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Smart housing policy builds strong rural communities

Letters To The Editor

To the editor: Senator Moreno is right about one thing: expanding homeownership is essential for Ohio’s future, especially in rural communities. During my time on Wellsville’s City Council and Board of Education, I saw how a home provided more than shelter. Families who owned their homes put down roots, contributed to the community, and gave their children the stability they needed to succeed in school and beyond. But families can only build that kind of stability if the housing market itself is built on solid ground. We learned the consequences of weak foundations in 2008. ...

Angels: Sleep disorders increase as we grow older

Editorial

Editor’s Note: The following column was originally published on Jan. 10, 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 ...

This weekend is for all the workers

Editorial

Many will be enjoying a long holiday starting today as part of the Labor Day weekend. A real nice four-days off stretch to mark what many folks consider summer’s end. Labor Day once marked the end of traditional summer including back-to-school and the start of fall sports such as high school football. But not so much any longer. Schools have been in session, local swimming pools are closed for the season and school sports are well underway. Autumn is coming soon. With it comes the gorgeous colors of changing leaves, chills in the morning and evening airs, checks of our home heating ...

Rail safety reform falls off the tracks

Editorial

Those hoping for railroad companies to move on their own toward improved safety for their workers and the communities through which their trains run will have to wait a bit longer. More than two and a half years since a Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, not one of the larger freight railroads in the country has signed on to the Confidential Close Call Reporting System, a voluntary federal program that was meant to reduce rail hazards and prevent accidents. According to a report by the Associated Press, BNSF and Norfolk Southern did attempt partial trials, but have not ...

To the citizens of Columbiana County

Local Columns

The Columbiana County Auditor’s Office is currently working on what is called the “Triennial Update” of proposed values in accordance with 5713.01B and 5714.24 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC). This legally-required process updates property values across the county based upon market trends and recent sales for the purpose of keeping them accurate and equitable. It is important to note that the money collected from property taxes plays an important role in keeping our communities safe and strong by helping fund our schools, police, fire protection, maintaining our roads and ...

Carbon capture in Ohio can be an economic accelerator

Local Columns

I recently became aware of a series of community workshops held in Cadiz and Wintersville by Tenaska. The topic was carbon capture and storage and the truths about the technology and impacts to communities. These sessions were well attended by inquiring local citizens as well as some folks not from Jefferson or Harrison counties.  And so why would some fella from Houston care?  I graduated from Wintersville High in 1973 and was raised on Meadowbrook Drive in the village, went to Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh and have spent the last 45-plus years in the energy markets, ...