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Lawmakers looking to expand AG’s authority

Ohio’s Supreme Court has already ruled the state attorney general cannot reject potential statewide ballot initiatives based solely on their titles. State lawmakers, many of whom are thinking no further ahead than state Attorney General Dave Yost, didn’t like the ruling and are putting together a measure that would expand the state attorney general’s authority to reject citizen ballot initiatives based on their title. According to a report by the Dayton Daily News, the proposal to make the state AG even more powerful was slipped in as an amendment to an otherwise unrelated bill ...

Samaritan is another way of saying angel

Our area is truly blessed with so many kind-hearted souls. Examples abound from bell ringers to those holding fund raisers of all kinds. Generosity and caring — especially toward children — is a trademark of the good folks of our communities. Selflessness is a characteristic. ‘Tis is truly the season of giving. We recently were on site for the annual Gingerbread Day in Salem. Over 600 children were treated to making gingerbread houses, meeting Santa and Mrs. Claus, interactive activities, eating goodies and taking home a number of items including mittens and stocking caps. All ...

Technology can be a wonderful thing. It also can be horrifying, particularly when the law does not keep up with innovations. Ohio lawmakers seem to be working to address one of those shortfalls, as the state House of Representatives just passed state Senate Bill 100, which makes it a crime to put or install a tracking device on someone else’s property without their consent. Seems like common sense, doesn’t it? But until the measure is signed in to law, use of, for example, an Apple AirTag to aid in stalking a victim is not in and of itself a crime. According to a report by the Ohio ...

Priorities must be kept in preventing elderly abuse

It’s easy to pick out areas in which we wish Ohio and West Virginia were doing better for residents. The list is long and varied. But in one category, both states are doing quite well. In WalletHub’s list of “States With the Best Elder-Abuse Protections,” Ohio is 4th in the country and the Mountain State is 9th. Not too shabby. Given the age of our states’ populations, those are important protections, indeed. Ohio’s 32nd ranking for prevalence (share of elder-abuse, gross-neglect and exploitation complaints; estimated elder fraud rate; and elder fraud loss amount per ...

Lawmakers seek to help Ohio farmers

Appalachian Ohio has been affected brutally by drought this year. Not just any drought, however, but “exceptional drought” for Guernsey, Noble and parts of some surrounding counties. Much of that region is represented by state Rep. Don Jones, R-Freeport, and he’s co-sponsored an effort to try to help farmers struggling to get by. Along with state House Finance Committee Chairman Rep. Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville, Jones is pitching a $10 million appropriation to the Ohio Department of Agriculture. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, that would nearly double the amount ...

Avoid turning holiday a celebration into a tragedy

As the holiday season gets into full swing, the Ohio State Highway Patrol is stepping up its focus on keeping us safe. Throughout the holiday season, the patrol says it plans to be highly visible and is “committed to removing dangerous and impaired drivers, keeping Ohioans and our visitors safe.” As Gov. Mike DeWine put it, there is never an excuse for driving impaired. Just because we are entering a season featuring plenty of celebration does not mean we throw our responsibilities to the wind. According to the OSHP, since 2019 there have been more than 72,000 impaired ...