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Medicaid funding cuts would hit Ohioans hard

Elected officials across the country are bracing for proposed cuts to Medicaid as the federal government looks to change the way it spends taxpayer dollars. In West Virginia, Republican U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito is concerned enough about how such cuts would affect her state that she has emphasized the need to root out fraud, institute a work requirement and include other accountability measures before looking to cuts. But, according to a report by The Commonwealth Fund, Ohio is among the five states that would see the greatest economic losses from cuts to Medicaid funding. ...

Paranoia in older adults

Editor’s Note: The following column was previously published June 3, 2023. 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. ...

To all the good moms: Have a great weekend

A very heartfelt happy Mother’s Day weekend along with roses, hugs and smooches for all the good moms out there — from the first-time mothers to elderly moms who realize that being a parent does not end when a child became an adult. Granted, there are many “bad” moms out there. We all know who they are. This tribute isn’t for them. But aren’t we lucky to have oh so many great moms around here? There are no age boundaries. A parent is always a parent. And the good ones realize that and pass it along to their children — with heaps of affection shown throughout the years in ...

America has resources to confront China’s extortion

It is no secret that China has weaponized control of the world’s mineral supply chains. We’ve already seen this when both the Biden and Trump administrations challenged China’s unfair trade practices. Beijing has responded by simply restricting or banning the export of minerals needed for America’s economy and defense industrial base. China’s ever-growing chokehold on mineral supply chains—and U.S. reliance on imports—has been America’s Achilles’ heel for more than a decade. According to recent government analysis, the U.S. is import-reliant for 40 critical minerals, ...

Lawmakers finally act to end a $400K daily burden

Ohio lawmakers finally acted in concert to rid Ohioans of a nearly $400,000 a day burden when they voted to end the subsidies for two outdated and unprofitable coal-fired power plants — one of which is in Indiana. The Ohio Valley Electric Corp. plants had been getting bailed out by a “legacy generation rider” in the infamous House Bill 6, back in 2019. For some, subsidies in HB 6 for coal-fired plants were deemed worse than those for nuclear plants, as the 1950s-era coal-fired plants were producing electricity that wasn’t needed, and are significant polluters. “It was an ...

Hefty campaign donations illustrate the power of incumbency of candidates

Once in Congress, raising money becomes considerably easier. The longer you’re there, the more cash you collect — particularly from political action committees as they love winners and those who they view as allies or at least those who can help them. U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge, is serving his seventh two-year term representing the 14th Congressional District, which has Trumbull as its second most-populous county behind Lake. Joyce’s campaign always has excelled at raising money. Serving on the House Appropriations Committee and as chairman of the Financial Services and ...