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Make sure your voice is heard

Area residents who live in Ohio know there are a couple of important elections coming up. First will be the June 11 special election in which residents of the state’s 6th Congressional District will choose between Republican Michael Rulli and Democrat Michael Kripchak. The winner will serve through the end of the year while filling the remainder of the term of former U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson. Johnson, a Republican from Marietta, resigned from Congress in January to become president of Youngstown State University. Then will come the Nov. 5 general election, when, among other ...

Brooke schools deserve support

Voters in Brooke County are being asked to approve the renewal of a levy in support of Brooke County Schools as part of next week’s primary election, and we would encourage them to do so. The levy, as described, would generate a little more than $12 million per year during a five-year period. Please note, this is a renewal of a long-standing levy in the county, and not any new taxation on residents. These funds would account for more than one-third of the county’s annual budget, providing funding for the salaries and benefits of 17 professional positions and around 39 service ...

Progress slow for working mothers

Across the country, mothers who work outside the home still have a pretty rough time of it, according to a recent report by WalletHub. Its Best and Worst States for Working Moms (2024) shows that while women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, and 74 percent of moms with children under 18 are also working outside the home, a woman’s average hourly wage is still only 82 percent that of a man’s. In addition, only 10.4 percent of the chief executives at S&P 500 companies are women. In West Virginia, mothers who also work outside the home face an even steeper uphill battle. ...

Have fun, but be responsible

A quick glimpse at the calendar reminds us that we are in the middle of prom and graduation season. End-of-year (or end of K-12 careers for seniors) events are in full swing and that means it is time for some important conversations between students and their parents or guardians. First step? Parents, be honest with yourselves about what was on your mind and what you were getting into as juniors or seniors in high school. Many of you probably thought you were essentially adults to whom the rules of childhood should no longer apply. Now consider that social pressures are in some ways ...

Let districts decide on cell phone use

Social media can be damaging, especially to young people. That’s no secret, but what to do about it remains a mystery. Ohio lawmakers are tossing around the idea of banning social media and the use of electronic devices during class, according to a report by WEWS-TV in Cleveland. House Bill 485, sponsored by Reps. Tom Young, R-Washington Township, and Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, would amend state code “regarding a school internet safety policy and instruction on the effects of social media in public schools.” The report says Young would like the change to emulate what is ...

Tackling Ohio’s puppy mill issue

Many residents of the Tri-State Area are animal-lovers. They have pets they love and do their best to take care not only of them, but of other animals when the opportunity arises. Yet too many still purchase dogs rather than adopting from animal shelters. Puppy mills are big business in Ohio — so much so that we are second only to Missouri on the Humane Society of the United States’ “Horrible Hundred” report this year. Twenty of the 100 problem puppy mills on the list are in the Buckeye State. “Our report is the tip of the iceberg — as shocking as circumstances are in ...