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Spring training offers a sure sign

Are you tired of the cold and snow? Have you had it with experiencing, day-after-day, weather forecasts that call for overnight temperatures that start close to zero and afternoon temperatures that are consistently below freezing? Have you resorted to cursing the groundhog and started to wonder out loud how the woolly bear caterpillars you so carefully studied last fall could have been so wrong? Relax — spring is on the way. And while we haven’t seen the grass in a couple of weeks and the trees are still waiting for their first buds, we would remind you that there’s an ...

West program lets memory live

Lee West is remembered as well-liked 15-year-old who had a bright future ahead of him, a young man who was willing to share his enthusiasm for life and all of its potential with everyone in the community. An honors student and a multi-sport athlete at Steubenville High School, his life was cut short in a fatal house fire on Jan. 31, 2012. West carried with him a fondness for everyone who helped him, and that spirit has been carried forward by his mother, Cookie West, who has joined with family members and friends to hold the Lee Alexander West Memorial and Awards Service. This ...

Dangers of AI and self-harm

Dangers of AI and self-harm (This item discusses suicide and self-harm. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988.) Ohio House Bill 524 aims to address a problem few could have imagined a decade or two ago: Artificial intelligence chatbots encouraging people to harm themselves or others. State Rep. Christine Cockley, D-Columbus, is lead sponsor on the bipartisan bill, which would allow for imposing penalties for AI models suggesting harming self or others. It now sits in the House Technology and ...

Hancock County questions remain

Hancock County residents were able to get some of the answers they have been looking for in the last several months during Monday’s meeting of the county board of education. It was the first meeting of the board since the school system was taken over by the state last month. Featured at the meeting was the long-awaited report from Jeff Davis of Education Consulting Team LLC and Uriah Cummings, school financial operations officer for the West Virginia Department of Education, who discussed some of their findings after reviewing Hancock County Schools’ financial books in an ...

Unclaimed funds wait to be grabbed

Looking for something to do while snow, ice and frigid temperatures have perhaps kept you home for more time than you’d like in recent days? It could be a good time to check out the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Unclaimed Funds website. According to a recent report by the Akron Beacon Journal, the state still holds more than $4 billion in dormant bank accounts, utility deposits and uncashed checks. That’s a huge chunk of your money just sitting (virtually) in Columbus. And remember, if you don’t claim it after more than 10 years, you run the risk of it being ...

No easy answer to taxes in Ohio

When he spoke to journalists from across Ohio last week, Gov. Mike DeWine took a prudent approach to the idea some have proposed that property taxes should be eliminated in the state. After all, elected officials who call themselves conservatives have a certain obligation to help their constituents keep as much of their money in their pockets as possible. However, they also have an obligation to lead in a way that serves everyone. “Those who favor (eliminating property taxes) owe it to the people of the state to say, ‘How is my local police department going to get paid? How are ...