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Highway Patrol reminds all of the perils with drinking, driving

Any driver should not have to be repeatedly warned regarding the hazards of drinking and driving. Of course the worst case scenario is an accident resulting in death or grave injury. It happens much than it should It seems many drivers take, well, a holiday from sensible driving whenever a holiday does come along. Especially with warm weather holidays. Tomorrow, of course, is the Fourth of July and all the celebrations that come with. As it should be. Our wish here is for all of our readers to have a great time today and Tuesday. If part of your enjoyment including drinking alcoholic ...

Should be consequences for acts of sheer bigotry

One does not have to look far to see the damage done by the last several years in which some politicians have fooled their followers into believing it is acceptable to be openly, publicly hateful. An example from 2021 came from the Sheffield Lake (Ohio) Police Department, where the chief felt free to leave a note for a Black police officer that contained references to the Ku Klux Klan. A report by WJW described the note as “racially insensitive.” The news outlet reports there is now a proposed settlement of $500,000 for the officer’s complaint and two others — a discrimination ...

Children’s online activities must be closely monitored

Yet again, we’ve gotten news that federal agents have arrested a man on child pornography and exploitation charges, after that man is accused of receiving pornographic material from more than 100 victims through the Snapchat app since 2018. This time, the accused, Clay Thomas Wolfe, 28, of Junction City, Ohio, allegedly pretended to be a 15-year-old girl and coerced middle and high school boys from Chillicothe and other Ohio cities, as well as in Minnesota and Pennsylvania, to send him child pornography, according to a report by WCMH. Wolfe also was a New Lexington High School ...

Why wasn’t this already happening with rail safety?

It is disturbing how often major disasters in this country bring to light the lack of common sense safety regulations for the industries involved. Though it has been months since the Norfolk Southern train derailment outside East Palestine, Ohio, federal regulators are still trying to use the incident to improve rail safety. Among the latest ideas is a rule proposed Wednesday that would require all railroads to immediately send the details of everything aboard their trains to every emergency responder within 10 miles, as soon as the railroad becomes aware of an accident. It begs the ...

Legislators thumb noses at Ohioans over openness

State senators don’t seem to be worried about appearances as they sneak into their version of the Ohio budget a provision that specifies the OneOhio Recovery Foundation is not a state entity — and therefore is exempt from complying with public records requests, according to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal. Just last month the Ohio Supreme Court ordered OneOhio to comply with a request for its records, after it tried to avoid doing so. Justices understood the foundation set up to distribute money that local and state government entities are receiving from opioid settlements was ...

Parents, not just educators, should do the heavy lifting’

Members of older generations talk a good game about how ill-prepared for “the real world” our younger generations are … until they are reminded who was responsible for raising those in the younger generations. Parents and guardians must remember they are responsible for more than keeping children alive for 18 years. It’s not up to the school system or — perish the thought — their friends to teach them how to use common sense and exercise personal responsibility while navigating this society we are creating for them. An upsetting reminder of that parental responsibility ...