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Mahoning Valley’s future begins in the classroom

Local Columns

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

Local Columns

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

Local Columns

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. ...

Affordable housing remains a challenge for many Ohioans

Editorials

Affordable housing remains a challenge for Ohioans — and that challenge only grows as rent puts a greater strain on an increasing number of households. According to the 2026 Gap Report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, there are 422,098 extremely low-income renters in the state, and 73% of those report spending more than half their income on rent. That is an increase from 66% only five years ago. “For people at the bottom of the pay scale, rent is gobbling up most of their paychecks. But this report shows the rent ...

DeWine’s final address, rightly so, focused on educating youth

Editorials

In his final State of the State address, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was right to spend so much time on education — particularly reading. If we aren’t giving our children the best start possible, it’s hard to see how public officials are going to be able to get much else right. They’ll just be playing catch-up. But there are bright spots on that horizon. DeWine’s persistence regarding the Science of Reading may be helping our youngest readers improve their reading performance. The governor and his team at the Department of Education and Workforce must be seeing evidence that has ...

Law Enforcement Accreditation Program available for agencies

Editorials

Given that Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services data shows there were 2,837 “use of force” incidents from 1,040 police agencies in the state in 2025, one would think law enforcement agencies would be clamoring to take advantage of the new Ohio Collaborative Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. Established in 2024, the program gives law enforcement agencies an opportunity to demonstrate they are meeting standards set by the state Public Safety Department. “If an agency is willingly opening their doors to criticism, that shows great leadership. Having someone else come in and ...