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Stress to your young adults all the dangers of drinking

Editorials

It’s that time of year again, when many families start planning their prom, after-party, graduation, graduation party schedules. As they do so, the Ohio Department of Commerce and the Ohio Department of Public Safety have joined forces to remind them these accomplishments and milestones can be celebrated without alcohol. In fact, the departments included liquor permit holders in the wide net they cast to address those who can help kids safer this season: “Addressing underage drinking requires a united effort from all members of the community, including parents and schools. By ...

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday

Editorials

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration calls our country’s substance abuse epidemic “a clear and present public health, public safety and national security threat.” No one needs to tell those living in our region that. We see it every day. And most of us wonder whether there is anything we can do about it. There is. Among the ways we can combat the problem is taking advantage of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day to remove unneeded medications from our homes, preventing the possibility they might fall into someone else’s hands. The DEA calls it a “measure of ...

Program will serve youth with mental health issues

Editorials

Ohio’s kids are facing challenges many adults cannot fathom in an age of social media and other online threats; incidents of bullying — not just in person, but via text; families struggling with economic and health challenges (including 45.6 drug overdose deaths per 100,000, in 2022); and an uncertain academic atmosphere in which lawmakers just don’t seem to be able to keep themselves out of educators’ way. It’s an atmosphere that can lead to mental health crises that require more help than what parents or teachers can offer. But Gov. Mike DeWine has announced an expansion of ...

Despite ruling, parents need to monitor kids’ online activities

Editorials

A U.S. District Court judge’s decision to strike down Ohio’s requirement that children under age 16 must have parental consent to use social media and some gaming apps is being viewed as a victory by trade group NetChoice (which represents TikTok, Snapchat, Meta and other companies) and some First Amendment advocates. But it is important to read all of what Judge Algenon Marbley had to say on the matter. Marbley did not say the intent of the law was not commendable. He said it went too far. Marbley said the law ”resides at the intersection of two unquestionable rights: the ...

Earth Day reaches a 55th anniversary

Editorials

The year 1970 was eventful. Consider some notable happenings: — President Nixon ordered U.S. forces to cross into neutral Cambodia, which widened the Vietnam War. His decision ignited nationwide riots including the Kent State shootings resulting in four dead students and others injured. — A jury found the Chicago Seven defendants not guilty of conspiring to incite a riot from charges stemming from the violence at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The social climate was smoldering. — President Nixon signed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, banning ...