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Wintry weather is on the way

We’ve been spoiled with beautiful fall weather lately, and for most of us, the thought of travel-altering snow and ice still seems far away. Luckily for us, the folks at the Ohio Department of Transportation are preparing now for what we may eventually face. Inspections are underway, including ODOT District 11’s Jefferson County garage located along county Road 43 just outside of Wintersville. Mechanics and drivers have been checking trucks and plows. Statewide, ODOT is conducting safety checks, hiring additional mechanics and drivers, replenishing salt stores and getting ahead of ...

It’s time to make your vote heard

Much has been said, written and talked about during the past several months — make that the past several years — about how important this year’s general election will be. There have been rallies, debates, forums, motorcades and discussions — most civil, many, sadly, not — about the candidates and issues voters are being asked to decide on. We’ve seen voter registration drives and get-out-the-vote campaigns that have made appeals to many different segments of our society, and savage campaigns — to the point of generating disgust, not talk —spread across traditional ...

Lung cancer still poses a threat

With Halloween just behind us and Thanksgiving coming up in a couple of weeks, it might be easy to forget that November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. We hope you will not. Lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society, is the second most common form of cancer in men and women, with only prostate cancer being more common in men and breast cancer more common in women. Estimates are that 234,580 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed this year (118,270 of which will be in women and 116,310 in men) and, sadly, that there will be 125,070 deaths due to lung cancer this year ...

Don’t forget your smoke detectors

As you make your way around the house on Saturday changing clocks, watches and other devices that still require you to do so back one hour, remember to check the most important items in the house — your smoke detectors. The return of Eastern Standard Time represents a good reminder to check batteries in smoke detectors. Batteries need to be replaced at least once a year. It also is a good time to check on hardwired smoke detectors to make sure the units are working properly. Even those units have a battery backup in case of a power failure. The bottom line: Smoke alarms save ...

Area teams gear up for playoffs

Fans of high school football in Ohio know that this weekend will have a different feel. It’s the first week of the playoffs, when teams begin their runs at what they hope will be state championships. That intensity will be much greater because of a simple reality — it’s the beginning of a six-week, single elimination tournament. Win and you play again —lose and the team is done until August. Steubenville Big Red, Catholic Central, Indian Creek, Edison and Toronto all will be representing our area in the playoffs. On Friday at 7 p.m., Big Red (10-0) will open its run ...

Hotline can help battle trafficking

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. Not too long ago, 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 ...