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Levy passage would keep county parks in great shape

Columbiana County has so much to offer. We are blessed with thousands of good, values-grounded citizens. We have strong school districts and businesses. We have a solid foundation of civic groups and churches. Great police, fire and first responder departments, too. We have plenty of things to do. Plenty of places to take advantage of including a wonderful parks system. Our parks are perhaps the biggest recreational attraction of our entire county. We need to keep it that way and we need to make the parks even better. A levy supporting the Columbiana County Park District is on the ...

Checking for unclaimed funds might just be worth your time

As we approach the end of February, Unclaimed Funds Month may be wrapping up, but that does not end the opportunity to check with the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Unclaimed Funds about whether there is money being held in your name. Department of Commerce data shows approximately one in seven people in the United States has unclaimed funds. And in Ohio the department is “safeguarding more than $4 billion in unclaimed funds.” “Many unclaimed funds belong to individuals who are over the age of 50, as well as some individuals who have passed away,” Superintendent ...

Ohio BWC lowers premiums reflecting workplace safety

Employers of all kinds appear to be doing better at keeping their workers healthy and safe on the job, as private employers of Ohio will now see their sixth rate reduction in a row on premiums paid to the Ohio Board of Workers’ Compensation. This follows a reduction for public employers that went into effect Jan. 1 In fact, according to the BWC, there will be a total of approximately $67 million less paid next fiscal year because of the change. “This reduction is a result of employers’ dedication to workplace safety and Ohio’s strong economic position,” said Gov. Mike ...

Increase in youth voting registration seen in Ohio

What wonderful news! According to data analyzed by the Civics Center, the number of 18-year-olds registered to vote in Ohio as of Jan. 6 was a 35% increase compared with late August. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, the Civics Center data shows there are more than 48,600 18-year-olds registered to vote here. Civics Center is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing voter registration. “What we typically see is that registration rates, especially for the youngest voters, can go up very significantly when young people become more aware of elections in which ...

Ohio lawmakers must stop dragging feet on marijuana

Ohio lawmakers cannot ignore the will of the people much longer. Gov. Mike DeWine was right this week to ask them to stop dragging their feet on implementing rules for legalized recreational marijuana, which voters approved more than three months ago. “What we don’t want to do is see a big black market expand in the state of Ohio with absolutely no control when people don’t know what they’re buying. So again, we need the Legislature to take action …” said DeWine, according to a report by WKRC-TV. Ohio House Bill 86 would allow recreational marijuana to be sold, and it would ...

It is time to raise expectations for law enforcement officers

Ohio residents have been bombarded in recent years by stories that indicate our law enforcement officers are not always fully equipped to protect and serve. Among the many calls for reform have been increasing the training requirements for becoming an officer in the first place. It would be a good start. After all, according to a report by the Dayton Daily News, less training is required to become a law enforcement officer in Ohio than to become a barber or cosmetologist. Predictably, there are those in law enforcement who believe making it harder to become an officer is a bad idea. ...