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Let’s hope Congress takes up animal protection bill this time

Back in 2019, President Donald Trump signed into law a bill that made animal cruelty a federal felony. The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act included penalties for the crime ranging from fines to up to seven years in prison or both. But PACT, it seems, was lacking teeth — or those in charge of giving it teeth lacked a sense of urgency. U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio 14th, has his heart in the right place, in once again introducing legislation that would require the U.S. Department of Justice to establish an animal cruelty crimes section and “to vigorously pursue ...

Broadband internet no longer a luxury, it’s an urgent necessity

While Bill Johnson was serving Ohio’s 6th district in Congress, he tried twice — in 2021 and 2023 — to introduce legislation that would help Americans (particularly those living in rural areas) have easier access to broadband internet. His successor, Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli, has taken up that mantle and has again introduced the Wireless Broadband Competition and Efficient Deployment Act. It may be an uphill battle, as others have also tried. U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., introduced the same bill in 2024 after Johnson resigned. None of these efforts ever left ...

Food banks need our help now to handle a cut in state funding

As part of Gov. Mike DeWine’s budget proposal, food banks across Ohio could see a significant reduction in the amount of state funding they receive. Most of this is due to the loss of what had been a one-time $7.5 million appropriation in the previous budget. But that decrease has food bank organizers worried. “It’s about 3.4 million Ohioans who live in households that are under that income limit (200% of the federal poverty line),” Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, told the Ohio Capital Journal. “SNAP in Ohio, there’s only about 1.5 ...

Political gains and what is best for Ohioans not always the same

State lawmakers are going to have to start making difficult decisions about where they want to gain political points and where they want to do better for Ohioans. The two goals are not always reached by the same path. Continued economic uncertainty, rising food insecurity and proposed changes at the federal level to programs such as the Community Eligibility Provision mean hundreds of thousands of students could be at even greater risk of being hungry throughout their school day (and beyond). But a bill proposed by state Sens. Bill Blessing, R-Colerain Twp., and Kent Smith, D-Euclid, ...

Vaccination against influenza can still be effective precaution

While lawmakers in neighboring states debate loosening vaccine requirements for school-aged children, Ohio is facing a frightening example of how quickly potentially dangerous (and deadly) illnesses can spread. In fact, doctors in the Buckeye State are stressing that even at this point in the season, it is important to get vaccinated against influenza — if you have not done so already. Among those urging getting the flu shot was Dr. Mia Antinone, Ohio Health’s family resident physician, who spoke with WSYX after the state recorded its first pediatric flu death of the 2024-25 ...

Number of local pharmacies shrinking as need is growing

A significant percentage of Ohioans rely on prescription medication to maintain their health. As our population grows, so, too, does the number of people in need of the services of a local pharmacy. Yet, according to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, pharmacies in the Buckeye State are closing at an alarming rate. The number of openings of retail outpatient pharmacies peaked in 2015. Then, the trend reversed. In 2016, there were a record number of closings. Closures continued — in 2023 there were 55 closures, and over the following year there were 191. Using the Ohio Board of ...