Breaking News

Opinion

Supporting your local retailers is supporting your own communities

Editorials

Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday. Not to be confused certainly with everything going on today —  Black Friday — which seem to have become some kind of national holiday. Saturday is special because it reminds us that our small, locally-owned businesses are the heart of our communities. We all shop at the big stores. Certainly there are local folks working for the big guys. But the reality is that when you spend at least some of your shopping money with a locally-owned small business, you make an immediate impact — perhaps for an individual, a family, and your community as a ...

There are always reasons for each of us to give thanks

Editorials

There is some debate over exactly when the first Thanksgiving was celebrated on our soil. Many trace it to a 1621 celebration in Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts. That feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest. It was, according to historians, actually celebrated between the Pilgrims and Indians. It’s been going on ever since. The message is timeless: giving thanks for an array of reasons. Even those we all take for granted day in, day out. Year in, year out. Pause and take a deep breath. Then let it release slowly. Be thankful for a simple breath of air. And it ...

Difference between consuming news and being influenced by it

Editorials

During an age in which a universe of information is at most people’s fingertips, it is no surprise to learn some are changing their approach to how they consume what they consider to be news. In fact, Pew Research Center analysts, with funding from the Knight Foundation, reported last week a study showing approximately 20% of Americans say they regularly get what they consider to be news from digital influencers — most of whom (85%) are found on Elon Musk’s social media platform X. Only a slightly higher number of those who responded said they were Republicans than Democrats. This ...

Replacing Vance will be challenging for DeWine

Editorials

“Being a United States senator is a big deal,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said earlier this month. “It’s a big deal for the state, and we need to get it right.” Given circumstances in Ohio and the U.S. right now, “big deal” might be an understatement as DeWine is tasked with finding a replacement to fill JD Vance’s U.S. Senate seat. Many who seem like easy options to consider are not really candidates. Vivek Ramaswamy has given other work to do, for the Trump administration. Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and state Attorney General Dave Yost are likely to face each other in their bids ...

Be an angel and help with Christmas giving

Editorials

Across our communities, some businesses and retail establishments have chosen to host Salvation Army Angel Trees this season. They are tangible reminders that each tag hanging from a branch is a child who, without you, might not have as merry and bright a Christmas morning this year. But with your help, so much is possible. Each tag is a child whose parents aren’t in a position to ask Santa to fulfill a wish list so long the gifts under the tree spill over into the next room. But just maybe, with you acting as a go-between, there will be a few new toys, clothing, shoes, books, games ...

Columbus Neo-Nazi march was repugnant

Editorials

Letter writers to The Columbus Dispatch were spot on earlier this week with a response to a neo-Nazi march in the Short North neighborhood of our state’s capital on Nov. 16. “The variety of people living and enjoying themselves in each other’s company in this neighborhood must feel to them like a constant repudiation of their goals and fantasies. Let’s keep it up,” wrote Justin D’Arms and Joanne Goldhand in a letter the Dispatch published Tuesday. Other city and state officials rightly jumped to denounce the tiny gathering of those so covered in clothing and masks it was ...