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Stop human trafficking

A couple of weeks ago, Operation Buyer’s Remorse stamped “Not in Ohio” on 160 persons across Ohio who were arrested in connection with human trafficking. Law enforcement officers are reiterating that they are committed to helping victims of human trafficking if those persons will just reach out. In this operation, 104 victims were referred to services that can help them. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost advised, “You are contributing to trafficking when you are putting money down for sex. Don’t buy sex in Ohio.” A Lake County police lieutenant, Harry Harpster, emphasized, ...

Language likely won’t impact abortion vote

Except for a minor tweak, the Ohio Supreme Court decided to keep ballot language for the reproductive rights constitutional amendment that will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot intact. But no matter what the court decided, many people are unlikely to read the ballot language before they vote or understand it. Voters know the proposal would make abortions accessible in Ohio if it passes. Also, we will be inundated with ads from both sides telling what they see as the impact of the constitutional amendment. There will be those swayed by what they read and see. Why else would there be a need ...

God has a plan

“By all rights, I should be dead,” said Tomas Santiago, a recovering addict willing to speak up about the path the 54-year-old has taken and led him to become an advocate for recovery that works. He is 11 years clean. “Family Recovery saved my life.” Tomas speaks of his millionaire father who was ordered to pay $25 per week in child support, and then took the child’s mother back to court to remove the child support. He speaks of his step-dad who bought a house in the Bronx. But the man was a cheater, he said, and told his mother that she, Tomas, and his half-siblings had to ...

In plain sight

It’s a fact: kids hide things from their parents, for whatever reason. It seems that now, more than ever, parents need to have good communication with their children because outside influences encourage secrecy for their own benefits. As parents, we are legally responsible for our children, the souls we brought into this world, have loved to the moon and back. We protect and guide them for their good health and well-being, encourage them to dream and pursue their goals. Let’s use vaping for an example. More youth than adults use e-cigarettes, says the U.S. Surgeon General. Johns ...

POSTINGS FROM THE PARK: The sound of music from Idabelle’s Gathering Place in Firestone Park

COLUMBIANA — Sundays will be memorable for the The Gathering Place during the months of September and October. Come 3 p.m. on six consecutive Sundays, a series of instrumental concerts will be offered as free concerts, with an emphasis on semi-classical music — the music Idabelle Firestone loved and composed. It all began this past Sunday, Sept. 10, with the first symphony performed in the park by the 47-piece Firestone Symphony Orchestra. Conducted by Charles Kobb, they played to an appreciative audience gathered in the afternoon sun under a canopy, among the beautiful blossoms of ...

State redistricting to resume on Wednesday

The Ohio Redistricting Commission will meet Wednesday for the first time in more than a year to work on state legislative maps with little time to finalize. It’s the latest in a series of moves to get federal and state legislative maps in place for the 2024 election. The federal map used last year, despite being ruled unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court, will remain for the 2024 election. (More on that below.) With a Dec. 20 filing deadline for candidates running in the March 19, 2024, primary, there isn’t much time to resolve the state legislative issues. The Ohio ...