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A win for those working to fight overdose deaths

Something is changing the numbers on overdose deaths in Ohio and across the country — and the change is a welcomed one. According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention preliminary data, the Buckeye State in 2023 experienced its first significant decrease in overdose deaths since 2017. Dennis Cauchon, founder and president of Harm Reduction Ohio, told The Statehouse News Bureau he’d been watching the data and by early 2024 realized these were more than just incremental changes. “When I realized it wasn’t a quirk, it made me cry, because every one of these deaths is ...

We must not let fear stop our Democratic process

“This must stop, period.” The National Association of Secretaries of State followed that comment on the “disturbing trend” of threats to elections officials and workers and a second apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump by saying “Our democracy has no place for political violence, threats or intimidation of any kind.” Well. It shouldn’t have any place for those things, but they are, sadly, nothing new. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office is among the 15 elections offices across the country that received suspicious packages this week. The packages ...

U.S. deterrence questionable as Iran keeps helping Russia

If you want another example of vanishing U.S. deterrence, consider the Biden Administration’s failure to stop Iran from providing Russia with ballistic missiles. Citing unidentified U.S. and European officials, the Wall Street Journal reports that a recent arms shipment from Tehran to Moscow included hundreds of short-range ballistic missiles. Iranian lawmaker Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani this week described how “one part of the barter” with Russia “includes sending missiles” in exchange for food exports and help with sanctions evasion. The authoritarian axis now flaunts how ...

Credit card debt a problem for many Ohio residents problem for Ohioans

When finances get tight, some households turn to credit cards to get by. It’s not an ideal solution, and can lead to bigger problems down the road, but sometimes feels like the only way. According to WalletHub, the collective credit card debt of the United States is approximately $1.28 trillion — and $109 billion of that came from 2023 alone. But some regions are faring better than others. “Some parts of the country are racking up credit card debt at an alarming rate,” financial writer Adam McCann reported in WalletHub’s “States with Largest and Smallest Credit Card Debt ...

Prisons for juveniles may not work well

Members of a working group tasked with helping the Ohio Department of Youth Services understand how best to work with younger offenders reported something that may seem obvious to most. “The younger the kids are, generally the worse they do in a secure congregate environment,” the group’s report said. Therefore, the group recommended, children under age 14 should not be placed in one of Ohio’s three juvenile prisons, according to a report by WOUB. The group recommended alternative placement for those 13 and under, and that non-violent first-time offenders could go to one of the ...

The anniversary of a horrific day

Today marks the 23rd anniversary of one of the most horrific days in the history of the United States. Yes, it has been that long already. If you need to be told exactly what significant, nation-altering event we are observing then, well, you are not much of an American. Period. Tributes and memorials will mark today since the acts of terrorism across our skies with planes plunging to earth and creating mass casualties. We remember the tragedies of that day. We remember the sacrifices and acts of heroism. Local tributes will be paid throughout our region. Our area lost one of its own ...