Breaking News

Opinion

Kitten, animal shelter surprises

Editorial

Things often don’t turn out as one expects. Which kitten in a litter is best, for example. Who’s going to run the Hancock County Animal Shelter, for another. Of the three kittens my wife Honey fostered, the one we least expected to keep was the one we nicknamed “Leo the Load” because he seemed such a slug. When the Hancock County Commission announced it would entertain proposals for an outside vendor to operate the animal shelter, I was sure the fix was in for a dreadful sequel, a movie titled “The Return of The Foundation.” To my surprise The Foundation didn’t apply ...

The effects of Sundown Syndrome on older adults

Editorial

Editor’s Note: The following column was originally published Jan. 24, 2020. Thanks to breakthroughs in medicine and nutrition in recent years, we are living longer than ever before. But this increase in life expectancy also brings an increase in the number of diseases, injuries and impairments that affect older adults. With this in mind, we at the local Visiting Angels office in Salem have created this series of articles to keep our older population and their families informed and to offer some practical advice for meeting the challenges faced by seniors and those who care for them. ...

Hibernating bats need all the help they can get

Editorial

Most Ohio residents are used to thinking about seasonal changes in the rules such as burn bans or parking in such a way that the snow plow can get through. Perhaps less familiar is Ohio’s fall bat exclusion restriction period — from Oct. 15 through March 31. No, it has nothing to do with baseball’s off-season. This is a requirement that residents obtain permits before removing or relocating bats from homes or buildings. When white-nose syndrome (a cave fungus) showed up several years ago, Ohio started protecting bats, especially during their overwintering period. Despite that ...

Disability Rights Ohio needs to be able to access records

Editorial

A few years back, there was a trend among legislators to change laws regarding public records in a way they claimed was meant to better protect victims, especially children and particularly vulnerable older victims. The interpretation of those laws, however, has turned out to protect not the victims, but those who may have committed crimes (or at the very least been negligent) against those victims. When news organizations, advocacy groups or even other government bodies request documents that might help them better understand the details of incidents that, for example, result in the ...

Reforming property tax gains steam among Ohio legislators

Local Columns

A substitute bill, sponsored by state Rep. David Thomas, to limit unvoted property taxes collected by school districts has a tremendous amount of momentum in the General Assembly as legislators work as quickly as possible to pass property tax reform. The bill would limit the revenue school districts can receive from what is known as the 20-mill floor to inflation. Thomas, R-Jefferson, who represents portions of Trumbull County, said the bill would save Ohio homeowners nearly $1.7 billion over the next three years, starting with the second half of the 2026 tax bill. The amendment, ...

Firefighter Recruitment Portal offers opportunity for volunteers to serve

Local Columns

As Ohio’s 39th State Fire Marshal, I’ve dedicated my career to protecting the safety and well-being of our communities. Today, I’m calling attention to an urgent matter facing our state— one that threatens the foundation of emergency preparedness in Ohio upon which we have come to rely. Across the nation, including right here in Ohio, we’re experiencing an alarming decline in the number of volunteer firefighters. Many people don’t realize that about 70% of Ohio’s nearly 1,200 fire departments rely on volunteers. That’s right, the majority of firefighters in this state ...