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For sake of citizens, not feds, voter data must be accurate

While some states are fighting back against U.S. Justice Department requests for access to their voter registration lists and other elections information, Ohio has begun the four-year process of ensuring voter rolls here are as clean as they can be. Among the states that have received requests from the federal government so far, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Wisconsin have simply said “no.” Officials there say they have questions about the legality of the requests and how the information will be used. After all, state (and, really, county) elections officials are responsible for ...

Stress to kids that, yes, bad people are out there

Earlier this week, the Jackson Township (Ohio) Police Department conducted “Operation Unsportsmanlike Conduct,” in which it targeted predators traveling in an attempt to solicit sex from children, over a multi-day operation. According to a report by WOIO, the operation resulted in the arrests of seven men who were allegedly trying to engage in sexual activity with girls they believed to be under the ages of 13, 14 and 15. Stark County court records showed those girls were actually undercover police officers being contacted through cell phones, thank goodness. But think about that ...

Could the GOP reunite Valley in one district?

With Republican leaders in Ohio seeking to draw congressional districts to give the party more seats in the U.S. House, the possibility exists that Mahoning and Trumbull counties could be reunited in a single district. Republicans currently hold 10 of the state’s congressional seats with the other five in the hands of Democrats. When Republicans drew the lines in 2022, the intention was to give Democrats two safe seats and have three tossup seats that slightly favored Democrats that could be won by GOP candidates. Democrats won those three tossup seats in 2022 and 2024. U.S. Rep. ...

State Representative Robb Blasdel deserves praise

To the editor: As a mom, I’m constantly worried about what kids are doing online. Every week it seems like there’s a new app children want to download, and parents have no idea what half of them actually do or if they’re appropriate for different ages. Our State Representative feels the same way and is taking action! Representative Robb Blasdel, a mom of two young girls, knows how important protecting our kids online is and I am thankful for her leadership on this issue! I support the App Store Accountability Act, introduced as House Bill 226 and Senate Bill 167. This ...

Intel project in Ohio becoming a failure

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when Gov. Mike DeWine, leaders of the Ohio Department of Development and JobsOhio learned the “well, actually …” that should have been attached to news a couple of weeks ago that Intel was going to “further slow the pace of construction in Ohio.” It was a red flag then that the company did not announce a new expected completion date. Now we know why. According to a report by WCMH, Intel also said it might have to stop work on the Ohio facility altogether if it cannot find external customers for its new 14A technology, which will not even ...

Added roadside truck parking spaces planned

Ever been driving out the interstate and watched a commercial truck swerve a little — maybe cross the center line and quickly right itself — and wonder how in the world they drive as much and as often as they do and keep themselves and the rest of us safe? Well, the truth is (just like drivers of smaller vehicles) sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they make mistakes because they are distracted. Other times, it is because they are exhausted. But Ohio officials have a plan to make a difference on that front by adding at least 1,400 truck parking spaces across the state where drivers ...