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General Motors layoffs complex

The Detroit News reported Wednesday that General Motors has laid off thousands of workers from manufacturing facilities in Ohio and Michigan. Though it is tempting to suggest the reason is purely a matter of GM’s overeagerness to catch up to the electric vehicle push, the reality is a bit more complicated. At the company’s Ultium Cells battery cell plant in Warren, there are expected to be approximately 550 cuts and 850 temporary layoffs, according to a report by CNBC. There also will be approximately 700 layoffs at the Ultium Cells plant in Tennessee. Those gleefully ...

Time to fall back, check detectors

There was a time not too long ago when the first Saturday in November meant everyone needed to travel through their houses changing the time on clocks, watches and microwave ovens, and then head out to their cars to make similar adjustments. While that chore has largely been eliminated, thanks to smart phones and watches that always show the exact time no matter where you are, other clocks that automatically adjust and even appliances that are connected to the internet and never fail to show the proper time, the return of Eastern Standard Time at 2 a.m. Sunday represents a good ...

Playoff football remains special

If it seems that the high school football games in Ohio carry a little more intensity this week, you’re right. That’s because it’s the beginning of the playoffs, a six-week, single-elimination tournament that players and fans hope will take their teams to Canton, where this year’s championship games will be played Dec. 4-6. The action follows a simple formula: Win and you play the next week, lose and you can put the equipment away until August. Catholic Central, Indian Creek, Toronto and Edison will open their post-season runs at 7 p.m. Friday. Steubenville Big Red, which ...

Center important to West Liberty

West Liberty University has put itself in exclusive company with its latest addition. The university last week cut the ribbon on its new Appalachian Aquatic Conservation Center. That center is now just one of four at universities across the United States. You’d have to travel to Blacksburg, Va., and Virginia Tech to find the next closest. With the new facility, West Liberty University hopes to be the nation’s top university in the conservation of crayfish and spotted turtles. According to Zachary Loughman, chairman of organismal biology, ecology and zoo science departments at WLU, ...

Indian Creek levy should be renewed

As voters in the Indian Creek Local School district cast their ballots in the Nov. 4 election, they are being asked to approve the renewal of the 7.9-mill continuing levy for continuing operating expenses. There are many reasons they should say yes. First passed in 1995, the five-year levy is expected to generate about $3.28 million during its life. That works out to about $629,795 per year, money that’s critical to the operations of the district’s schools. Those dollars go to help cover staffing, utilities, buses, curriculum and programming, officials explained. “We’re ...

Have Halloween fun, but put safety first

As children prepare to make their annual costumed trek through the Tri-State Area Thursday and Friday evenings, we ask parents to make safety a priority this Halloween. Following some common-sense rules will ensure a safe and happy Halloween for everyone. Parents should always accompany young children or make sure an adult or responsible teenager is with them when going door to door. Local police and law enforcement agencies will be patrolling, but they can’t be everywhere. Youngsters should be reminded of a few rules before they go out trick-or-treating. Make sure they carry ...