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Season nears its end

Local Columns

It’s hard to believe, but the football season will officially come to an end sometime between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Sunday night, when the clock finally runs out on Super Bowl LX. And, even though the Steelers saw their season come to an end Jan. 12 with a 30-6 loss to Houston in the wild card round of the National Football League playoffs, fans across the Tri-State Area, the country and the world, for that matter, will be watching when New England and Seattle face off in Levi’s Stadium. That’s because, even though following the Steelers during the past several years has rarely ...

Snow removal concerns

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: I saw reports about Tuesday’s Steubenville City Council meeting regarding citizens complaining of snow removal, or lack thereof, from sidewalks in the downtown and the city manager’s comments that snow removal from sidewalks is the responsibility of the property owner. That is true, but the businesses still open downtown did shovel the snow. The problem is the number of vacant buildings where there is no one to shovel. Secondly, where do you put the snow that is shoveled? There is only so much that can be stacked against a building and shoveling it back into the ...

Dangers of AI and self-harm

Editorials

Dangers of AI and self-harm (This item discusses suicide and self-harm. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988.) Ohio House Bill 524 aims to address a problem few could have imagined a decade or two ago: Artificial intelligence chatbots encouraging people to harm themselves or others. State Rep. Christine Cockley, D-Columbus, is lead sponsor on the bipartisan bill, which would allow for imposing penalties for AI models suggesting harming self or others. It now sits in the House Technology and ...

Hancock County questions remain

Editorials

Hancock County residents were able to get some of the answers they have been looking for in the last several months during Monday’s meeting of the county board of education. It was the first meeting of the board since the school system was taken over by the state last month. Featured at the meeting was the long-awaited report from Jeff Davis of Education Consulting Team LLC and Uriah Cummings, school financial operations officer for the West Virginia Department of Education, who discussed some of their findings after reviewing Hancock County Schools’ financial books in an ...

Unclaimed funds wait to be grabbed

Editorials

Looking for something to do while snow, ice and frigid temperatures have perhaps kept you home for more time than you’d like in recent days? It could be a good time to check out the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Unclaimed Funds website. According to a recent report by the Akron Beacon Journal, the state still holds more than $4 billion in dormant bank accounts, utility deposits and uncashed checks. That’s a huge chunk of your money just sitting (virtually) in Columbus. And remember, if you don’t claim it after more than 10 years, you run the risk of it being ...

No easy answer to taxes in Ohio

Editorials

When he spoke to journalists from across Ohio last week, Gov. Mike DeWine took a prudent approach to the idea some have proposed that property taxes should be eliminated in the state. After all, elected officials who call themselves conservatives have a certain obligation to help their constituents keep as much of their money in their pockets as possible. However, they also have an obligation to lead in a way that serves everyone. “Those who favor (eliminating property taxes) owe it to the people of the state to say, ‘How is my local police department going to get paid? How are ...