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Tourism plays big role across Ohio

Buckeye State officials had good reason to celebrate when they took a look at the economic impact of tourism in Ohio in 2024. Those numbers are looking up. According to a news release from the state Department of Development, Ohio saw 3.5 million more visitors in 2024 than in 2023, for a total of approximately 242 million visitors. Approximately 20 percent of those travelers were interested in being here long enough that they booked an overnight stay. State officials say that meant $57 billion in economic impact and $4.7 billion in state and local tax revenue. For the state’s ...

Schools are open ­— watch for students

School is already in session for most students across the Tri-State Area. With the beginning of the school year comes a possible change to our morning or afternoon driving routines, as school buses filled with children will be everywhere. Get back in the mindset of giving yourself plenty of time to get to your destination during pick-up and drop-off hours. School buses might be a little slower and make frequent stops, but the drivers are not out to get you, personally. Their job is to make sure kids get to and from school safely. And they can do that because (most) drivers follow a ...

Weirton takes steps to increase security

It seems safety is on the minds of residents a lot these days, whether you’re driving through your neighborhood or going on a lengthy journey. For many years, security measures have been established pretty much everywhere we go — many in response to major incidents and disasters — from airports, to hospitals, to stadiums and arenas. This list includes local schools, where entrances are closely monitored and students and teachers, as well as visitors, have to pass through sophisticated detectors. One of the more visible examples is at the entrance to courthouses, police and ...

Sportsmanship important aspect

The pageantry and excitement of high school football returns this week, and we once again are reminded about the special place the game holds in the hearts of residents from across the Tri-State Area. Area teams open their seasons Thursday night when Bellaire travels to Buckeye Local for a 7 p.m. start. More teams open their seasons on Friday night, when Steubenville Big Red hosts Youngstown Ursuline in a battle of state powers at Harding Stadium; Catholic Central heads north to take on Wellsville; Indian Creek travels to Cambridge; Edison hosts Shenandoah; Toronto hosts Southern ...

Football edition a yearly tradition

Our annual football edition will be included with your Wednesday newspaper, marking the return of local high school sports for 2025. The high school football season, which officially opens this week in Ohio and next week in West Virginia, will be the topic of many conversations and will occupy the hearts and minds of fans from all parts of the region for at least the next 10 weeks — and, hopefully, beyond. With all of that in mind, members of our local sports staff, led by Sports Editor Andrew Grimm, have spent much of the past several weeks conducting interviews, taking ...

We cannot fail our children

Tri-State Area residents generally think of the region as being a fantastic place for children to grow up. But perception does not always match reality, as WalletHub’s 2025’s States With the Most Underprivileged Children suggests. West Virginia is ranked sixth, Ohio is ranked 18th and Pennsylvania is ranked 35th on the list of states with the most underprivileged children. That West Virginia and Ohio rank in the lower half is reason for concern. But a look at the metrics tells the tale. Ohio is 16th for the percentage of children in households below the poverty line, 26th ...