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Opinion

Expanding access to eye care

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: As a privately practicing, medically centered doctor of optometry, I am faced with a problem that the generation before me did not have. I am a second-generation OD who returned to my hometown in Belmont County to join my mother in practice. When she returned to the Ohio Valley to begin practice in 2003, there were 15 other privately practicing, medically based ODs. At the time of writing, Belmont County has only five. Concerningly, access to medical care through ophthalmology is even more dire. There are two ophthalmologists who primarily practice in Belmont County ...

Gilman right for Indian Creek

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: I have had the privilege of knowing Rachel Gilman both personally and professionally — as a friend and as a fellow board member on the Jefferson County Humane Society Board of Directors. Gilman embodies a rare combination of business acumen, clinical expertise, genuine compassion and steady, thoughtful leadership. As a respected physician and accomplished businesswoman, she approaches challenges with calm determination and a clear eye for solutions. In our time working together, I saw firsthand how she listens carefully, weighs multiple perspectives and then acts ...

Choose life, love and peace

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: You are special, one of a kind. In fact, in the history of the world there was not another person the same as you, and there will never be another person the same as you in the future. Science has shown that at the very moment of conception, a unique person is created, an individual genetically different than any other human being ever created or who ever will be created. That is a fact of science that cannot be denied. Any time a life in the womb is ended, such as from an abortion, the life of a unique individual is ended, a human being that will never be created ...

Guest column/Local newspapers keep our communities strong

Local Columns

Strong communities don’t just happen. They rely on connection — residents knowing what’s going on, businesses reaching the customers who keep them open and citizens having the facts to make good decisions. Local newspapers provide that connection in ways no other source can. In today’s fractured media environment, trust is the rarest commodity. Confidence in “the media” is low. Only 18 percent of Americans say they trust news on social platforms, and fewer than one in four trust cable networks. But nearly two-thirds say they trust their local newspaper — more than ...

Register ... and then vote

Local Columns

In case you have let it slip under your radar, here’s an important reminder: The Nov. 4 election is about a month away, and the deadline to register to vote in that election is Monday. This is an off-year election, which means it doesn’t quite carry the glamour and excitement that surround a congressional election every two years and a presidential election every four years. There aren’t any of those major races on this year’s fall ballot. But the offices that are open, and the issues Ohio residents are being asked to vote on, really are the ones that have the greatest ...

Newspapers have vital role in our lives

Editorials

There are as many reasons to read a daily newspaper as there are readers. Some are looking to see how their favorite high school sports team is doing. Others want to know what’s happening in their local schools. Many are looking to learn more about the people and events that shape their cities, villages townships and counties. Some are interested in crossword puzzles and word games. And yes, some always will turn to the obituaries first. Some are looking to learn more about events happening at area churches and with local clubs and organizations. Some enjoy ...