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Letters to the Editor

Annexation – Detachment

The Ohio Revised Code provides the procedures to not only annex lands from a township to a municipality but to detach lands from a municipality back to a township. This precisely happened long ago between the City of Salem and the Township of Perry, and it happened in a new development started in the 1920s called “Salem Heights” containing both the north portion along Benton Road and the south portion across US 62 and SR 173. This is a matter of record although an old law. But it was brought to my attention by Joe Hoffman of Columbiana when he visited my Salem City Hall office ...

Thankful for the East Palestine Clinic

To the editor: I would like to express my gratitude to the nurses of the new East Palestine Clinic at 139 North Walnut Street. Last month, I woke up one morning unable to breathe properly. I made it to the clinic and was assisted by Jeremy Moore, RN, and Tracy Bella, RN. They assessed my condition and quickly arranged to have me transported to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with fluid in my lungs. After a procedure to drain my lungs, the doctor at the hospital stated that I would not have survived the day without intervention. Although the clinic was created as a result of ...

Asking for input on Salem roadway speed limit

To the editor: The City of Salem is a great place to live. The administration makes decisions on a daily basis to better our community. Some of these decisions require more thought and input than others. Considerations are made based on the benefits to our residents, the financial costs and the negative effects of the decision. Recently a group of residents who live on South Lincoln Avenue attended a city council meeting. They requested a speed limit change from 35 mph to 25 mph on South Lincoln Avenue. They based this request on the number of trucks utilizing the street and on ...

You don’t have to sacrifice to pay for electricity

To the editor: Much has been said in recent days about the default, or Standard Service Offer (SSO) electric generation rate charged by our local utility, and FirstEnergy (FE) has taken shot after shot. FE’s rate change from 5.9 cents to 12.4 cents is in line with the other three electric utilities in Ohio: In June 2022 AES went from 5 cents to 11 cents, where it remains today; AEP was 7 cents in January, and is 12 cents now; Duke was 6.5 cents in January and is 10 cents now. It is unfortunate that some of our state representatives correlate the FE electricity supplier rates to ...

Concerned about the healthcare cuts

To the editor: As the former Mayor of Columbiana, and Current County Treasurer, I know that access to affordable, high-quality healthcare is essential for the well-being of our residents. However, I am concerned that recent legislation brought up in Congress threatens healthcare in rural and underserved communities. Specifically, I am concerned about cuts to the 340B program, which allows eligible hospitals to purchase and provide outpatient prescription drugs at discounted prices. In turn, the program lowers the cost of medication for patients and allows hospitals with limited ...

Cut the military budget

To the editor: Ohio Peace Council statement on debt deal cuts. Along strict partisan lines, the US House recently passed a draconian bill euphemistically called the “Limit, Save, and Grow Act,” which essentially is a declaration of war on America’s poor. Proposed are massive cuts in countless domestic programs badly needed by low-income Americans for survival. Though unlikely to survive in the US Senate, this legislative assault upon America’s most vulnerable populations sets the sinister tone for negotiations on the nation’s debt ceiling. Missing in those negotiations is ...