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Report: Ohio among worst states for women’s equality

Just a few days ago was the 105th anniversary of women being granted the right to vote in this country. Ohio was among the first states to ratify the 19th Amendment, twelve days after the U.S. Senate passed the amendment and set off the ratification process. Today, the Buckeye State isn’t faring so well in terms of equality for women, as WalletHub’s “Best and Worst States for Women’s Equality in 2025” ranks Ohio 41st. “Ensuring women’s equality requires more than simply giving men and women the same fundamental rights,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “States also ...

Best of luck to all of our local sports programs

Ready or not, here it comes. Another school year has arrived. Yes, already! Classrooms are open or are poised to open soon. Fall sports have started. Doesn’t it seem many of the non-football fall sports begin earlier and earlier each year? Remember when all schools did not start activities until after Labor Day? Now it is only the schools with students involved in the Canfield Fair — like West Branch and United Local — that start after the holiday. Our area teams kick the 2025 football season off this tonight with Leetonia at Vanlue and East Palestine at Shadyside. And, yes, ...

Don’t let scammers take your money

Across the country, scammers continue to find success — particularly with older residents and their families — with a seemingly endless supply of techniques for separating people from their hard-earned money. Among the latest efforts is a scam in which a person receives a phone call, email or text that says they need to pay a fine, but that they should do so with Bitcoin, a gift card or other virtual currency. And yes, the wording is confusing and aggressive enough that people continue to fall for these scams in droves. In Ohio alone, between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, ...

Politicians again dragging feet on a significant issue

Give them a hot-button topic that doesn’t actually affect the lives of ordinary people and politicians will waste no time hopping on and digging in. But when the issue is something of great significance to the rest of us — individuals and their employers — they drag their feet. That is the case with permitting reform. Last time it got any serious traction in Washington, D.C., former U.S. Sen. Joe Machin was leading the charge on the Energy Permitting Reform Act. Now, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., is bringing lawmakers’ attention back to the matter in the hope that ...

Be ready to obey laws regarding school buses

School is already in session for many students and will be soon for all others. With the beginning of the school year comes a possible change to our morning or afternoon driving routines, as school buses filled with children will be everywhere. Get back in the mindset of giving yourself plenty of time to get to your destination during pick-up and drop-off hours. School buses may be a little slower and make frequent stops, but the drivers are not out to get you, personally. Their job is to make sure kids get to and from school safely. And they can do that because (most) drivers follow a ...

Local legislators must push for a single Congressional district

As Ohio’s considerably convoluted and patently partisan process of drawing new maps for its 15 congressional districts shifts into high gear this month, we steadfastly remain committed to our longstanding appeal that the Mahoning Valley deserves its own coherent and united U.S. House of Representatives district. Yes, it’s that time again this late summer and fall when Ohio must once again chart new boundary lines for its federal lawmakers in the lower chamber of Congress. Because the redistricting that took place for 2022 did not receive Democratic Party support, the maps created ...