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Residents not benefiting from glowing energy report

Editorial

U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio 6th Dist., can be forgiven for his enthusiasm over a recent report. After all, the good news being proclaimed by the Ohio Natural Energy Institute’s “The Essential Facts on Essential Ohio Energy” are a re-polished version of the shiny proclamations we’ve been hearing for about 15 years now. Rulli was first elected to the state Senate in 2018. But well before that, organizations similar to the Ohio Natural Energy Institute were touting (then the Marcellus and Utica shales) as our region’s savior. “Our region has been blessed with an ...

Let’s try lightening the load on Ohio’s caregivers

Editorial

Plenty of Ohio families are struggling with caring not only for children, but older family members who need full-time attention. Legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Carey, R-Ohio 15th Dist., aims to lighten that load. The Credit for Caring Act would offer up to a $5,000 nonrefundable federal tax credit to offset family caregiving-related expenses. For example, those include home care aides, adult day services, home modifications and respite care. “We know that families want to support their loved ones through illness, disability and aging in place. The Credit for Caring Act ...

Ramaswamy rises to the top in governor’s race

Local Columns

Even before he officially joined the governor’s race, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy had all of the momentum on his side. While the biotech entrepreneur and short-lived presidential candidate has never held elected office before, he was seen as the 2026 gubernatorial front-runner before his Feb. 24 announcement. Then just a few hours after declaring, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social about Ramaswamy: “I know him well, competed against him and he is something SPECIAL. He’s Young, Strong and Smart! Vivek is also a very good person who truly loves his Country. He will be a ...

Work to win two-front fight to save Issue 2

Editorial

The abusive attack on the will of Ohio voters has gained momentum. Last week, the Ohio Senate passed legislation to bulldoze state Issue 2, approved by 57% of state voters in November 2023. That general election vote legalized the possession and use of a wide variety of cannabis products in the Buckeye State and included a host of provisions, many of which passage of Senate Bill 56 essentially guts. SB 56 also clearly illustrates the deep partisan divide in state government with all Republicans — including the Mahoning Valley’s two senators — voting for it and all Democrats ...

Despite recent study, Ohio seeing increase in wildlife

Editorial

Though a recent SmileHub study placed Ohio as seventh-worst in the nation for protecting wildlife — using 17 metrics that included data on things like the number of animal and environmental protection agencies per capita — the Buckeye State must be doing something right. Flora and fauna that were thought long gone from the state are reappearing. Most recently, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reported fishers (mammals related to river otters and weasels) are colonizing again in the state. According to ODNR, they’ve been missing from Ohio since the mid-1800s. Now, it seems ...

Cancer risk varies by region among those in Appalachia

Editorial

Those living in Appalachia have long been accustomed to the idea there are greater risks to our health here than in many other regions. New research from the American College of Surgeons confirms that, while cancer diagnoses and deaths are decreasing in Appalachia, the numbers are still significantly higher here than in other parts of the U.S. And where are we at greatest risk? The central subregion — a small part of southern Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia — has the highest rates of cancer incidents and deaths among the larger Appalachian region. “The ...