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Editorials

Affordable housing work must continue

Efforts in Columbus to address the shortage in affordable housing appear to be making a difference, though the momentum must be maintained. According to the 2025 Gap Report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, there is a deficit of 264,083 rental units that are affordable and available to the 438,108 extremely low-income households in the Buckeye State. That’s an improvement over last year, when the shortage was 267,382. “The new housing programs that Ohio created in the last budget bill are having a positive ...

A closer look at the numbers

U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Salem, can be forgiven for his enthusiasm over a recent report. After all, the good news being proclaimed by the Ohio Natural Energy Institute’s “The Essential Facts on Essential Ohio Energy” are a re-polished version of the shiny proclamations we’ve been hearing for about 15 years now. Rulli was first elected to the state Senate in 2018. But well before that, organizations similar to the Ohio Natural Energy Institute were touting (then the Marcellus and Utica shales) as our region’s savior. “Our region has been blessed with an extraordinary ...

Ohio’s food banks need your support

As part of Gov. Mike DeWine’s budget proposal, food banks across Ohio could see a significant reduction in the amount of state funding they receive. Most of this is due to the loss of what had been a one-time $7.5 million appropriation in the previous budget. But that decrease has food bank organizers worried. “It’s about 3.4 million Ohioans who live in households that are under that income limit (200 percent of the federal poverty line),” Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, told the Ohio Capital Journal. “SNAP in Ohio, there’s only ...

Grandstanding inappropriate

Mountaineers — always free, sure — but also, always willing to be good sports, take responsibility, accept when things don’t go their way without whining about it and focus on what is really important for the state and its families. They don’t run to legal action and investigations every time they’re disappointed in the way things have turned out. In fact, West Virginians frown upon frivolous legal action and wastes of time and taxpayer dollars. There’s difficult work to be done, after all. There are needs upon which those who have been elected to serve must be focusing. ...

Festival of Nations a chance for unity

Area residents can take a trip around the world this weekend, just by visiting Weirton. After a hiatus of several years, the Festival of Nations is making its return Saturday, providing an afternoon of live entertainment, food and more, reflective of the melting pot of cultures represented across our region. Organized by the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center, the festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Millsop Community Center, and there is no charge to enter. The Festival of Nations has a long and storied history tied to the Weirton community. It’s ...

Students bring life to stages

Auditoriums in our area’s schools again are being filled, as our high and middle schools offer their annual spring productions. The presentations offer a great opportunity for relatives, friends and area residents to support our school districts while enjoying the talents of area students. A look at this year’s schedules has shown a wide range of titles, including “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Newsies,” “Anastasia,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Sister Act,” “Beetlejuice” and “The Crucible.” Each of these productions represents the ...