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A year later and East Palestine strong, indeed

The harshest of tragedies usually come unexpectedly. Call it the randomness of fate. Call it the worst of plain old lousy luck. But the whole of East Palestine was carrying a bull’s eye on its back a year ago. The recovery and healing will continue for weeks, months and years. As devastating as the derailment was — which, of course, never should have happened — community residents directly impacted have been remarkable in coming back and leading, in varying degrees, normal lives. Also, good — actually quite wonderful — is that not a single death occurred due to the ...

Ohio lawmakers continue with their power madness

Ohio lawmakers have gone power mad, as they continue their march to prove they are uninterested in allowing families, doctors, schools, or even local governments to make their own decisions. In their most recent override of one of Gov. Mike DeWine’s vetoes, legislators flexed their muscles to keep local governments from being able to regulate tobacco in their own communities. DeWine had rightly criticized the Home Rule-violating measure, pointing out it helps the tobacco companies and keeps communities from deciding how they want to protect their kids from poisons such as flavored ...

Ohio: ‘The heart of it all’ or just half-hearted?

Though the signs are up all across Ohio, elected officials still feel compelled to remind us that the Buckeye State is “the heart of it all.” Lt. Gov. Jon Husted took another such opportunity on Monday when he visited the Rotary Club of Toledo to talk about the jobs landscape. According to a report by WTOL, Husted said of the revived slogan: “We brought it back because we are a state that’s growing. We have more jobs than people to fill them right now.” In fact, WTOL says Husted told the group there are 16,000 open positions in northwest Ohio alone, in a variety of different ...

Give the plow drivers respect and some room

Driving can be tricky during winter storms such as the one just experienced here. For some, the need to travel wins out over being patient and waiting for weather to clear up and roads to be properly treated. That means some drivers are out and about at the same time as snow plows and salt trucks — and not necessarily with a proper understanding of the rules of the road. According to a report by FOX Weather, there have been at least 13 crashes involving snow plows in Ohio so far this year. “Folks, I can’t stress this enough: Pay attention and give our crews room to work,” said ...

Schools officials need to acquire AI knowledge

There’s plenty of talk about artificial intelligence technology — AI — but not everyone has a handle on how to use it responsibly in their workplace. As Ohio’s teachers consider how AI might be useful in their classrooms, it is encouraging to know that Ohio is one of only 11 in the country preparing policy guidance for K-12 schools on AI platforms such as ChatGPT, according to a report by Axios. It’s not just a matter of how to use AI, but also how to avoid (and spot) misuse. When the Center on Reinventing Public Education asked states how they approach the use of AI, at the ...

HB 348 is an interesting approach to absenteeism

In Ohio, the number of students missing a significant amount of school time has become such a concern that two lawmakers have pitched what may seem like an outlandish idea. State Reps. Bill Seitz, R-Green Twp., and Dani Isaacsohn, D-Evanston, want to establish a pilot program that would offer cash incentives for both attendance and high school graduation, according to a report by the Cincinnati Enquirer. “It’s about getting back to the culture of being in school every day,” Isaacsohn said. Lawmakers and school officials are so desperate because approximately one-third of Ohio ...