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Cherish and preserve Christian unity

By Mark Wilmoth If the Apostle Paul ever decides to write our church a letter (Yes, I know Paul’s been gone a while!), I hope it’s like Philippians. I don’t want a letter like 1 Corinthians, that lists all the problems in the church and dictates corrections. I certainly don’t want a letter like Galatians. In that one, Paul is so disturbed by the direction the Galatian church is taking that he skips the customary courtesies and begins to scold, saying, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a ...

Auditor answers FAQs about property values

Why have my property values changed? How are property values determined? These are often questions I get as county auditor. I want to address some of those questions as Washington County completes its Real Estate Valuation triennial update (ordered by the Ohio Department of Taxation) and as property owners begin receiving postcards with information about their tentative new property values. Below, I answer some FAQs about the “how’s” and “why’s” of property valuation. Where can I find out my property values? Property values can be viewed on the county auditor’s website ...

Et tu, Rufus?

Ohio State plays Ohio University this Saturday. A heated in-state rivalry? Not really. It’s a “warm-up” game for OSU which is heavily favored. The last game was September 18, 2010. OSU won 43-7, but an unexpected game day event captured all the attention. Last Sunday’s (9/7/2025) ...

It is hard to imagine a world without the internet

The internet, the interconnected world-wide network of computers that includes websites, apps and devices, has become such an integral part of our lives that it is hard to imagine life without it. Most people feel as though it has improved their lives. It has made life more convenient. Better though, is debatable. Were things better pre-internet? We can’t, of course, put the genie back in the bottle, but let’s look at some of the things that have changed our culture. Maps. People once used giant sheets of paper with lines that were symbolic of roads. They used these ancient ...

God’s guaranteed income

By Mark Wilmoth Kelsey Piper, a well-respected Stanford grad who is appreciated in liberal circles because of her consistent emphasis on effective altruism and her association with publications like Vox and The Argument, recently raised eyebrows when she published a column headed “Giving People Money Helped Less Than I Thought It Would.” In the column, Piper laments the failure of a liberal tenet: Guaranteed Basic Income. Piper, like many on the left, once believed that those in crisis – single moms, the homeless and families struggling with poverty – would be able to turn their ...

Fall lawn care

By J.J. Barrett Hello Mid-Ohio Valley farmers and gardeners! Unfortunately, we have hit a dry spell throughout the last six weeks here in the Valley. Hopefully we get some rain in the next few weeks as we near the end of the growing season. When you clean up the garden, it is a good idea ...