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Guest column/Government transparency spotty and worsening

As the director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government — a 29-year-old nonpartisan, nonprofit devoted to helping the public navigate the ins and outs of access to state and local government records and meetings — I’m often asked which state has the best open records or open meetings law. It’s a fool’s gambit to give a conclusive answer. The words on the page of any given state law may look fine. But those words can be stretched to the point of breaking by some local government, school district or state agency. Meanwhile, just one city over, or at another agency ...

We can always, always learn something new

“You’re never too old to learn something.” It’s a saying that’s as old as time, but it’s absolutely true. I have learned my fair share of lessons, just this year alone. However, we usually learn these lessons the hard way. Learning isn’t an easy process. For instance, I learned that I shouldn’t try to order anything online. So many companies have let me down. As you know, my family celebrated Christmas in February, which required me to shop for gifts online due to there not being a vast selection of stores in the immediate area. Now, if you ever say to ...

History in the Hills: Recalling an Irish past

St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. There is something special about wearing green and commemorating everything Irish. Not to mention that St. Patrick’s Day falls exactly halfway through the year from my birthday in September. So that means on my birthday, establishments also are celebrating halfway to St. Patrick’s Day, which is fun. My children love the holiday, too. My daughter has already started working on her leprechaun trap. This is a set-up meant to trap a leprechaun and if you are successful in this endeavor, the spirit is forced to tell you where his pot ...

Guest column/Sharing tales of the Fighting Irish through the region

Irish heavyweight champion John L. Sullivan arrived in Steubenville in 1884. He was the son of Irish immigrants and a hard-hitting, hard-drinking fighter, and vaudeville songs and marching tunes were written in his honor. “Let me shake the hand that shook the hand of Sullivan” quickly became a cultural catchphrase, and wherever John L. traveled, an outstretched arm always reached in his direction. It was the Steubenville of the Shamrock, a time when neighborhoods of the upper Ohio Valley overflowed with newly arrived immigrants. Little Ireland, as it was known by the 1920s, was ...

Numbers to think about

Among the many things you can rely on seeing during the first few months of a new year are numerous reports from governmental agencies and other organizations. They all offer a great deal of statistical information that can make you stop and think about the things that are going on around you. An example came last week when the Ohio State Highway Patrol released its annual report on fatal crashes. The good news, according to the report, is that last year, the state only saw 1,076 fatal crashes and 1,156 fatalities. While those numbers might seem to be high, they are still lower ...

Guest column/Selfless legacy tenants are all around us

All we hear in the news and on social media sites is how many individuals want a “legacy” to be praised and remembered for in their lives. Well, I hate to disappoint such legacy seekers, but in time, they will be forgotten and erased from existing on Earth. It’s everyone’s fate. Oh, there are great icons in many fields, the likes of George Washington, Frederick Douglass, Amelia Earhart, Jesse Owens, Rosa Parks and Thomas Edison, who are revered and written about in our history books or found on the internet. But they, too, will all pass. I am told the world is 4.5 ...