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Keep fighting for railroad safety

In Ohio alone, residents received two reminders last week that rail safety reform is still desperately needed. On Wednesday a federal judge approved a $600 million class-action settlement for those affected by the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine in February 2023. A day before, residents of Whitewater Township, in Hamilton County, not too far from Cincinnati, received an evacuation order after styrene began leaking from a Central Railroad of Indiana railcar. Styrene, which is toxic and flammable, is carried in tank cars. A pressure release valve on the tank began to ...

Mingo levy, tax deserve ‘yes’ votes

Residents of Mingo Junction have faced a lot of issues during the last several months. Officials have had to contend with issues surrounding their safety forces, the reality that they have to pay $351,278.06 in delinquent property taxes dating back five decades and the discovery that they had been collecting income tax payments on a levy that the village failed to seek renewal for in 2021 and was allowed to expire in 2022. It’s against that backdrop that the village is asking voters to approve two issues on the Nov. 5 ballot — a 1 percent, five-year additional income tax that ...

Continue fight on overdose deaths

Something is happening to the numbers on overdose deaths in the Tri-State Area and across the country — and the change is a welcomed one. According to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Buckeye State in 2023 experienced its first significant decrease in overdose deaths since 2017. Dennis Cauchon, founder and president of Harm Reduction Ohio, told the Statehouse News Bureau he’d been watching the data and by early 2024 realized these were more than just incremental changes. “When I realized it wasn’t a quirk, it made me cry, because ...

Waging a battle against obesity

West Virginia comes in last or very near the bottom in all kinds of significant categories. It’s been that way for so long, it’s almost a running joke. And when the state is at the top of a list, it’s usually for something like leading the nation in overdose deaths. Now, research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the state is leading in another category: Obesity. The CDC says obesity is increasing across the country. All U.S. states and territories have obesity rates higher than 20 percent. But in the Mountain State, an astounding 41.2 percent of ...

Weirton’s bow hunt helps community

Each year, Weirton plays host to a controlled bow hunt within the city limits, organized by the Weirton Police Department with assistance from the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources and others. The main purpose of this hunt, the history of which spans more than two decades, is to help provide some control to the local deer population, and, in turn, protect deer and residents from the effects of overpopulation. That includes the spread of disease, the potential of vehicle crashes and damage to private property. In recent years, though, the hunt has found a way to give back ...

River Fest a great way to welcome fall

Fall officially arrived Sunday morning, and with it comes the expectation of cooler temperatures, a change of color in the trees and a variety of celebrations focused on the traditional harvest. A good way to welcome the season is by attending one of our local autumnal community events. New Cumberland’s Fall River Fest is set to take place Saturday and Sunday with a variety of vendors, entertainment and other activities for all ages. The festival will kick off at 9 a.m. Saturday with the River Fest 5K Walk and Run, with a course taking runners through town. It will be followed ...