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Ohio needs to be the heart of movement to stem hate

Editorials

If it seems as though in recent years the atmosphere has become more charged with hate and division — perhaps even to the point of being dangerous — you’re not imagining things. Hate crimes are on the rise. To examine one category, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reports anti-Jewish hate crimes increased by 63% between 2023 and 2024. It seems as though the trend is not letting up. Earlier this month, an Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar in Miamisburg, Ohio, had to shut down for part of a weekend after it was tagged with anti-semitic graffiti, according to a report by ...

Small personal investment benefits entire community

Columns

There are a lot of positive developments underway in the City of Salem. We recently passed a levy that will bring Salem an $80 million new, much-needed elementary/middle school campus. We recently secured over $1 million in state funding to complete a new town square, which will be a focal point for our historic downtown shopping district Another $450,000 in private donations has been raised to expand that town square park area over to the Memorial Building. And we are very near on an announcement that a new, multi-million dollars South Lincoln overpass bridge is to be built over ...

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 ...