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State Senate Bill 168: Removing regulations

When lawmakers can move government out of the way for employers, most of them jump to do so. The same should hold true for educators, as the folks in Columbus consider a bill that would change the way teacher evaluations are handled, as well as some contracts and school screening requirements. “Just like businesses, schools also benefit by removing unnecessary and burdensome regulations while maintaining strong accountability measures,” Tom Perkins, of the Buckeye Association of School Administrators told the Ohio Capital Journal. State Senate Education Committee members learned ...

Extremist religious violence is wrong

No matter your thoughts on one social issue or another, most decent human beings can agree those differences do not warrant resorting to violence. But time and again over the past few years we see instances in which those who have bought in to the fear-and-hatred method of buying votes believe they are justified in translating their extreme views into action. Sadly, that has been — repeatedly — deadly. In the case of a community church in Chesterland, Ohio, the damage was only to a building, but the situation could have been much worse. Aimenn Penny, of Alliance, has pleaded guilty ...

Key development, jobs come to Appalachian Ohio

Though Appalachian Ohio got some good news recently with the announcement of hydrogen hub locations in our region, it is encouraging to know our representatives in Washington, D.C., continue to push for more. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office has announced $1.25 million to the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, the Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership, for small and medium manufacturers in Appalachia. Brown, D-Ohio, says the funding is meant to grow production in energy and technology sectors. “Rural communities and workers have been overlooked for too long. If we want ...

Seat belt use is hardly an automatic habit for drivers

Ohio may be making progress improving vehicle safety by tightening the laws about driving distracted, but a new report suggests Buckeye State residents are moving backward on another front. According to a report by Axios Columbus, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration numbers show fewer Ohioans are wearing their seat belts. As Axios points out, most of those killed in car accidents in Ohio were not wearing their seat belts, yet more people appear willing to take that risk. Citing research that shows Ohio seat belt use is at its lowest since 2005, Axios reported approximately ...

Thousands of Ohioans who can don’t bother to cast votes

When we talk about majority rule in Ohio, it is important to remember we are talking about a majority of those who are eligible, registered and, yes, acutally vote. According to a report by Innovation Ohio, there are approximately 2.7 million voters sitting out of Ohio elections. Using data from the U.S. Census, the Ohio Secretary of State’s office and voter database Catalist, Innovation Ohio determined 2 million of those people are eligible but not registered. Another 700,000 are registered but have missed the last three federal elections. “They’re in danger of being purged, ...

Hamas to blame for attacks, not Israel and not Palestinians

As the horrors of the Israel-Hamas war unfold, events here demonstrate the consequences of our politicians’ recklessness in wielding fear as a tool for garnering votes. In appealing to the worst in us — in fact, by persuading some that those fears were not only appropriate, but to be acted upon — too many have been willing to trade human lives for political power. An appalling example came over last weekend, when police say a 71-year-old Illinois man fatally stabbed a 6-year-old boy and seriously wounded a 32-year-old woman because of their Islamic faith (and as a response to the ...