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Judges run in mid-terms to get around age limits

Local Columns

Republican Pat Fischer is looking to stay an Ohio Supreme Court justice for as long as possible. With some prompting from Gov. Mike DeWine, a fellow Republican, Fischer announced May 28 that he would challenge incumbent Democrat Jennifer Brunner for her seat in next year’s election. Ohio has a law that doesn’t permit judges to run for office if they will be older than 70 when their terms are to begin. Fischer, 67, cannot run in the 2028 election, when his seat would next be on the ballot. So instead of finishing out that term, he said he will challenge Brunner in 2026. If he wins, ...

Plant more garden than deer can eat

Editorial

As the grandsons and I were planting seeds for our fall pumpkin patch a few days ago, The Favorite, who has a knack for original thinking, had an idea. “Grandpa, couldn’t we grow poisonous pumpkins for the deer to eat?” My mind dwelt for a moment on the unlikely existence of such a thing, and the disastrous potentialities of growing it should there be, but I just told him, “No.” After years of fighting to deny my vegetables and pumpkins to these cloven-hooved land pirates, my strategies against deer damage boil down to this: “Plant more than they can eat.” That’s ...

Embrace the significance of our nation's symbol

Editorial

Today is Flag Day. Flag Day deserves the respect of each and every one of us. Especially during the always ongoing turbulent social times such as the mess that is Los Angeles. After all, we are all Americans first and foremost. Some seem to forget that. Some not only choose to disrespect the American way but seem to relish the breaking of laws. Flag Day doesn’t carry the same clout as many holidays. It isn’t part of holiday offs/let’s party themes that other summer holidays boast like Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. But as free American citizens we should all pause today and ...

Why swimming is a great form of exercise for seniors

Editorial

Swimming is an effective way for seniors to stay physically active and boost their health. Not only is it fun and relaxing, it poses less risk for injury than other activities and can be done by people of all ages and ability levels. Plus, it does not require any special training or additional equipment. Swimming offers a wide range of benefits to seniors and can be a great way to gently exercise the entire body: — It is gentle on the joints. Even seniors with arthritis or limited mobility can enjoy swimming. It does not put strain on the joints the way other exercises might ...

Customers shouldn’t subsidize the energy needs of data centers

Local Columns

Driven by the explosive growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers, U.S. electricity demand and electricity prices are rising rapidly. Dozens of new data centers—each with the electricity needs of a small city—are gobbling up the nation’s power supply. Forecasters see U.S. electricity demand growing 25% by 2030—and nearly 80% by 2050. In some regions of the country, it will be far more and even faster. The nation’s largest regional electricity grid, PJM Interconnection—which stretches from Virginia to Illinois—expects that, by 2030, new data center power ...

Property tax cuts are in the spotlight

Local Columns

Finding ways to reduce skyrocketing property taxes that occurred in Ohio during the past couple of years is a top priority for the Republican-controlled state Legislature. It’s a difficult balancing act as property owners are screaming for tax relief while public school districts, which get most of those tax dollars, say reductions will severely impact education. For the most part, Republicans are siding with property owners though there have been a few bills introduced that would have minimal or no impact on school districts and other government entities that rely on property ...