Support for those who are struggling

January 10, 2026

Winter can be a tough time for those struggling with fragile mental health and other challenges. But for some, the struggle is more than seasonal — and can be deadly. Ohio’s Suicide Prevention Foundation notes adult men in particular experience disproportionately high suicide rates. For some counties, the need for support is even more profound. So, a two-year initiative will partner with local organizations to reduce the suicide rates for adult men in Clark, Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning Marion, Montgomery, Richland and Summit counties. Projects will focus on ...

Need for blood remains critical

January 9, 2026

If your New Year’s resolutions included finding small ways to do good more frequently, the American Red Cross has some ideas for you. You — yes, you — are needed, right now. A glance at the organization’s website reveals an alert that there is an “emergency need for type O blood” because winter weather has caused a decline in donations. There’s even a pitch that if you give blood before Jan. 31, you can earn points to be used toward rewards. Local opportunities to give blood include from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Jefferson County JVS in Bloomingdale; from 11 ...

Xylazine offers latest dangers

January 8, 2026

It is breathtaking to watch the manner in which the substance abuse epidemic in our region continues to evolve. Just last month, officials in Gallia County in Southeastern Ohio, warned a growing danger has reared its head — Xylazine. The powerful veterinary sedative, which is, of course, not intended for human use at all, has been found in the region; sometimes mixed with fentanyl and other opioids. This is a drug meant for large animals such as horses. There is no safe dosage of “tranq” for humans. In fact, overdosing is all too easy. The Gallia County Health Department says ...

Public should be able to speak

January 7, 2026

A group of Ohio lawmakers believes public bodies within the state should be required to allow public comment before decisions are made. It may come as a surprise to you that is not already the case, but state law requires only that the public be allowed to attend or listen to meetings. House Bill 609 would address that barrier to civic engagement with a revision “to require a public body to allow for public commentary and testimony before taking formal action on any item.” State Reps. David Thomas, R-Jefferson, and Meredith Craig, R-Smithville, are leading the bipartisan ...

Water quality must be priority

January 6, 2026

Ohio’s Environmental Protection Agency has extended the public comment period to Jan. 16 as it considers fast-tracking a general wastewater permit for new data centers in the Buckeye State. Right now, the state EPA’s draft permit includes “a lowering of water quality of various waters of the state associated with granting coverage under this permit necessary to accommodate important social and economic development in the state of Ohio.” But among the questions such a statement raises are why it is necessary. WCMH-TV in Columbus spoke with water quality advocate Amy ...

Rulli, Husted seeking answers

January 5, 2026

Ohio’s elected representatives in Washington, D.C., are doing their best to understand and overcome a bizarre federal decision to suspend the state’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership award. U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, and U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Salem, along with U.S. Reps. Max Miller, Michael Turner, Robert Latta, David Joyce, Mike Carey and David Taylor, all R-Ohio, recently sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, asking him to restore the flow of funds to the Buckeye State program. This is in addition to a letter Husted sent to Lutnick on Dec. 11 ...