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Donald Trump’s sockpuppets

Letters To The Editor

I watch Republican candidate ads on TV; they tout Donald’s endorsement as if it were an answer to everything. My question is simple: why? Are they capable of standing on their own merits, or are they compelled to function as Donald’s sock puppets? Do they require him to babysit them or handhold them because they can’t govern with independence? And if they’re courting voters chiefly through his approval, what does that reveal about their judgment—or about their willingness to break with him when the moment truly calls for distance? What unsettles me is not merely branding; ...

Nursing home residents at homeless shelters shows housing shortage

Editorial

Public officials well aware of Ohio’s problems with a shortage of accessible, affordable housing might not be aware of a growing problem related to that challenge. Nursing homes are sending patients to homeless shelters at a growing rate. A Signal Ohio report earlier this month looked at nursing homes transferring “older, poorer and medically fragile” patients to homeless shelters. In fact, seven nursing home facilities in Ohio have been faulted in the past few years for efforts to dump patients into homeless shelters. Eastland Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Columbus ...

Walking can be dangerous

Local Columns

Wherever you are, and no matter what time of day it is, if you look around, it’s likely you will see someone out for a walk. Take a trip through any neighborhood, and it’s a sure bet you will come across someone who’s enjoying being outside. Some people like to walk in the evening, some in the morning and some hearty souls like to be out in the heat of the day. It’s a great way to get some exercise and to interact with your friends and neighbors, things that we all too often forget should be important parts of our lives. But while it’s hard to underestimate the benefits of ...

WVU Medicine shows belief in Ohio Valley

Editorial

WVU Medicine’s belief that the Ohio Valley is worth investing in was reinforced last week with the announcement of multi-million-dollar projects approved for the region. The health system announced that it will build a new community hospital in St. Clairsville, as well as a new cancer center at WVU Medicine Weirton Medical Center. The two projects will total $76.1 million — $56 million for the St. Clairsville hospital and $20.1 million for the Weirton cancer center — as part of $350 million in investments approved by the board. The board has approved projects over the past three ...

Ohio shouldn’t weaken rules that protect annuity buyers

Letters To The Editor

Anyone who has spent time in government knows the details matter. The difference between a policy that works and one that fails is almost always buried in the fine print. That’s exactly what I thought when I heard about a proposal now before the Ohio legislature. In Senate Bill 306, a small group of fee-only financial advisors is seeking a Fast Pass around Ohio’s consumer protection regulations so they can sell annuities in the state. This special interest group argues that because they are already legally obligated to their clients, Ohio’s consumer protection rules should not ...

No match for muck

Local Columns

I fought the muck and the muck won. It wasn’t even a contest. To understand why I was fighting muck, we must go back to late February when our farm pond suddenly drained itself at the end of a record stretch of extreme cold temperatures. Overnight the water left, and the abnormally thick ice collapsed to the bottom. Then came spring and the ice melted, leaving a shallow pool of water 20 feet across. Still with fish in it, can you believe? I did not expect any to survive. Pond turtles, too. For a closer examination of the damage, I had to wait for a stretch of dry days, which we got ...