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Please do not leave local business out in the cold

Been stuck in the house for a while? Made one last run at the big box store before the snow, ice and frigid temperatures hit and haven’t spent an extra dime since? One day, we will be through this arctic spell. We’ll need to venture out and do a little shopping. Maybe we’ll just be ready to eat at a restaurant after having gone through everything in the pantry at home. When that time comes, consider spending your money with a smaller, locally owned establishment. Those who have either been forced to close or have seen very little traffic because of this weather may be in ...

Ohio’s Unclaimed Funds hold more than $4 billion

Looking for something to do while snow, ice and frigid temperatures have perhaps kept you home for more time than you’d like in recent days? It could be a good time to check out the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Unclaimed Funds website. According to a recent report by the Akron Beacon Journal, the state still holds more than $4 billion in dormant bank accounts, utility deposits and uncashed checks. That’s a huge chunk of your money just sitting (virtually) in Columbus. And remember, if you don’t claim it after more than ten years, you run the risk of it being used ...

Ohio must be locked in on fixing state prison staffing

According to a recent report by the Dayton Daily News, the Ohio state prison system was short more than 500 corrections officers at the end of last year. The Daily News conducted its investigation because Dayton Correctional Institution has the highest rate of openings, at 18.8%. Lebanon Correctional Institution has a vacancy rate of 11.5% and Warren Correctional Institution has a vacancy rate of 2.4%, the newspaper found. Those numbers are an improvement over the worst period in 2022, but still a significant problem for the system. Of course, state officials were eager to put a ...

Advocates, state officials must protect our child care system

Groundwork Ohio is among the organizations that has signed on to a letter from child care groups across the country, asking the federal Administration for Children and Families to continue funding the Child Care Development Block Grant and other resources. Though a federal judge has temporarily blocked a funding freeze to Minnesota, California, Colorado, Illinois and New York, there are still worries other states will have to defend their own child care systems and oversight. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, the letter says fraud “at any level is unacceptable and ...

Protect yourself and your family — get your flu shot

If it seems as though illness has been more prevalent in your school, church, office and other circles this winter, you’re not imagining things. According to Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, this year’s flu season has seen a stronger beginning than is typical. “You know, the typical pattern is that we see a relatively modest dip around the holidays, and then we see our major peak in mid-February,” he said, according to a report by WDTN. “What our data is showing us is that already, this year’s flu is having numbers that are consistently well above ...

Husted, Brown both count on Valley vote in Senate race

Editor’s Note: The following column was published in the Vindicator Jan. 16. Neither U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, a Republican, nor his Democratic challenger, Sherrod Brown, a former 18-year senator, lack confidence when it comes to believing they will win Mahoning and Trumbull counties during the November election. I spoke with both of them late last week about the election as well as their positions on a number of other issues. Husted was appointed to the Senate in January 2025 by Gov. Mike DeWine after serving six years as his lieutenant governor. Before that, he was secretary of ...