Fighting fraud and some frozen funds

January 26, 2026

Groundwork Ohio is among the organizations that has signed on to a letter from child care groups across the country, asking the federal Administration for Children and Families to continue funding the Child Care Development Block Grant and other resources. Though a federal judge has temporarily blocked a funding freeze to Minnesota, California, Colorado, Illinois and New York, there are still worries other states will have to defend their own child care systems and oversight. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, the letter says fraud “at any level is unacceptable ...

WorkOhio can make a difference

January 24, 2026

“We’re going to be working hard to fill the needs of each region,” said Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel Wednesday, when he visited the Lafayette Hotel in Marietta as part of his WorkOhio Initiative tour. Tressel also talked about opportunities being “a little bit different by region.” That, as he no doubt understands, was an understatement. WorkOhio is supposed to connect Buckeye State residents with jobs and support available through regional job hubs such as the one in Southeast Ohio: Ohio Valley Employment Resource. Those hubs, in turn, work with community connectors that can ...

Still not too late to get a flu shot

January 23, 2026

If it seems as though illness has been more prevalent in your school, church, office and other circles this winter, you’re not imagining things. According to Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, this year’s flu season has seen a stronger beginning than is typical. “You know, the typical pattern is that we see a relatively modest dip around the holidays, and then we see our major peak in mid-February,” he said, according to a report by WDTN-TV in Dayton. “What our data is showing us is that already, this year’s flu is having numbers that are consistently ...

DeWine directs attention to kids

January 22, 2026

As Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine begins his final year in office, he appears to have his sights firmly on matters that will affect our youngest residents. Among the programs he hopes to see expand is OhioSEE, according to a report by WSAZ-TV in Huntington, W.Va. So far, Ohio Student Eye Exam has been run as a pilot program in 15 counties: Allen, Butler, Clark, Clermont, Cuyahoga, Erie, Franklin, Guernsey, Huron, Jackson, Lorain, Mahoning, Marion, Montgomery and Ross. It provides vision screening, comprehensive eye exams, prescription glasses (if needed) and further referrals. The program ...

Long road faces Hancock schools

January 21, 2026

A new chapter has been open for Hancock County Schools, and it’s one to which we won’t be seeing an end anytime soon. A decision made Friday morning put the local school district – currently with two high schools, two middle schools, three elementary schools and a tech and career center – fully under the control of the state. The superintendent and assistant superintendent were relieved of their positions, and the Hancock County Board of Education is, for all intents and purposes, powerless. While board meetings will continue, the reality is that those five individuals now ...

O’Connor works to protect judiciary

January 20, 2026

Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice and Lt. Gov. Maureen O’Connor is certainly not resting quietly in her retirement. Though she left her seat on the court in 2022 because of age limits, she is still active in matters such as redistricting and protecting the judiciary from politicization. It’s easy to understand why that is important to her. When she was on the court, she repeatedly stood with the majority in rejecting clearly unfair and unconstitutional redistricting maps. For doing so, she faced insults and threats of impeachment from fellow Republicans — for not “acting like ...