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Did you remember to check your home smoke alarms?

Editorials

As you made your way around the house on Saturday changing clocks, watches and other devices that still require you to do so back one hour, did you remember to check the most important items in the house? Those would be your smoke detectors. The return of Eastern Standard Time represents a good reminder to check batteries in smoke detectors. Batteries need to be replaced at least once a year. It also is a good time to check on hardwired smoke detectors to make sure the units are working properly. Even those units have a battery backup in case of a power failure. The bottom line: ...

You can make your own difference in the election

Editorials

Leaders of both major political parties agree on one thing: The presidential election scheduled for Tuesday is among the most important in American history. Its outcome will shape our government, economy, even our society for many years to come, and may even come to truly define just who we are at this time. Your life and that of your children and grandchildren will be affected profoundly no matter who is elected. Don’t you want to have a say in the matter? To judge by voter turnouts in previous elections, many of your friends, family members, co-workers and neighbors simply don’t ...

Diabetes Awareness Month is observed in November

Editorials

With each month comes a new designated awareness, as advocates seize the opportunity to inform people in new and creative ways. Though it can be hard to keep track, the tactic is a good one. If, for example, there is an uptick in those seeking the various means of screening for cancers after October, the effort is well worth it. Important, too — particularly for area residents — is November’s Diabetes Awareness Month. According to the American Diabetes Association, 12.6% of Ohioans are diabetic. But those are just the patients who are aware of their condition. The U.S. Centers ...

ODOT preps for what’s to come with wintertime

Editorials

We’ve been spoiled with beautiful fall weather lately, and for most of us, the thought of travel-altering snow and ice still seems far away. Luckily for us, the folks at the Ohio Department of Transportation are preparing now for what we may eventually face. Inspections are underway throughout ODOT’s 12 districts covering the entire state. That includes our area. District 11 is headquartered in New Philadelphia and includes the counties of Columbiana, Carroll, Jefferson, Harrison, Belmont, Tuscarawas and Holmes. Mechanics and drivers are checking trucks and plows. Statewide, ODOT ...

Be mindful of the risks for kids trick or treating

Editorials

Forget about decades-old urban myths about razor blades and poisons hidden in Halloween candy, the real dangers tonight are more likely to come from inattentive drivers and children consuming candy that contains allergens. According to a report by The Hill, other risks include falls due to costumes that become a trip hazard (or reduce visibility), and candy that can lead to choking. Parents are advised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to feed children before sending them out for their candy, to reduce the chance they will snack on a treat that contains an ingredient to which ...

Manchin’s is right: There should be only one side

Editorials

I volunteered to get out before you all threw me out,” U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., said during a stop in Parkersburg Wednesday. Surely he knows how very much his work on our behalf has meant to Mountain State residents over the years, and that his determination to focus on that work — rather than the political theater and noise — has been deeply appreciated. It is likely Manchin would have been given the opportunity to leave on his own terms whenever he chose. But with the close of this chapter in his career comes the chance to speak freely about the state of politics in ...