Breaking News

Editorials

Despite recent study, Ohio seeing increase in wildlife

Though a recent SmileHub study placed Ohio as seventh-worst in the nation for protecting wildlife — using 17 metrics that included data on things like the number of animal and environmental protection agencies per capita — the Buckeye State must be doing something right. Flora and fauna that were thought long gone from the state are reappearing. Most recently, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reported fishers (mammals related to river otters and weasels) are colonizing again in the state. According to ODNR, they’ve been missing from Ohio since the mid-1800s. Now, it seems ...

Cancer risk varies by region among those in Appalachia

Those living in Appalachia have long been accustomed to the idea there are greater risks to our health here than in many other regions. New research from the American College of Surgeons confirms that, while cancer diagnoses and deaths are decreasing in Appalachia, the numbers are still significantly higher here than in other parts of the U.S. And where are we at greatest risk? The central subregion — a small part of southern Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia — has the highest rates of cancer incidents and deaths among the larger Appalachian region. “The ...

Confidence begins to wane in the long-promised Intel plant opening

Economic development officials in Columbus and Franklin and Licking counties can be forgiven if they find themselves humming the tune to an early 1980s hit while they wonder when the next bad news will come from Intel Corp. After all, the company had nothing but “promises, promises” in the beginning. But Feb. 28, the chipmaker announced it is once again pushing back the planned opening of the semiconductor plant that was going to revolutionize the employment landscape in central Ohio. Now Intel says construction on the first of two planned factories in New Albany is expected to ...

Remember to heed burn ban as we approach warmer weather

Perhaps we should take it as a positive sign that we are moving out of winter and into spring and the Ohio Division of Forestry’s outdoor fire laws (for “kindled” fires) are once again in effect. From the beginning of March through November, outdoor open burning is prohibited statewide in unincorporated areas between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. This could mean anything from a proper burn barrel to burning of yard waste, trash and debris. “During spring, wildfire danger is high before plants have turned green, and in fall, fire danger is high due to abundant dry leaves and ...

Let’s hope Congress takes up animal protection bill this time

Back in 2019, President Donald Trump signed into law a bill that made animal cruelty a federal felony. The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act included penalties for the crime ranging from fines to up to seven years in prison or both. But PACT, it seems, was lacking teeth — or those in charge of giving it teeth lacked a sense of urgency. U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio 14th, has his heart in the right place, in once again introducing legislation that would require the U.S. Department of Justice to establish an animal cruelty crimes section and “to vigorously pursue ...

Broadband internet no longer a luxury, it’s an urgent necessity

While Bill Johnson was serving Ohio’s 6th district in Congress, he tried twice — in 2021 and 2023 — to introduce legislation that would help Americans (particularly those living in rural areas) have easier access to broadband internet. His successor, Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli, has taken up that mantle and has again introduced the Wireless Broadband Competition and Efficient Deployment Act. It may be an uphill battle, as others have also tried. U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., introduced the same bill in 2024 after Johnson resigned. None of these efforts ever left ...