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Letter to a girl who I have not had the chance to meet

This is an open letter. It is written for a girl I have yet to meet. A girl who I will refer to as “the one.” For you are the one my son will have selected as his companion through this life. I do not know you. You do not know me. You have not even met him ... yet. But when that day comes, there is something I want you to know. Something I need for you to know. First, let me say there is obviously something extraordinary about you. It is why you were chosen to be “the one.” I would like to be in a position where I could offer you something as a way of welcoming ...

A little food for thought

When you stop to think about the Independence Day holiday, there are several things that might come to mind, and it’s a sure bet that food and fireworks will be among them. We certainly love our fireworks, and if you haven’t already had the chance to take in a display, there will be plenty of opportunities during the next few days — and even during the next couple of weeks. You will not be alone — 42 percent of Americans plan to attend a fireworks display this year. That’s according to WalletHub, which adds that there will be more than 14,000 public displays set off ...

Guest column/Late-evening philosophy can make a difference

Random thoughts. Do you ever have those moments when you want to say something deeply profound or philosophical? When our children were growing up there never was time for such discussions, so I broached them late at night, the husband groaning, “Why do you always want to talk in the middle of the night?” Well, basically, because unless someone woke up in the middle of the night throwing up or feverish, it was the best time not to be interrupted. The children are all grown up now with children and step-children of their own and these days we still don’t have profound, ...

Guest column/W.Va.’s next AG must be prepared for AI threats

Imagine answering a call from an unknown number one afternoon and instead of hearing the voice of someone trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty as you expected, you instead hear panicked cries for help from your teenage daughter. You know for certain it’s her voice, and begin to panic as a man gets on the phone and tells you he’s kidnapped her and wants a significant amount of money in exchange for her release. As the call goes on, however, you slowly begin to realize that something isn’t right as another family member has been able to reach your daughter by ...

Guest column/Ohio businesses can’t stand for government overreach

The implementation of government price controls has far-reaching consequences for all Americans, and is a severe overreach by the federal government. These concerns are compounded by recent provisions introduced in the Inflation Reduction Act, which not only infringe upon the fundamental protections of free enterprise enshrined in our Constitution but also carry disastrous implications for our future economy. As a result, we, along with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have taken decisive legal action to protect business rights by filing a federal ...

Guest column/Making strides to closing the skill gap across Ohio

Five years might seem like a long time to some. But in my world — higher education and career preparation — the past five years have passed in a flash. For much of that time, America’s colleges and universities were racing to respond to three daunting threats: the COVID pandemic, an unsettled economy and the fast-changing needs of students preparing for 21st century careers. Ohio educators had an additional challenge, which was helping the state close its pervasive skills gap, a damaging lack of well-educated workers to meet the economy’s growing need for a skilled and ...