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Europe’s energy crisis offers a bleak warning for the U.S.

If you think the worst of energy-driven inflation is over, you’re unfortunately very wrong. While prices at the gas pump have settled from mid-summer highs, electricity bills are soaring on the back of surging natural gas prices. Regulators, grid operators, and utilities are warning that the nation’s power supply is growing alarmingly less reliable. Europe’s energy crisis is pulling prices up and destabilizing markets everywhere. Since the United States is now the world’s largest liquefied natural gas exporter, U.S. consumers are having to compete against energy-desperate ...

Conservative views cheered at rallies

DAVID SKOLNICK Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent appearance in the Mahoning Valley seemed more to tout his accomplishments or maybe set the stage for a 2024 presidential run than to help the candidacy of J.D. Vance, Republican Senate nominee. That’s not to say the rub from DeSantis at a rally that organizers said attracted 1,500 people to the Metroplex Expo Center in Liberty didn’t help Vance. It certainly did. To his credit, Vance took advantage of the opportunity and knew his audience. Vance went after U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, his Democratic opponent, in the ...

Congress must tackle permitting reforms for infrastructure

Inflation is wreaking havoc on America’s consumers, and the associated shortages and supply chain disruptions are driving prices ever-higher across the economy—especially in the energy sector. Among the most troubling roadblocks to alleviating this pain is America’s inability to efficiently permit new energy and infrastructure projects, including electricity transmission lines, pipelines, wind farms, and even the mines that are the leading edge of our industrial base. Hope springs eternal, however. As part of a side agreement to the Inflation Reduction Act—the Democrats’ ...

Making decision to take keys away

Editor’s Note: The following column was originally published March 7, 2020 ——— Thanks to breakthroughs in medicine and nutrition in recent years, we are living longer than ever before. But this increase in life expectancy also brings an increase in the number of diseases, injuries and impairments that affect older adults. With this in mind, we at the local Visiting Angels office in Salem have created this series of articles to keep our older population and their families informed and to offer some practical advice for meeting the challenges faced by seniors and those who care ...

A special event for a special place

The day of the groundbreaking was a wet one, but a tent covered the gathering. Reporters and photographers were going about their business of collecting information and photographs to forever mark the historic event. There were dignitaries from the local level all the way to Columbus and points in between who participated in the first physical step for this pilot project of Family Recovery Center, including the woman that the facility was named for, Luceille Fleming. We are talking about the big yellow house that love built behind Lisbon McDonald’s. It was a big day. Later, as ...

Purpose in parenting

Parenting. It is a challenging, sometimes difficult to impossible job, but in the end, may be the most gratifying work Mom and Dad will ever accomplish because parents prepare their children to become the leaders of tomorrow. Do you remember when “No” meant “NO”? It didn’t mean “yes.” It didn’t even mean “maybe.” No meant no. My brothers and I knew when Mom said no, she meant it. No amount of pleading moved her to change her mind. Embarrass her in public? There were consequences. But she was always respectful about discipline. (Other kids in the neighborhood ...