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Will there be a political comeback for Brown?

Throughout his political career, Democrat Sherrod Brown has talked about the “dignity of work.” So it came as little surprise that Brown recently announced the creation of the Dignity of Work Institute, which will focus on empowering and growing the middle class. But Brown also is a career politician who spent 48 of the previous 50 years in elected office. He wanted to spend at least six more years, but lost in November to Republican Bernie Moreno for the Senate seat Brown held for the previous 18 years. While Brown wanted to talk Monday to the media about his new institute, there ...

Many of DeWine’s budget plans won’t go anywhere

While this was the first State of the State address for Tex Fischer, R-Boardman, and David Thomas, R-Jefferson, as Ohio House members, the two said they knew what to expect from Gov. Mike DeWine. “The governor was going to emphasize education, workforce and career tech and try to sell for his budget plan,” Fischer said. “It’s part of the political process. He’s selling his budget.” But Fischer said he and other Republicans in the Ohio House remain unmoved on DeWine’s budget proposals to increase taxes on sports betting, cigarettes and adult recreational ...

Ramaswamy rises to the top in governor’s race

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 ...

NAMI Columbiana County returns with mental health support, education

LISBON — After a period of inactivity, NAMI Columbiana County is making a strong comeback, bringing vital mental health education, support, and advocacy back to the community. The local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is re-establishing itself with new leadership, new programming, and a renewed commitment to providing resources for individuals and families affected by mental health conditions. Kristy Munyon, the newly appointed chair of NAMI Columbiana County, is leading efforts to expand services and strengthen support networks in the area. One of the ...

Explaining America’s health care free speech movement

Why should you join America’s health care free speech movement? You may have already enlisted if you’ve had the gnawing feeling that the well-known patterns of health care debate conceal some as yet unrevealed primal reality that block important issues from being joined. You’d be right. There may be a few thousand people nationwide who are occasional health care free speechers, although they don’t call themselves that. Among them are a few lawyers, some academics, a handful of medical doctors, and independent theoreticians and citizen-dissenters. Consider this: historians ...

Lincoln statue a fitting tribute to the Underground Railroad

Late last year, residents of Salem, Ohio, unveiled a new statue of Abraham Lincoln as part of a memorial plaza dedicated to America’s 16th president. It is a fitting reminder of the community’s history as a major stop in the Underground Railroad in Ohio. Even before he became president, Lincoln had history with Ohio as a circuit-riding lawyer. The state was included in the route to his inauguration in 1861, and in his funeral procession en route to Springfield, Illinois, in 1865. Lincoln reminds us that good presidents grow into the job. During his presidency, he went from ...