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Wednesdays alive across Wintersville

The summer-like weather residents of the Tri-State Area have been experiencing serves as a reminder that it’s time to get out and start enjoying the region’s outdoor events and festivals. Among the first of those arrives this week with the return of Wednesdays in Wintersville. Held on the first Wednesday of every month, the event, which will be in its fourth year, will run monthly through September. Featuring a lineup that will include numerous vendors, food trucks, games for children and live entertainment, the festival brings the central part of the village to life. ...

W.Va. early voting begins Wednesday

While West Virginia’s primary election is exactly two weeks away, the state’s voters will be able to begin casting their votes this week. The state has offered an in-person early voting period for several years, providing voters who may not be able to make it to the polls on the dedicated election day with an avenue to still cast their votes for their preferred candidates. This year’s in-person early voting period begins Wednesday, with registered voters able to visit their county courthouses every weekday and Saturday through May 11. Hancock County voters may cast their ...

ARC must help the region grow

How much money must the Appalachian Regional Commission have spent on a “collaboration with Next Street” that produced “Access to Capital and Credit for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses Across Appalachia?” Takeaways for the ARC include acknowledging that small businesses drive “economic and cultural vitality across the Appalachian Region,” and finding that there are “significant barriers” for those businesses to access capital and credit. Earth shattering. Challenges discovered in the report include: A gap between capital supply and demand, geographic constraints ...

Need for blood remains great

Responding to emergency calls for blood and platelet donations is an important way to support the American Red Cross and those who receive those blood products. But even when there is no crisis, it is still important to answer the call for donations. Keeping the supply stable is essential. As always, donors of all types are needed, but the Red Cross says type O blood donors are crucial to keep up the supply. “When it comes to lifesaving care, there’s no letting off the gas — the American Red Cross needs donors to come to give blood over the next few weeks to keep the blood ...

It’s time to upgrade seat belt regulations

Ohio has made great strides in trying to reduce the number of people hurt or killed in vehicles here, with a stricter law that makes it a primary offense to use or hold a cell phone or electronic device in your hand, lap or other parts of the body while driving. Gov. Mike DeWine seems eager to keep up the momentum, with a push to make seat belt violations a primary reason for pulling over. Right now, a seat belt violation can earn a ticket only if the driver is caught for another violation — speeding, for example. The fine for not wearing a seat belt is $30 for the driver and $20 ...

Housing issues require teamwork

You’re not imagining things. Taxes just keep getting higher and higher — at least when it comes to property taxes. Axios reports median property taxes in Ohio rose 23.1 percent from 2019 to 2023. That’s higher than the national average increase of 21.6 percent. Axios, the news website based in Arlington, Va., quoted CoreLogic data that says median property taxes on U.S. single-family homes rose to $2,877 in 2023 from $2,367 in 2019. In Ohio, those figures are $2,530 in 2023 up from $2,054 in 2019. Home prices are rising across the country, too, with the annual income required ...