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Ohio still faces education issues

Editorials

Despite Ohio policymakers’ continued effort to meddle with education — at all levels — a recent study suggests there has been limited success on a national scale. “Most and Least Educated States in America (2026)” by WalletHub doesn’t even place the Buckeye State in the top half of states. We are 35th. That’s not a good look for a state that has worked diligently to attract large employers looking for a well-educated and well-trained workforce. Ohio is 36th for educational attainment, though 19th for the quality of education. Further, it was bundled into the worst ...

Fitness questions surround region

Editorials

All that technology we drag around with us all the time is giving researchers data that provides insight into everything from our travel to fitness. If you have a habit of checking your health and fitness data through a smart watch and app, you are not the only one keeping track. Data from participants, provided by Apple, helped researchers produce the Apple Heart and Movement Study. “The heart is an incredible organ, working tirelessly every second of every day,” the report says. “Understanding how various heart metrics reflect your overall well-being can empower you to lead a ...

Reasons to vote Republican

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: A Democrat friend asked me to give her one valid reason why she should vote Republican. Here are a few:. Some people have Trump Derangement Syndrome — their minds can’t comprehend the same evidence that makes common-sense American patriots outraged. Some of their delusions: Joe Biden is competent, Michelle Obama is oppressed, Bill Gates is a scientist, Greta Thunberg is a climate expert, riots are mostly peaceful and illegal alien criminals don’t pose a threat to anyone. The Cato Institute found for every 100,000 illegal aliens, 2.2 Americans are killed by ...

Guest column/God bless America: A clean, unmistakable message

Local Columns

The State of the Union delivered a clear and unmistakable message: America First. When we put our country first, we are at our strongest. President Donald Trump outlined key priorities of the America First agenda — priorities I have been working to advance for years. One of the most important issues raised was the crushing cost of health care. As the president said, he is confronting “one of the biggest ripoffs of our times.” I couldn’t agree more. That is why I spent more than two years fighting the healthcare cartel to pass the Hospital Price Transparency Act in Ohio. This ...

Mazeroski made the area proud

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: I was saddened to learn of the death of Bill “Maz” Mazeroski, a legend in our neck of the woods. I first learned of him through my husband, Lamont, and friends, the main one being Jack Cebulka, who went from Smithfield High School to the Steubenville Barons, I believe. The two basketball players from our high school proceeded to tell us the ins and outs of the sport and had great praise for a player on the team, Maz. We stood around so we could say hello, but he had to hurry home and finish his chores. The next we heard of him was when a baseball game was ...

History’s non-mysteries

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: An ancient tale—possibly apocryphal—recounts the story of Sextus Tarquinius, the son of a king, who forced himself on Lucretia, a virtuous Roman woman. Sextus threatened to kill both Lucretia and her servant if she resisted, and afterward Lucretia, overwhelmed by shame, took her own life. Change a few names and the story could feel torn from modern headlines, including revelations surrounding the Epstein files. The story functions as a meme, a paradigm, a trope that appears repeatedly across mythology and religion: Leda and the swan, Medusa and Poseidon, Osiris ...