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Opinion

Electoral process in jeopardy

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: Recently, President Donald J. Trump, in pure Trumpian fashion, has made it known that he plans to eliminate mail-in balloting in upcoming U.S. elections, declaring, without any supportive evidence, that the long-established and very popular procedure of mail-in voting is somehow corrupt, and has vowed to issue an executive order to eliminate mail-in balloting in order to bring an end to harvesting to the 2026 mid-term elections and beyond. In addition, Trump has stated that he plans to lead a movement to ban mail voting, as well as the use of highly inaccurate voting ...

Seeking answers

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: The assassination of Charlie Kirk reminds me of a quote from Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto after his sneak attack on Pearl Harbor: “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” Less than five days after Kirk’s death, his organization received 34,000 requests to start a local chapter of Turning Point USA. Did you see any riots, burning, looting or attacking of the police by Republicans protesting his death? Republicans held prayer vigils. Remember this when voting. Democrats, do you know who Iryna Zarutska is? People ...

Lower the volume, raise the standard

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: We’ve turned every disagreement into a shouting match. And nobody’s winning. Earlier this week, I walked through the quiet hills of Arlington National Cemetery. Row after row of white headstones, perfectly lined and perfectly silent. In that silence, I heard a truth louder than any headline: our country was built on sacrifice, not spite. Those graves aren’t divided by party or ideology. They stand together, reminding us that freedom has a cost. A cost that was paid for all of us, regardless of our differences. Disagreement has always been part of America. ...

Guest column/All athletics are intuitively individual sports

Local Columns

Recently, I had a conversation with a highly respected, elite Valley coach who stated that members who compete in team sports have a different mentality than athletes competing in individual sports. After thinking about what he said, I had my doubts. In my opinion, I believe that the thought processes of all outstanding athletes are basically the same. To begin with, all dedicated athletes want to prove they are the best player in their position. The individual mentality is the same in all athletic competitions because even in team sports, each player must perform his particular ...

Trail offers look at Ohio’s history

Editorials

Ohioans are proud of their state’s history as a vital component of the Underground Railroad. That’s why it is exciting to learn from Gov. Mike DeWine, the state Department of Development and TourismOhio that the Ohio Historical Underground Railroad Trail is expanding. There are now 48 stops on the trail, with the latest additions including the John Gee Black Historical Center in Gallipolis, Lucy Depp Park in Powell, the Gabriel Smith Memorial Gateway to Freedom Display at the Preble County District Library in Eaton and the Black Heritage Library and Multicultural Center in ...

Impact underestimated

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: “Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent mind.” — Isaac Asimov I never met Charlie Kirk. He was just somebody whose social media “content” I liked. I admired his ability to debate. His courageous presentation of objective facts and truth, to people who resisted it. While I’ve watched and enjoyed his videos, his debates, his podcast, I never would have expected to be feeling the way I do now. An emotional connection exists, I never realized was there. I’m sad about this; I’m angry. Something in my chest wants to do something ... ...