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Guest Column: Breaking Google’s search tools will hurt small businesses — including my family’s restaurant

The final phase of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) lawsuit against Google is underway, and a federal judge may force Google to make major changes to its online search business. Unfortunately, no one seems to be thinking about how those changes would hurt small businesses like my family’s restaurant in southeast Ohio. We opened our restaurant in 2009 so we could share traditional Italian foods—like handmade ricotta gnocchi made according to my nonna’s recipe—with our community. Sixteen years later, despite the industry’s tough odds and the challenging COVID years, our ...

Guest Column: Ohio seniors, people with disabilities counting on Congress to protect Medicaid

Medicaid is the foundation of long-term services and supports (LTSS) for vulnerable Ohioans. It covers 44,000 skilled nursing facility residents, 50,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and 65,000 individuals receiving care at home through popular waiver programs like PASSPORT and assisted living. As our population ages and the number of people with disabilities grows, these figures will only increase. Medicaid ensures that Ohioans needing services and supports receive high-quality care. But as budget negotiations continue on Capitol Hill, this vital safety net is ...

I wish everyone knew what being a mom is like

I once had a friend who used to tell me all the time that she never wanted to have children. She was adamant about it. Years later, she got married to a man who adored her. He soon became my friend, too. They were a happy couple. Never really argued. Always called each other by a pet name. They were always going to baseball, hockey and football games. They visited restaurants all the time. They would go on vacation to places they found interesting and stayed up late watching movies on tv with one another. They had time to do whatever they wanted to do. No one ...

History in the Hills: Remembering V-E Day

This past Thursday, we celebrated the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. V-E stands for Victory in Europe and was officially recognized historically on May 8, 1945. On that day, World War II in Europe ended with the surrender of the German forces. The war itself didn’t end with V-E Day, but rather, after Japan surrendered in August of that year. My wife and I have always been interested in this period of history and have been reading a lot lately on the subject. I finally found time to read Tom Brokaw’s book “The Greatest Generation,” describing the life and times of folks who were ...

Guest Column: America has the resources to confront China’s mineral extortion

It is no secret that China has weaponized control of the world’s mineral supply chains. We’ve already seen this when both the Biden and Trump administrations challenged China’s unfair trade practices. Beijing has responded by simply restricting or banning the export of minerals needed for America’s economy and defense industrial base. China’s ever-growing chokehold on mineral supply chains—and U.S. reliance on imports—has been America’s Achilles’ heel for more than a decade. According to recent government analysis, the U.S. is import-reliant for 40 critical minerals, ...

Mental health access must be a priority

In West Virginia, we pride ourselves on resilience. We rally for our neighbors, we lift up our communities and we carry our burdens with grit and grace. But when it comes to mental health, resilience alone isn’t enough. Access to care, support and hope must be part of the story, too. This May, as we recognize Mental Health Awareness Month, NAMI is proud to launch the “More Than Enough” campaign, a message of hope, inclusion and empowerment. It’s a simple but powerful idea: no matter where you are on your mental health journey, no matter what you look like or what you’re going ...