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Ohio’s BMV sets shining example

Editorials

Not every technological upgrade is a homerun, but at least one improvement in Ohio is paying big dividends for the state and its residents. With a change as simple as allowing certain transactions with the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles to take place online instead of in person, more than 10 million trips to BMV offices have been saved since 2022. Among the options available online are renewal of driver’s licenses or identification cards. More than 608,000 Buckeye State residents have taken advantage of that so far; and now the option has been expanded to commercial driver’s ...

Not a time to be silent

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: Two days after writer and speaker Caroline Myss, who had an unbearable trip to Moscow to engage at a conference for healing, peace and kindness, returned, she started whining to an elderly man seated next to her about all of the hardships she had faced on her journey — delayed flights, hotel reservations canceled and having to sleep on a stranger’s floor. When she was done, the elderly man was silent for a moment and then introduced himself as someone who worked with the Dalai Lama. He said gently that they both believed that when a lot of difficult and chaotic ...

Reminded how I omitted something last week

Local Columns

Last week, my column was written a little differently than those you have read these past two years. It wasn’t written how I usually express myself in this little corner of the paper. Yet, it was still something personal about my life. And it was still being able to share some of those little moments which I believe we all have in common. Either way, it was different. Maybe that was a good decision, or maybe it was an awful one. I can never be quite certain. I was explaining to a friend of mine who doesn’t read the paper what my column was about. I told him how the radio ...

Why free period products matter

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: Many of us take for granted the ability to manage our health and hygiene with dignity. But for countless women and girls in Jefferson County, access to basic menstrual products is a monthly struggle. That is why our local library’s new initiative to provide free period products is more than just a convenience. According to recent census data, more than 20 percent of women in Jefferson County live below the poverty line. In fact, the largest demographic living in poverty is females between the ages of 45 and 64, followed by females between the ages of 12 and 24. ...

Take precautions from sun dangers

Editorials

The summer season means many of us are spending more time in the sun. Before you head out, though, we ask that you take a few moments to pause and think about the toll all of those ultraviolet rays can do to your skin and your health. It’s especially important this time of year. The Skin Cancer Foundation reminds us that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. More than 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer each day — and more than two people will die of the disease each hour. Around 20 percent of Americans will develop skin cancer by the time ...

We can’t be weak

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: An unpopular opinion, which I posted as a comment on social media. The person was complaining, rather bitterly, about Fourth of July fireworks causing issues for people with PTSD and other emotional problems: “I’m sorry you have this issue, and it’s not that I’m unsympathetic, but there have been many, many people with PTSD and other problems for many, many years. They just courageously dealt with July 4, because they realized they were in the minority, and didn’t expect everyone else to kowtow to their own, personal issues. “So, they — ...