). I wanted to share an exciting opportunity through our Foster Grandparent Program, which pairs adults with local schools to help children who need educational help in the classroom. This program is open to adults aged 55 and older who meet income eligibility requirements. Volunteers receive a tax-free stipend for their service, making this an excellent way for low-income adults to supplement their income while making a meaningful impact in their community. No prior teaching ...

Husted among senators supporting aid for parks

Editorial

Ohioans know full well our parks and public lands are national treasures in need of a little polishing. The list of repairs and deferred maintenance is only growing. And, though workers and administrators do their best, time and the elements do take their toll. It makes sense, then, that U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, joined Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Steve Daines, R-Mont., in supporting the America the Beautiful Act to boost and reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund that could help address those challenges. “This bill would address more than $40 billion in deferred maintenance ...

DeWine regrets he signed sports gambling legislation

Local Columns

While Frank Sinatra sang about “regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention,” Mike DeWine was quick to mention his biggest regret during his seven years as governor: signing the bill to legalize sports gambling. In a 60-minute interview earlier this week, DeWine said: “On the negative side, I’ve been pretty open about saying that if I had to do it over again I would not have signed the gaming bill. I don’t think I fully appreciated how many millions of dollars these gaming companies would spend coming into the state of Ohio to get more and more people ...