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Ohioans deserve better from their public officials

Last Monday, Ohioans learned another significant figure has been indicted in the bribery scandal that exposed the dark side of Columbus politics. Former chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Sam Randazzo was indicted by a federal grand jury on bribery and embezzlement charges for his alleged part in what federal prosecutors have called the largest political bribery scandal in Ohio history. As part of an agreement, FirstEnergy has said two of its former executives paid Randazzo $4.3 million ahead of his appointment by Gov. Mike DeWine to be the state regulator overseeing ...

Increased transportation could be heading down Ohio’s tracks

Though passenger railroads once criss crossed our region, Ohio has become flyover country for many in the U.S. Those living in the Buckeye State who wish to travel have largely been limited to planes and automobiles, as the option to board trains has disappeared. But expansion projects announced Tuesday by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, may change that. U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration officials have selected four routes in Ohio as priorities for Amtrak expansion: Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati, the 3C+D corridor; Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit; ...

Let us not forget what happened 82 years ago

It was the most profound and cowardly sneak attack in the history of man. At exactly 7:55 a.m., on Dec. 7, 1941, the United States was suddenly plunged into a great conflict that would become World War II. The Imperial Japanese Navy struck at Pearl Harbor. And struck hard. The United States’ Pacific Fleet was ravaged. The Japanese sank four battleships, three cruisers and three destroyers. Destroyed were 188 American aircraft. Wounded were 1,282 service personnel. The American death total numbered 2,402. What took the Japanese mere minutes to do on a beautiful Hawaiian Sunday morning ...

District Judge is making the right decisions for Ohioans

U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett is right to avoid the mistakes made by politicians such as Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, as he denies a group of anti-abortion advocates the ability to advise on litigation over abortion clinic transfer agreements. Barrett is working on how the abortion rights amendment Ohio residents approved last month will be affected by the case. And the national, state and local-level anti-abortion groups and individuals who banded together made it easy for Barrett to dismiss them when they told the court they have “direct and vital interests in ...

Do not sound alarms over pediatric outbreak

For Ohio parents, another health worry has crept its way into the state, though officials suggest it may not warrant the alarm bells some are sounding. With 145 children between the ages of 3 and 14 having been diagnosed with pneumonia since August, Warren County has made Ohio the first in the nation to report an outbreak of pediatric pneumonia. Though numbers so high make it tempting for some to add a label to the trend and even begin to invent new conspiracy theories, health officials say no novel/new respiratory diseases are being found to have caused the increase in cases. In fact, ...

Not buckling up defies sheer logic

For most people, putting on a seat belt shortly after sitting down in a vehicle is simply habit — and that’s as it should be. But too many still ignore the data that shows wearing a seat belt can save their lives … and ignore that it is against the law not to wear one. According to Ohio State Highway Patrol data released last week, there have been 2,847 people killed in Ohio since 2018 who were not wearing a seat belt. “Properly buckling up, every time you get into a motor vehicle reduces the risk of sustaining serious injuries or death in a crash,” said Col. Charles A. ...