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Long road faces Hancock schools

Editorials

A new chapter has been open for Hancock County Schools, and it’s one to which we won’t be seeing an end anytime soon. A decision made Friday morning put the local school district – currently with two high schools, two middle schools, three elementary schools and a tech and career center – fully under the control of the state. The superintendent and assistant superintendent were relieved of their positions, and the Hancock County Board of Education is, for all intents and purposes, powerless. While board meetings will continue, the reality is that those five individuals now ...

O’Connor works to protect judiciary

Editorials

Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice and Lt. Gov. Maureen O’Connor is certainly not resting quietly in her retirement. Though she left her seat on the court in 2022 because of age limits, she is still active in matters such as redistricting and protecting the judiciary from politicization. It’s easy to understand why that is important to her. When she was on the court, she repeatedly stood with the majority in rejecting clearly unfair and unconstitutional redistricting maps. For doing so, she faced insults and threats of impeachment from fellow Republicans — for not “acting like ...

A knock on my door that takes me back ...

Local Columns

Those small pair of tennis shoes sitting by the front door can change the entire temperature of my house. Not literally, of course. The thermostat remains exactly where it always is. But the temperature shifts in that quiet, unseen way — a kind of happiness that has a way of sneaking in and warming corners of your home and your heart that you never even realized had grown cold. Yes, that is what happens every time my 3-year-old grandson, Layne, comes to spend time at my house. It is especially true on those rare nights he gets to spend the entire night. It is as if the ...

Guest column/I pray you are relishing your reunion

Local Columns

News of Marian Houser's death set me on an immediate search through tubs of newspaper photos, clippings and memorabilia I had promised myself I would organize and properly scrapbook for posterity when I retired from the Herald-Star as community editor almost three years ago now. The urgency to reflect and reminisce about my newsroom mother dictated my direction for the rest of that day – Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, the day "mommy-mommy" made her transition from earthly existence to heavenly glory. Make no mistake, Marian was on my mind along with the realization that I was now ...

Deceptive commercials

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: Many organizations solicit funds using commercials. Some organizations run their commercials year-round while others appear during the holidays. There are organizations that have services for children with illnesses or disabilities. There are organizations for veterans and their families. There are organizations that rescue and care for abused animals. The commercials for these organizations include testimonials from the actual people who receive the services or the employees. Parents speak about the treatments that their children are receiving for cancer. Children ...

Another election cycle has started

Local Columns

It seems like we barely get through one election cycle before the next one begins. That’s the position we find ourselves in once again as we head into the third full week of the new year. While mid-term elections don’t usually carry the same weight as a presidential, there will be a lot on the line as voters head to the polls for primary elections on May 5 in Ohio and May 12 in West Virginia and again on Nov. 3 when the general election is held. For starters, Ohioans will be selecting a new governor — whomever is elected in November will replace Republican Mike DeWine, who ...