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Technology can be a wonderful thing. It also can be horrifying, particularly when the law does not keep up with innovations. Ohio lawmakers seem to be working to address one of those shortfalls, as the state House of Representatives just passed state Senate Bill 100, which makes it a crime to put or install a tracking device on someone else’s property without their consent. Seems like common sense, doesn’t it? But until the measure is signed in to law, use of, for example, an Apple AirTag to aid in stalking a victim is not in and of itself a crime. According to a report by the Ohio ...

Priorities must be kept in preventing elderly abuse

It’s easy to pick out areas in which we wish Ohio and West Virginia were doing better for residents. The list is long and varied. But in one category, both states are doing quite well. In WalletHub’s list of “States With the Best Elder-Abuse Protections,” Ohio is 4th in the country and the Mountain State is 9th. Not too shabby. Given the age of our states’ populations, those are important protections, indeed. Ohio’s 32nd ranking for prevalence (share of elder-abuse, gross-neglect and exploitation complaints; estimated elder fraud rate; and elder fraud loss amount per ...

Lawmakers seek to help Ohio farmers

Appalachian Ohio has been affected brutally by drought this year. Not just any drought, however, but “exceptional drought” for Guernsey, Noble and parts of some surrounding counties. Much of that region is represented by state Rep. Don Jones, R-Freeport, and he’s co-sponsored an effort to try to help farmers struggling to get by. Along with state House Finance Committee Chairman Rep. Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville, Jones is pitching a $10 million appropriation to the Ohio Department of Agriculture. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, that would nearly double the amount ...

Avoid turning holiday a celebration into a tragedy

As the holiday season gets into full swing, the Ohio State Highway Patrol is stepping up its focus on keeping us safe. Throughout the holiday season, the patrol says it plans to be highly visible and is “committed to removing dangerous and impaired drivers, keeping Ohioans and our visitors safe.” As Gov. Mike DeWine put it, there is never an excuse for driving impaired. Just because we are entering a season featuring plenty of celebration does not mean we throw our responsibilities to the wind. According to the OSHP, since 2019 there have been more than 72,000 impaired ...

A new and unique way to protect babies in Ohio

In a state where so many political figures make a big show about how much they care about babies, some communities are walking the walk and providing an important option for desperate parents with nowhere else to turn. Last year, Lebanon, Ohio, installed a Safe Haven Baby Box at one of its fire stations. At the time, it was the 10th such box to be installed in the Ohio. Last Monday, it was used for the first time. According to a press release from the Lebanon Police Department, the city’s communications center received an alarm at 3:34 p.m. from the newborn safety incubator. When ...

Time should not diminish the impact of Dec. 7, 1941

It was the most profound and cowardly sneak attack in the history of man. At exactly 7:55 a.m., on Dec. 7, 1941, the United States was suddenly plunged into a great conflict that would become World War II. The Imperial Japanese Navy struck at Pearl Harbor. And struck hard. The United States’ Pacific Fleet was ravaged. The Japanese sank four battleships, three cruisers and three destroyers. Destroyed were 188 American aircraft. Wounded were 1,282 service personnel. The American death total numbered 2,402. What took the Japanese mere minutes to do on a beautiful Hawaiian Sunday morning ...