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Reality: Ohio is growing because people follow jobs

Local Columns

Recent headlines have suggested that Ohio’s population is destined for long-term decline, citing projections from a state development report that rely heavily on birth and death rates. While those demographic trends matter, they tell only part of the story and overlook one of the most important drivers of population growth: economic opportunity. The reality is that Ohio is growing, and it’s growing because people follow jobs. The analysis in question focuses on natural population change (births minus deaths) but does not fully account for domestic migration, particularly the ...

Reality: Ohio is growing because people follow jobs

Local Columns

Recent headlines have suggested that Ohio’s population is destined for long-term decline, citing projections from a state development report that rely heavily on birth and death rates. While those demographic trends matter, they tell only part of the story and overlook one of the most important drivers of population growth: economic opportunity. The reality is that Ohio is growing, and it’s growing because people follow jobs. The analysis in question focuses on natural population change (births minus deaths) but does not fully account for domestic migration, particularly the ...

Chronic absenteeism is a major issue in schools

Editorials

At first glance, the pledge by Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce to reduce chronic absenteeism by 50% no later than 2029 in the state’s public schools sounds like a pie-in-the-sky pipedream that stands slim to no chance of ever entering the realm of reality. After all, chronic absenteeism — defined as a student missing 10% or more of the school year for any reason — has catapulted to the top or near the top of major challenges confronting public education in Ohio and throughout the nation. It’s done so for good reason. Statewide 1 in 4 students ...

Congressional candidates facing struggle to defeat incumbents Rulli, Joyce

Local Columns

Those challenging the two incumbents who represent the Mahoning Valley — U.S. Reps. Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge, and Michael Rulli, R-Salem — face tremendous odds to beat them. Defeating a sitting member of the U.S. House is very difficult. With the power of incumbency comes name recognition and a considerable amount of money, largely provided by political action committees who know the reliable votes of those already serving in Congress, particularly for a long time. OpenSecrets, a website that provides data and analysis of money in politics, also tracks the reelection rate of U.S. ...

Carbon monoxide: The silent killer

Local Columns

EDITOR’S NOTE: This column was originally published March 21, 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 local Visiting Angels office in Salem 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. ...

Let’s resolve to assist ‘justice-involved youth’

Editorials

Ohio young people face a range of challenges, but children who find themselves part of the juvenile correctional system are staring down hurdles most of us cannot imagine. Rather than having some time in a juvenile correctional facility become a life sentence that dampens their opportunities forever, the Ohio Department of Youth Services is working toward providing educational and vocational opportunities for what it calls “justice-involved youth.” To that end, Gov. Mike DeWine and Department of Youth Services Director Amy Ast attended the opening earlier this month of a new career ...