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How could a prison drug operation gone unnoticed?

It’s a plot straight out of a movie. But this time, the main character is accused of spending more than seven years running a very real international drug operation … while incarcerated in the Ohio State Penitentiary. Brian Lumbus Jr., 43, of Cleveland, had help from Giancarlo Miserotti, 51, an Italian resident and citizen, according to U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko. Lumbus is among 11 people charged by federal authorities for smuggling opioids including fentanyl and other substances from foreign countries, through Italy, for sale in the U.S. “From the confines of the Ohio ...

Generations of future should be better off than the past

“The economy is good on paper, but I’m not doing great.” How many of us can identify with Steve Shapiro, of Pittsburgh, who was talking to the Associated Press about the increase in prices while his income has remained the same? In fact, a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed two out of every three Americans report their household expenses have increased over the past year, but only one in four of those same people said their income had increased during that time. About eight in 10 Americans say their overall household debt is higher or ...

Ohio Supreme Court must keep up fair elections fight

Those who continue to fight for constitutional and fair election maps in Ohio are now asking the state Supreme Court to reject not only the most recently adopted Statehouse maps, but also a motion to dismiss the case entirely. In fact, State Sen. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, and state Rep. Jeff LaRe, R-Violet Twp., (both members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission) entered that request for dismissal, and want the court to go further and dismiss the previous five Statehouse map rejections from the court in the last two years, according to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal. It will come ...

Clean energy to be worth the investment

As our region’s economy diversifies and (perhaps eventually) expands, there is encouraging news from the nonpartisan Environmental Entrepreneurs, which advocates for clean energy. According to its data, the 210 major energy projects announced since the Inflation Reduction Act took effect will create approximately 403,000 jobs. The biggest gains are expected in electric vehicles, battery storage and solar energy. “We’re in the biggest economic revolution we’ve seen in generations thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act and other clean energy policies,” said E2 executive director ...

Our veterans deserve gratitude from all of us

Since 1919, Americans have been celebrating a very special day on Nov. 11. Saturday is Veterans Day. It is a day of acknowledgment. It is a day of utmost respect and reverence. It is a day of thanks for those who helped pay the price for freedom. Please appreciate that sentiment. We stress this message each year. Our message should be your message. Originally called Armistice Day, President Wilson first declared Nov. 11 a day of remembrance following the end of hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany in World War I on Nov. 11, 1918 — the 11th hour of the 11th day of the ...

More resources available for survivors of the opioid crisis

Among the cultural changes that came with the substance abuse epidemic in our region was the dramatic increase in the number of grandparents who found themselves raising their grandchildren. That meant financial strain for those who might suddenly have had to miss work for anything ranging from court dates to school functions, maybe burning through savings that were meant to cushion an upcoming retirement, having (again) to pay for clothes, supplies, food and everything else that comes with having children in the home and a host of other expenses. Of the approximately $631 billion ...