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Sharing needles creates outbreak in Appalachia

Whether it be willful ignorance for the sake of scoring political points or a genuine misunderstanding of the broad range of strategies necessary to tackle a dual public health crisis in Appalachia, elected officials and policymakers are handicapping efforts against one of the major dangers spawned by our region’s substance abuse epidemic. A KFF Health News report followed up on federal health officials’ effort a few years back to assess an outbreak of HIV in central Appalachia. The outbreak has been fueled by shared use of needles among those who inject opioids or ...

Students need to get to class before we can educate them

Ohioans deserve public schools in which students are educated to be informed, productive, critical thinking citizens ready to pursue the next step in their career or educational paths with confidence. Our children deserve more than barely meeting the lowest of standards on that front. But what about kids who aren’t making it to school at all? Think of how much more we are letting them down. According to data from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, public school students in the state have an approximately 25.6% rate of chronic absenteeism. It is a problem to which many ...

Homelessness remains a growing problem in the US

“No American should face homelessness,” reads the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s news release accompanying the January 2024 Point-In-Time Count Report. Yes, the data is a year old, but each year’s snapshot give us a better understanding of how many in our communities are facing just that. During the look at the number of individuals in shelters, temporary housing and unsheltered settings, researchers found more than 770,000 people were experiencing homelessness on that one night in January. That was an 18% increase from the same point-in-time in 2023. HUD ...

Annual New Year’s don’t drink and drive message

The message is one we feel obliged to repeat this time each year. There are some people across our country, across our state and across our own area who will awaken today with a brand new year in the offing helped along with a drink or more. There will be so much promise and anticipation for 2025. These folks will celebrate and share good times tonight with family and friends as midnight beckons the fleeting hands of 2024’s clock. They will sing —or slur — along to “Auld Lang Syne.” Even if they don’t know all of the words. Which, actually, most of us couldn’t recite while ...

Lawmakers have no sense of urgency on property tax issue

It is not just federal elected officials who have dropped the ball for their constituents as they got tired of pretending to work on our behalf before their holiday break. In Columbus, necessary change was avoided when Senate Bill 271 and House Bill 263 failed to advance, stalling the effort to reform property taxes. Nearly everyone agrees something must be done to protect taxpayers. But that knowledge has not translated into any sense of urgency. “I’ve talked to so many of our seniors, and sometimes crying over the phone, regarding this property tax issue,” state Sen. Hearcel ...

A thanks to the dedicated public defenders

To the editor: A thank you to the attorneys who serve Columbiana County as public defenders. They are professionals who help to keep our local courts running smoothly. Without experienced and competent defense lawyers, our justice system suffers. Cases may be delayed and court dockets can become backlogged arguably resulting in a waste of scarce public resources. Public defenders not only contribute to efficiency, they aid in remedying situations leading to court involvement. Defense attorneys often are the ones who facilitate counseling or substance abuse treatment for ...