Breaking News

Editorials

Ohio lawmakers need to stand ground against redistricting push

Though the results of Ohio’s latest redistricting attempt have yet to be seen, state House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, should be commended for one thing: He says he will not give in to pressure from the White House to draw maps that meet the approval of President Donald Trump. “I’m most interested in what residents of the state of Ohio have to say,” Huffman said when asked about Trump and national influence, according to the Ohio Capital Journal. “Of course, the President of the United States is an important person too, but there are 11 million+ people in the state of ...

Guidance out of D.C. causing confusion about COVID boosters

Changes in guidance out of Washington, D.C., have left many confused about the accessibility of COVID booster shots this fall. There are questions about eligibility, insurance, and even where a patient can get the vaccine. Axios tried to unravel the mystery and found states falling into three categories (they used one pharmacy chain, CVS, as the test): unavailable, available without a prescription and prescription required for specific age groups. West Virginia falls into the latter category — prescription required. But in Ohio, the shots are available without a prescription. ...

National metrics don’t reflect the economics of households

When it comes to economic indicators, the big national metrics don’t always reflect what is happening in ordinary households. But families certainly understand what it means for them if they are forced to rely more on credit cards to get by. According to WalletHub’s “States with Largest and Smallest Credit Card Debt Increases,” released this month, Ohio has the eighth-largest credit card debt increase in the country in the second quarter. In the Buckeye State, the average credit card debt increased by $858,373 from Q1. The average household in the state owes $9,352 in credit ...

Cold-blooded murderer took Kirk’s life but not his message

If the goal of Charlie Kirk’s murderer was to silence his voice, he failed. All he did was ensure that two small children will grow up without their father and leave a widow to mourn her husband. Kirk, the founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, will never again engage in conversations with young people on America’s college campuses, but his voice and message will carry on despite his assassin’s despicable act. In fact, Charlie Kirk’s killer ensured that even more people will come to know what the 31-year-old conservative Christian speaker and political activist stood for and ...

Marking the anniversary of a tragic day in history

Today marks the 24th anniversary of one of the most horrific days in the history of the United States. Yes, it has been that long already. If you need to be told exactly what significant, nation-altering event we are observing then, well, you are not much of an American. Period. Tributes and memorials will mark today — nearly a quarter-century since acts of terrorism across our skies had planes plunging to earth and creating mass casualties. We remember the tragedies of that day. We remember the sacrifices and acts of heroism. Local tributes will be paid throughout our region. Our ...

For the sake of development, lawmakers need to re-energize

As the most obvious economic development in Ohio is data centers and server farms — necessary, but not exactly providing a lot of jobs while they place a greater burden on our energy infrastructure — lawmakers are looking for new ways to make sure those hungry facilities get all the electricity they need. The growing demand is creating the possibility of energy shortages, prompting lawmakers to come up with energy efficiency and energy generation ideas. “Until we get new baseload built, there is still not enough energy,” state Rep. Roy Klopfenstein, R-Haviland, told the ...