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Vaccines are key in our fight against coronavirus

Ohio, like the rest of the country, is currently experiencing an unprecedented surge in coronavirus cases. The number of new cases per day in Ohio has more than doubled over the last three weeks. In short, the trajectory is not good, with not just more cases, but more hospitalizations, more visits to the ICU, and sadly, more fatalities. We need to take every measure available to us to reverse this trend. While masks, social distancing, and testing are important to slowing the spread of the virus, and new therapies can reduce the symptoms, I believe that the single most important thing ...

In social distancing era, rural America needs broadband to survive

Over the last six months, the United States has seen various forms of lockdown as we have worked to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. These uncertain times have led many of us to make changes in the way we work, learn, and communicate. Many of these changes have been facilitated by the Internet, as applications like Zoom have become invaluable tools for teaching our kids, business collaboration with co-workers, getting health care advice from medical experts, and social interaction with friends and family. But for the surprising number of rural Americans who have no reliable ...

What you should know about online learning

As COVID-19 moves America’s students out of the classroom and into studying at home, a school with 20 years’ experience in online learning can offer some advice. In the flash of an eye, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of American life. Among the most dramatic upheavals has been in the way students learn in schools and colleges at every level. In higher education, the traditional model of classroom-based, face-to-face instruction has suddenly shifted to online learning, a shift of technology and mindset for which few were prepared. While many other schools ...

Coronavirus has strained our health system but we can’t take eyes off addiction crisis

As the coronavirus pandemic has gripped the world, it seems as though every aspect of life before this crisis has been put on hold. Schools are closed, church pews are empty, and businesses have shuttered. Yet even in this unprecedented time, we cannot forget about the many concerns we had before the pandemic. For over 25 years, I have focused on addressing and combating the drug addiction issues — including the opioid epidemic that has gripped countless communities in Ohio and elsewhere over the past 10 years. In recent years, I have been encouraged by the progress we have made in ...

Will electricity be affordable in our post COVID-19 nation?

The COVID-19 pandemic is clearly wreaking havoc with the U.S. economy. And Americans are already feeling the pain. As Washington starts to grapple with this economic disruption, there’s a looming problem that must be addressed. Our nation will begin to dig out of the crisis in the coming months, but we’re going to need affordable electricity to do it — particularly for families that have suddenly lost jobs. Worryingly though, even before the onset of the COVID crisis, a number of factors have been threatening to drive up electricity prices in markets across the country. Why ...

Working for Ohio during the coronavirus pandemic

The unprecedented coronavirus pandemic has changed every facet of life in a short span of time. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that unemployment for this quarter could rise to over 10 percent. According to a recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, nine in 10 adults are now officially socially distancing themselves. In Ohio, more people filed for unemployment in March alone than in all of 2019.  Before we can get our country and our economy back up and running, we must solve the underlying coronavirus crisis, and Ohio can play a role in that ...