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Opinion

Parents are first line of defense

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: In my years serving Wellsville, I’ve seen firsthand that strong families are the foundation of our town. As a former councilman and school board member, I understand parents’ unique challenges in raising children in today’s digital age. While the online world offers immense opportunities, it also presents significant risks that parents must navigate to protect their children. Across Ohio, parents are the first line of defense for their children’s safety, teaching right from wrong and guiding them toward success. The same standard should apply online, but the ...

China weaponizing minerals monopoly

Local Columns

For more than a decade, Washington has talked a big game about breaking China’s grip on the world’s mineral supplies. And both presidents Trump and Biden have labeled America’s mineral vulnerability—along with China’s mineral dominance—an unacceptable and urgent risk. The alarming reality is this: China’s grip on the world’s mineral supply chains is growing tighter. And America’s reliance on Chinese minerals is growing deeper. This is a crisis that demands to be an important election issue. Now, China is all but goading candidates Trump and Harris to make it one. ...

Prisons for juveniles may not work well

Editorials

Members of a working group tasked with helping the Ohio Department of Youth Services understand how best to work with younger offenders reported something that may seem obvious to most. “The younger the kids are, generally the worse they do in a secure congregate environment,” the group’s report said. Therefore, the group recommended, children under age 14 should not be placed in one of Ohio’s three juvenile prisons, according to a report by WOUB. The group recommended alternative placement for those 13 and under, and that non-violent first-time offenders could go to one of the ...

The anniversary of a horrific day

Editorials

Today marks the 23rd anniversary of one of the most horrific days in the history of the United States. Yes, it has been that long already. If you need to be told exactly what significant, nation-altering event we are observing then, well, you are not much of an American. Period. Tributes and memorials will mark today since the acts of terrorism across our skies with planes plunging to earth and creating mass casualties. We remember the tragedies of that day. We remember the sacrifices and acts of heroism. Local tributes will be paid throughout our region. Our area lost one of its own ...

This Ohio business is one to cheer on

Editorials

Ohio’s diversifying economy includes a new addition that can help tackle challenges ranging from environmental concerns to avoiding dependence on foreign companies. Nth Cycle in Fairfield will extract nickel and cobalt from scrap material to reduce reliance on open pit mining, avoid those same materials being dumped in landfills and avoid having to send the materials overseas for refining. Almost all of us are dependent on materials such as nickel and cobalt because of our use of lithium ion batteries. Nth Cycle builds systems that yield nickel and cobalt from a form of shredded ...

Ballot drop boxes are targeted once again

Local Columns

After a federal judge ruled a state law violated the voting rights of those with disabilities, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose again went after ballot drop boxes outside county boards of elections. LaRose, a Republican, issued a directive to county boards of elections requiring them to get signatures on attestations from those dropping off ballots for others in response to the federal decision that the state violated the Voting Rights Act by restricting who could return absentee ballots for those with disabilities. That means that a person who under state law is permitted to put a ...