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Let’s stay safe as school opens

Area motorists, be alert. School children are heading back to Tri-State Area classrooms, and drivers need to heighten their awareness in the coming days. Drivers need to be extra vigilant in the early mornings and mid-afternoons when children are walking to and from schools or bus stops. And remember, it’s the start of a school year, so children will be excited to see friends they haven’t seen in a few months. They may be scurrying to greet classmates and could easily dart out into traffic. With that in mind, there are some basic safety measures all drivers should follow. ...

Seeking a way to lift everyone in Ohio

Buckeye State residents who feel as though they are struggling to a greater degree than those living in other parts of the country are not imagining things. A report by Oxfam America says nearly one-quarter of Ohio workers are making under $17 an hour. According to Axios reporting, that is the figure Oxfam America considers to be a living wage. But the nonprofit anti-poverty group dug deeper into Ohio’s data and found that here we have a higher number of people under that line than the national average; and that approximately 1.3 million Ohioans may be struggling to keep up with ...

Back-to-school rallies meet important needs

It’s just a matter of days until area schools open for the academic year. That can be a stressful time, and that’s why area school districts, churches, nonprofits and businesses work to find ways to improve the overall experience for everyone involved. A big help is the back-to-school rally. They’ve now become a rite of late summer, with just about all districts in the region holding one. The formula is simple — each event is filed with activities for students and their families, ranging from food trucks and other vendors to face-painting and the chance to dunk a teacher or ...

Check on your voter registration

Nearly 155,000 people were purged from Ohio’s voter rolls in the latest wave of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s effort to coordinate with county boards of elections to ensure accurate, up-to-date lists of those who are legally able to vote. “Every Ohioan, regardless of their political views, should care about accurate voter rolls,” LaRose said as his office announced the purge. “Diligent list maintenance helps prevent voter fraud and ensures the voice of the voters is heard on Election Day.” It also means Ohioans must be diligent in checking whether they are ...

Justice financial issues a concern

Gov. Jim Justice has remained popular in West Virginia even with a long list of business issues dogging him in recent years. On one hand, the Democrat-turned-Republican Justice has overseen a span in which significant economic growth has taken place and new ventures have been announced. The state budget — which was anything but stable in 2016 — has been stabilized. Revenues have been so strong that Justice and the Legislature have been able to make significant tax cuts for individuals and businesses. And the personal property tax West Virginian’s pay on vehicles is now available ...

Appreciating firefighters

As is happening in many industries, all over the state, Ohio’s fire departments are facing staffing shortages — and those who are working are getting older. The state fire marshal’s office says most of those staffing volunteer fire departments (and the majority of the departments in the Buckeye State are volunteer) are older than 50. It is encouraging, then, to know on July 28, 19 cadets graduated from the Ohio Fire Academy, and are ready to get out and fill some of those gaps. According to a report by WSYX-TV in Columbus, the smaller townships relying on volunteer fire ...