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Rail safety reform falls off the tracks

Those hoping for railroad companies to move on their own toward improved safety for their workers and the communities through which their trains run will have to wait a bit longer. More than two and a half years since a Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, not one of the larger freight railroads in the country has signed on to the Confidential Close Call Reporting System, a voluntary federal program that was meant to reduce rail hazards and prevent accidents. According to a report by the Associated Press, BNSF and Norfolk Southern did attempt partial trials, but have not ...

Former OSU president returning as a consultant

The Ohio State University isn’t letting its former President E. Gordon Gee rest for long, after his departure as president of West Virginia University. They’ve asked him to return to Columbus for a one-year consulting role. According to a report by The Columbus Dispatch, that role will include working with OSU’s new Salmon P. Chase Center to recruit faculty and increase the center’s presence on campus and nationally. Chase was Abraham Lincoln’s secretary of the treasury and later the sixth chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, serving in that role until his death in 1873. ...

State dollars will benefit career-technical students

It turns out state officials are, indeed, working toward bringing more support to public school students who are already thinking about life after high school graduation. Last week, Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce announced $7.1 million for the Career Pathway Support Networks Request for Applications. The money is part of a two-year effort to prepare students for in-demand careers through “advising, mentoring, exposure to various professions, and expanded career-technical education,” according to DeWine’s office. Funding will be distributed ...

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, ...