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With tick season comes many health concerns

If the thought of creepy crawlies sends shivers down your spine, fair warning: Tick season is upon us. According to a report by Ohio’s Country Journal, experts are seeing a shift in the number and species of ticks here; and many bring health concerns with them. “We’re seeing changes in the distribution of a lot of medically important tick species,” Risa Pesapane, an associate professor in ecosystem and wildlife health at Ohio State University told the Country Journal. “We have had new ticks arriving in the state of Ohio and becoming established here.” Sure, there’s the ...

Property Protection Act warrants a closer look in Ohio Legislature

Sometimes legislative proposals sound great on the surface — after all, the people who come up with names such as the “Ohio Property Protection Act” are hoping to persuade others to vote for it. But a deeper dive brings up serious questions. Ohio House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 88 are similar versions of the Ohio Property Protection Act, which would “modify the law that prohibits certain governments, businesses and individuals from acquiring certain real property.” Among the stated goals of the bills are to prohibit foreign adversaries from being able to own land within 25 miles ...

Will Ohio’s missing, their families get needed help?

Government work groups and task forces don’t always come up with effective solutions (ask the Ohio Redistricting Commission), but the Ohio Missing Persons Working Group appears to have come up with some solid ideas to improve missing persons investigations in the state. In fact, according to a report by the Dayton Daily News, Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson announced 18 areas of improvement in matters such as communication between law enforcement and family members, sharing of information among law enforcement agencies, training and ...

Holding Norfolk Southern accountable is just first step

Norfolk Southern says it still expects site restoration in East Palestine to be “substantially complete by early/mid June.” This despite additional monitoring wells being installed as recently as the end of March, and sediment and surface water monitoring that continues to show evidence of the catastrophic derailment that occurred there more than two years ago. Charts made available by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show there is still visible sheen on affected waterways — in fact, instances of heavy sheen being observed as late as April in part of Sulphur ...

We need to avoid failures with protecting children

For Ohioans who care about making sure no child slips through the cracks in our system, data out of Franklin County is nothing short of appalling. The county’s Children Services agency has seen a horrifying five child deaths in a little more than a year. According to a report by WBNS, state Rep. Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, has had enough. “It’s heartbreaking,” Jarrells told the news station. “It’s an opportunity for us to really have a hard conversation around our system of care.” To that end, Jarrells says his office is drafting legislation after hearing the excuses ...

Today is a day awash in red, white and blue

“The old general returned to the scene of battle, Where the great war had been fought, Once more he recalled the devastation, And the carnage that was wrought. As he walked among the white crosses, He remembered the sacrifices made, Deep inside he wonders now, Was it all worth the price they paid? And he thinks about war itself, What message does it give? Is it right that some must die? So others might have a chance to live?” “The Old General” was composed by longtime county resident, family man and veteran Bill Galchick. We like to run his words each Memorial Day. ...