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Time for action on animal cruelty law

In 2019, President Donald Trump signed into law a bill that made animal cruelty a federal felony. The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act included penalties for the crime ranging from fines to up to seven years in prison or both. But PACT, it seems, was lacking teeth — or those in charge of giving it teeth lacked a sense of urgency. U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, a Republican from Bainbridge Township in the Northeastern part of Ohio, has his heart in the right place, in once again introducing legislation that would require the U.S. Department of Justice to establish an animal ...

Danger lurking from potholes

They appear before the flowers bloom. They are fed by road salt in the winter and begin to appear after the short warm spells that tease the arrival of spring. They are potholes, that annual curse on motorists and municipalities. The onset of potholes is something that is not to be taken lightly. They happen every year, and every year they become an increasing problem as motorists play dodge-the-hole in an effort to prevent damage to their vehicles. It can be a dangerous situation as drivers try to avoid potholes, sometimes swerving into the paths of oncoming vehicles or ...

Time to check your detectors

Daylight saving time returns at 2 a.m. Sunday, when we move our clocks ahead one hour. While that means we will have an extra hour of sunshine to enjoy outdoor activities, it also represents a good time to check the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. The National Fire Protection Association and the National Safety Council report that in 2023, fire departments across the United States responded to 332,000 home fires. Those blazes resulted in 2,890 deaths and 10,190 injuries, the numbers show. Property damage from those fires totaled $11 billion. Overall, there ...

Donating blood helps save lives

Most of us think of the American Red Cross for one of two reasons: Blood donations and disaster response. But as the organization points out, its founder Clara Barton was a nursing pioneer who cared deeply about humans and their health care. Here in Appalachia, one of the larger health care concerns is diabetes — and access to affordable, quality health care. But in March, the Red Cross is “helping to bridge access to health care for blood donors by providing free A1C testing, commonly used to screen for diabetes and prediabetes, on all successful blood, platelet and plasma ...

Fish frys nourish bodies and souls

Today is Ash Wednesday, which means the Lenten season is upon us, and that means the return of fish frys throughout the region. Lent, the 40-day season of prayer and fasting, continues this year until just before Easter Sunday. This period of reflection and repentance is meant to help Christians prepare to celebrate Christ’s resurrection. Catholics observe Lent by abstaining from eating meat, especially on Fridays — hence the popularity of fish frys that has extended across decade after decade. It’s a tradition enjoyed by everyone, people of all faiths — even those of ...

Intel decision raises concerns

Economic development officials in Columbus and Franklin and Licking counties can be forgiven if they find themselves humming the tune to an early 1980s hit while they wonder when the next bad news will come from Intel Corp. After all, the company had nothing but “promises, promises” in the beginning. But Friday, the chipmaker announced it is once again pushing back the planned opening of the semiconductor plant that was going to revolutionize the employment landscape in central Ohio. Now Intel says construction on the first of two planned factories in New Albany is expected to ...