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Ramaswamy proposes Ohio universities consolidation

Asked about his goal to eliminate the state’s income tax, Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican front-runner for governor, proposed consolidating Ohio’s universities. It was a curious response. Ramaswamy said: “The reason (eliminating the income tax is) possible is that you look at certain areas of excess spending where we can not just cut costs, but improve effectiveness. Look at the number of universities in our state. I love the universities in Ohio. I want us to have the best universities. But we have too many of them. They need to be consolidated. And when you consolidate them, ...

Conflict in the Middle East highlights need to rebuild domestic mining

The conflict in Iran is posing alarming questions about America’s munitions stockpile and its ability to replenish it. The challenge America faces is not just how quickly we can manufacture interceptor missiles, but whether we have reliable access to the minerals required to do so. Our extraordinary reliance on foreign sources—including geopolitical rivals—for the essential minerals that underpin modern military systems has become an Achilles’ heel. While the Trump administration has taken important steps to address our glaring minerals vulnerability—including investments in ...

The Perils of Isolation: Mental health impacts and the path to substance abuse and suicide

In an increasingly digital and often disconnected world, social isolation has become a growing concern for millions. Whether due to remote lifestyles, life transitions, geographic moves, or personal challenges, lacking meaningful connections can take a heavy toll on mental well-being. Far from being just a fleeting feeling of loneliness, prolonged isolation acts as a serious risk factor, quietly eroding emotional health and opening the door to more dangerous outcomes like substance misuse and suicidal thoughts. The mental health consequences of isolation are deep and wide-ranging. ...

Mahoning Valley’s future begins in the classroom

Five years ago, we saw the Mahoning Valley on the cusp of economic growth it hadn’t seen in years, perhaps decades. It frightened us. It frightened us because we weren’t sure we could provide enough human capital to fill all the jobs being created by large companies, including Fortune 200 firms, locating and expanding here. Any failure could come at the expense of our existing, locally owned businesses who might not have the wherewithal to compete for their workforce needs. Then, last year, we assisted Hubbard art teacher Josh MacMillan’s volunteer effort to organize the ...

DeWine missed opportunities to address key issues in Ohio

During his final State of the State address this week, Gov. Mike DeWine declined to discuss in detail — and not at all in some cases — the main issues that are important to Ohioans today: property taxes, the electric grid, rising utility costs and the economy. But that came as little surprise as DeWine, who is serving his eighth and final year as governor, has a different agenda than his fellow Republicans, who control the state House and Senate. DeWine took an active role in property tax reform after vetoing four items in the state budget dealing with it last year. After some ...

Strokes can be prevented as we age

Editor’s Note: The following column was original published May 9, 2020. Thanks to breakthroughs in medicine and nutrition in recent years, we are living longer than ever before. But this increase in life expectancy also brings an increase in the number of diseases, injuries and impairments that affect older adults. With this in mind, we at the Salem Visiting Angels office have created this series of articles to keep our older population and their families informed and to offer some practical advice for meeting the challenges faced by seniors and those who care for them. ...