Breaking News

Editorials

Threats a danger to election process

“This must stop, period.” The National Association of Secretaries of State followed that comment on the “disturbing trend” of threats to elections officials and workers and a second apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump by saying “Our democracy has no place for political violence, threats or intimidation of any kind.” There shouldn’t be any place for those things, but they are, sadly, nothing new. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office was among the 15 elections offices across the country that received suspicious packages this week. The packages ...

We must do better for young offenders

Members of a working group tasked with helping the Ohio Department of Youth Services understand how best to work with younger offenders, reported something that may seem obvious to most. “The younger the kids are, generally the worse they do in a secure congregate environment,” the group’s report said. Therefore, the group recommended children under age 14 should not be placed in one of Ohio’s three juvenile prisons, according to a report by WOUB-TV in Athens. The group recommended alternative placement for those 13 and under, and that non-violent, first-time offenders ...

Credit card debt a growing issue

When finances get tight, some households turn to credit cards to get by. It’s not an ideal solution, and can lead to bigger problems down the road, but sometimes feels like the only way. According to WalletHub, the collective credit card debt of the United States is approximately $1.28 trillion — and $109 billion of that came from 2023 alone. But some regions are faring better than others, the Washington, D.C.-based personal financial website reports. “Some parts of the country are racking up credit card debt at an alarming rate,” financial writer Adam McCann reported in ...

Constitution remains vital

Some 237 years ago, a contingent representing the states of the newly independent United States of America gathered in Philadelphia. There to reform the Articles of Confederation, they came up with this familiar grouping of words, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” That carefully worded ...

Plant could signal an industry shift

Ohio’s diversifying economy includes an addition that can help tackle challenges ranging from environmental concerns to avoiding dependence on foreign companies. Nth Cycle in Fairfield will extract nickel and cobalt from scrap material to reduce reliance on open pit mining, avoid those same materials being dumped in landfills and avoid having to send the materials overseas for refining. Almost all of us are dependent on materials such as nickel and cobalt because of our use of lithium ion batteries. Nth Cycle builds systems that yield nickel and cobalt from a form of shredded ...

Threats are a troubling sign

Across the Tri-State Area, school districts fell under siege last week. Threats were received in Ohio, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania, as reports from multiple media outlets suggest there has been a wave of such frightening situations since the deadly school shooting in Georgia Sept. 4. In Jefferson County, a juvenile is being held in connection with threats of violence that disrupted Buckeye Local Schools. The juvenile, according to Sheriff Fred Abdalla Jr., has taken responsibility for threats that were made Monday morning and Tuesday evening through the social media app ...