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We cannot fail our children

Editorials

Tri-State Area residents generally think of the region as being a fantastic place for children to grow up. But perception does not always match reality, as WalletHub’s 2025’s States With the Most Underprivileged Children suggests. West Virginia is ranked sixth, Ohio is ranked 18th and Pennsylvania is ranked 35th on the list of states with the most underprivileged children. That West Virginia and Ohio rank in the lower half is reason for concern. But a look at the metrics tells the tale. Ohio is 16th for the percentage of children in households below the poverty line, 26th ...

Stop embarrassing yourselves

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: Considering the declassified material coming out about how Barack Obama and the Democratic Party weaponized the government against Donald Trump — Democrats say this is old news; we’re moving on, but Trump’s justice department isn’t. The Democrats will soon be held accountable for their mendacity. Even unions are abandoning the party. Democrats cry about gerrymandering in Texas, but they perfected the art. Here are some facts: Massachusetts was gerrymandered to prevent any Republican representatives from holding any of its 11 seats in Congress, although Trump ...

Guest column/A 50th high school reunion and memories of the past

Local Columns

This summer, I crashed a 50th high school reunion that wasn’t mine. It could have been but I changed school systems and the kids I grew up with and I went in different directions. I’m hard pressed to think when we ever crossed paths during our high school years while living in the same town. I grew up in the Catholic system in Weirton, attending St. Paul’s Grade School, but after seeing and experiencing a few abuses, though they were few, I’d had enough of uniforms and nuns and went off to Weir High School; plus, I didn’t want my parents paying another extra cost for my high ...

Guest column/Ohio will pay a price for the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

Local Columns

In his recent op-ed, Republican Sen. Jon Husted praises the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” as a “gift” to working Ohioans (“Why budget law is tailored to help Ohio families,” Aug. 3.) Please let me set the record straight. This legislation isn’t beautiful, it’s brutal. It’s not for working families, it’s for billionaires. It doesn’t strengthen our communities; it hollows them out. And BBB leaves our most medically vulnerable without the medical insurance they need. The BBB is cruel, lopsided, and a budget buster. As dean of the Ohio delegation and a lifelong ...

Rallies help set stage for school

Editorials

It’s just a matter of days until area schools open for the academic year. That can be a stressful time, and that’s why area school districts, churches, nonprofits and businesses work to find ways to improve the overall experience for everyone involved. A big help is the back-to-school rally. They’ve now become a rite of late summer, with just about all districts and several organizations across the region holding one. The formula is simple — each event is filled with activities for students and their families, ranging from food trucks and other vendors to face-painting and ...

The way grandparents love their grandchildren

Local Columns

As a grandmother, I feel it is my job, my duty, to share all of the precious moments I get to experience with my grandson. I mean, that is what grandparents do, right? We brag. We boast. We embellish. We show photos to anyone who will glance at them. I can remember long before cell phones were invented. People would pull their wallet out of their back pocket or purse and open it up to reveal an extremely long strand of plastic coverings. As the photos unfolded, the viewer would silently sigh, emit a plastic smile and await their fate. Having to look at people they ...