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Communities suffer damage caused by undervaluing news

Columns

For too many years people undervalued having a local newspaper, local radio station and local journalists who they knew by name and trusted. People eagerly turned to social media as an alternative to subscribing to their local paper or tuning in their local radio or tv station. We saw early signs of trouble as more and more people started sharing unsubstantiated rumors with their friend groups as news or facts. We saw the dangers of this during the Covid pandemic and 2020 election. We continue to see that no topic is immune. Springfield has dealt with viral social media posts causing ...

Protect each other with fall vaccines

Editorials

Wondering whether or when you should get your seasonal vaccines this year? Well (provided your doctor agrees), the answers are yes; and, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, right now. Staying up-to-date is important for the latest COVID-19 vaccines, flu shots and maybe even respiratory syncytial virus, if you are of a certain age or risk group. “Right now is the best time” to get all the recommended fall vaccinations, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s “the single most effective thing you can do ...

Third-party groups impacting election

Editorials

As the Nov. 5 general election rapidly approaches, third-party groups appear to be trying to bog down county boards of elections with requests to systematically remove thousands from voter rolls. In Ohio, the state chapters of Common Cause and the League of Women Voters, represented by the ACLU and the Brennan Center for Justice, are alerting Secretary of State Frank LaRose to what the groups say are the illegal systematic removal of voters from the rolls in Delaware, Muskingum, probably Logan and possibly Cuyahoga counties. The groups cite public records, including minutes of county ...

45 years, six days and still counting

Editorials

Isn’t it amazing? How you might forget where you placed, say, your car keys just minutes ago but can vividly recall a single moment from decades ago? Such an instance for me was actually a first professional moment for me: getting my first byline as a daily newspaper staff member. The name Bob Lewis would strike a memory for only the most avid of golf historians. He was the 1978 Ohio Open champion. I interviewed him at the Salem Golf Club in August that summer — having just been hired as a part-time sportswriter for the Morning Journal. Dang, my very first feature! A clip of that ...

Sliding scale should help SNAP recipients

Editorials

Officials with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services have made an important change that should help the program do a better job helping those who are part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. This past Tuesday, ODJFS Director Matt Damschroder announced a sliding scale to allow recipients to move off the program gradually. That way, recipients will feel less as though they need to turn down promotions or new job opportunities to keep food on the table. “Fear of losing food benefits can be a deterrent to taking a new job, working more hours, or even accepting a ...

Another tool to fight human trafficking

Editorials

Law enforcement offices across the state, both on their own behalf and as part of larger task forces, have been battling human trafficking in Ohio for years. On Monday, state Attorney General Dave Yost announced a new tool that will let the rest of us better support that effort. A non-emergency hotline, 844-END-OHHT (844-363-6448), will send tips about suspected sex and labor trafficking directly to law enforcement personnel with experience investigating such allegations. Those who suspect such activity should not hesitate to use the hotline. “The hotline is a much-needed tool in the ...