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Ohio Senate Bill 1 presents detrimental consequences

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: I respectfully ask that you share this message with your readers. As a tenured professor at Youngstown State University, I emphasize that this letter represents my views alone, and it should not be considered a statement on behalf of my institution. If enacted, Ohio Senate Bill 1 or SB 1 will have broadly detrimental effects. There is a remedy: a petition for a referendum on SB 1 (see ohsb1petition.com). If we can get 250,000 signatures, SB 1 will be on the ballot this November. SB 1 requires degrees graduating fewer than five students per year be eliminated, ...

Judges run in mid-terms to get around age limits

Columns

Republican Pat Fischer is looking to stay an Ohio Supreme Court justice for as long as possible. With some prompting from Gov. Mike DeWine, a fellow Republican, Fischer announced May 28 that he would challenge incumbent Democrat Jennifer Brunner for her seat in next year’s election. Ohio has a law that doesn’t permit judges to run for office if they will be older than 70 when their terms are to begin. Fischer, 67, cannot run in the 2028 election, when his seat would next be on the ballot. So instead of finishing out that term, he said he will challenge Brunner in 2026. If he wins, ...

Embrace the significance of our nation’s symbol

Editorials

Saturday is Flag Day. Flag Day deserves the respect of each and every one of us. Especially during the always ongoing turbulent social times such as the mess that is Los Angeles. After all, we are all Americans first and foremost. Some seem to forget that. Some not only choose to disrespect the American way but seem to relish the breaking of laws. Flag Day doesn’t carry the same clout as many holidays. It isn’t part of holiday offs/let’s party themes that other summer holidays boast like Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. But as free American citizens we should all pause today ...

Customers shouldn’t subsidize the energy needs of data centers

Columns

Driven by the explosive growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers, U.S. electricity demand and electricity prices are rising rapidly. Dozens of new data centers—each with the electricity needs of a small city—are gobbling up the nation’s power supply. Forecasters see U.S. electricity demand growing 25% by 2030—and nearly 80% by 2050. In some regions of the country, it will be far more and even faster. The nation’s largest regional electricity grid, PJM Interconnection—which stretches from Virginia to Illinois—expects that, by 2030, new data center power ...

Property tax cuts are in the spotlight

Columns

Finding ways to reduce skyrocketing property taxes that occurred in Ohio during the past couple of years is a top priority for the Republican-controlled state Legislature. It’s a difficult balancing act as property owners are screaming for tax relief while public school districts, which get most of those tax dollars, say reductions will severely impact education. For the most part, Republicans are siding with property owners though there have been a few bills introduced that would have minimal or no impact on school districts and other government entities that rely on property ...

A message for the brass marker thief

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: To the person who stole the Gold Star Mother brass marker from the New Springfield Lutheran Cemetery, do you not understand what you took? A Gold Star Mother is a mother who lost a son or daughter in one of the wars while they were defending and protecting our country. You took my Great-Grandmother Ida’s marker which I had just recently placed on her grave. Her son, my Great Uncle Gilbert, gave his life for this country in WWII. Did you also steal the other 75% of veteran markers that are also missing? Do you not understand that all of those veterans served ...