Breaking News

Opinion

Ballot language can mislead voters

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: By law in Ohio, no one can try and influence your vote at the polling place. Ohio Revised Code 3501.35 specifically says that, “During an election and the counting of the ballots, no person shall....Solicit or in any manner attempt to influence any elector in casting the elector’s vote” But this year, the State government is breaking that law right inside the voting booth. The ballot language for State Issue One approved by the Ohio Ballot Board and the Secretary of State is written in such a way such that most any reasonable person reading it would be ...

Message from the Columbiana County Humane Society Board

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: Dear friends of the Columbiana County Humane Society, the Board is moving beyond the misconceptions circulated recently on social media, and we are determined to develop a better plan for the animals of the county based not only on years of experience, but national standards and advice from successful shelter leaders. Back in July, we were in a position of depleted funds caused by mounting vet bills, overcrowded conditions that caused increased labor costs and overwhelming maintenance repairs to the facility. At that time, the Board made the hard decision to immediately ...

County prosecutor rips AG Yost’s voting indictments

Editorials

Ohio voters were not the only ones to raise an eyebrow at an announcement by state Attorney General Dave Yost earlier this week. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley had a thing or two to say about it as well. It turns out, one of the six green card holders indicted for allegedly voting illegally — Ramesh Patel, 68, previously of North Royalton, Ohio — has been dead for two years. The last time Yost’s office was accusing Patel of having voted illegally was in 2018. Despite Yost’s attention-getting effort, according to WOIO-TV, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s office ...

Watch for attention-grabbing attempts by Ohio politicians

Editorials

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced on Tuesday the indictment of six individuals living in Ohio for alleged illegal voting … in elections dating as far back as 2008. Ramesh Patel, 68, of North Royalton, was indicted in Cuyahoga County on one count of illegal voting for allegedly voting in 2014, 2016 and 2018 while lacking U.S. citizenship. Lorinda Miller, 78, of Hudson, was indicted in Summit County on two counts of illegal voting for allegedly voting in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 while lacking U.S. citizenship. Nicholas Fontaine, 32, of Kent, was indicted in Portage County on ...

Please heed National School Bus Safety Week

Editorials

Local drivers are, for the most part, back in the habit of obeying safety laws regarding school buses on the roads. But during this National School Bus Safety Week, it is important to remind ourselves not only of the rules but why they are so necessary. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the danger is not just for those still riding on a bus. Between 2013 and 2022 there were 1.5 times more fatalities among pedestrians than occupants of buses — 169 people were killed. During that time 111 school-aged children died in ...

Data supports benefits of distracted driving law

Editorials

After a year, Ohioans now have clear data to show the benefits of the state’s new distracted driving law. According to a report by the Columbus Dispatch, the law is being credited with an 11.6% decrease in crashes, a 19.4% decrease in fatalities — and a LOT more tickets issued. During the past year, state troopers have handed out 25,310 tickets for distracted driving. That’s a 263% increase over the previous year. That last data point might not sound like a good thing, but it is fantastic news. Before implementation of the law on Oct. 4, 2023, there were 55,857 crashes ...