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Opinion

Law and order

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: “The streets of our country are in turmoil. The universities are filled with students rebelling and rioting. Communists are working to destroy our country. Russia is threatening us with her might, and the republic is in danger. Yes, danger from within and without. We need law and order. Yes, without law and order, our nation cannot survive. Elect us and we shall restore law and order.” Those words are from a campaign speech Adolph Hitler delivered in Hamburg, Germany, in 1932. He lost that election. Sound familiar? Hitler was never elected to any office. ...

WorkOhio can make a difference

Editorials

“We’re going to be working hard to fill the needs of each region,” said Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel Wednesday, when he visited the Lafayette Hotel in Marietta as part of his WorkOhio Initiative tour. Tressel also talked about opportunities being “a little bit different by region.” That, as he no doubt understands, was an understatement. WorkOhio is supposed to connect Buckeye State residents with jobs and support available through regional job hubs such as the one in Southeast Ohio: Ohio Valley Employment Resource. Those hubs, in turn, work with community connectors that can ...

I want you to know that it really does get better

Local Columns

If you are anything like me, you are sitting there this morning with your usual cup of coffee. The house is quiet. And the Sunday newspaper is spread out before you on the bed or kitchen table. There is a specific kind of comfort in these pages. It is a sense of connection, a way to get in touch with the community that you just cannot seem to find anywhere else. I realize, of course, that I am likely talking to a specific group of people. We are the ones who still value the feel of the newsprint. Although I know many of you are reading this on a computer screen, smartphone ...

Newsroom memories

Local Columns

It’s likely that in each of every life, there are moments that you can remember the exact time, date and place they occurred. For me, one of those moments happened at 11:04 a.m., Feb. 4, 1981. That happened to be a Wednesday, and the weather outside was not much different than what we have been experiencing for the past week or so. It also was the first time I walked into the newsroom at the Herald-Star, ready to start a career as a sports writer. The room held a lot more people than it does now, and after I had finished filling out all of the necessary paperwork, the time ...

Still not too late to get a flu shot

Editorials

If it seems as though illness has been more prevalent in your school, church, office and other circles this winter, you’re not imagining things. According to Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, this year’s flu season has seen a stronger beginning than is typical. “You know, the typical pattern is that we see a relatively modest dip around the holidays, and then we see our major peak in mid-February,” he said, according to a report by WDTN-TV in Dayton. “What our data is showing us is that already, this year’s flu is having numbers that are consistently ...

DeWine directs attention to kids

Editorials

As Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine begins his final year in office, he appears to have his sights firmly on matters that will affect our youngest residents. Among the programs he hopes to see expand is OhioSEE, according to a report by WSAZ-TV in Huntington, W.Va. So far, Ohio Student Eye Exam has been run as a pilot program in 15 counties: Allen, Butler, Clark, Clermont, Cuyahoga, Erie, Franklin, Guernsey, Huron, Jackson, Lorain, Mahoning, Marion, Montgomery and Ross. It provides vision screening, comprehensive eye exams, prescription glasses (if needed) and further referrals. The program ...