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Funding supports work that is long overdue

Years ago, a few politicians and elected officials began to understand it was irresponsible to ignore the downturn in the coal industry. Though acknowledging it at the time drew significant pushback from those clinging to bygone days, today we welcome the support of those in state and federal government who are rooted enough in reality to be looking for ways to support individuals and communities affected by that downturn. This week, the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, along with the Ohio Department of Development, announced more than $6 million in funding from the Appalachian ...

Bipartisan rail safety bill must not be ignored

Rail safety reform is not a matter of partisan politics – or it shouldn’t be, anyway. But since February 2023, when a derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, ignited renewed calls for reform, politicians in Washington, D.C., have sat on their hands while their friends in the railroad industry made promises and assurances that weren’t worth the paper their public relations teams hoped it would be printed on. This week, U.S. Sens. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., are giving it another shot, with a bill that would increase pay for federal railroad inspectors and ...

Low unemployment only part of the picture for Ohio

A new analysis shows that while Ohio officials have a little reason to be proud of relatively low unemployment rates, the bigger picture is disturbing. Job growth is slowing to a crawl. Policy Matters Ohio reports one reason for slowed job growth alongside low unemployment is that employers are more cautious about hiring. Nationwide, there is stronger than expected hiring, but Policy Matters researcher Molly Bryden told the Ohio Capital Journal that signals more a recovery from an earlier slowdown than a continued upward trend. And here in the Buckeye State, the number of people ...

OMA effort a good lesson for economic development officials

Want to know what Ohio employers need? Ask the employers. A novel idea, maybe, but doing so helped the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association complete its Good Jobs Challenge grant eight months ahead of schedule, while blowing past every performance goal set. In 2022, the U.S. Economic Development Administration supported the $23.4 million initiative with the largest workforce investment in the association’s history. The idea was to scale up WorkAdvance, which lets employers take the lead in building the short-term job-skills, technical instruction and other supports that get them the ...

Community, veterans groups inspire through food drive

It's an incredible thing to be able to watch a community respond to those in need of a helping hand, as we have been privileged to be able to watch every year during what has become the Roy Trembly Annual Fall Food Drive, hosted by the Times in partnership with a collection of local veterans organizations that embody the idea of "completing the mission." The Marine Corps Veterans Association, Marine Corps League and AMVETS never miss an opportunity to serve. (Local representatives of the VA never miss a chance to offer flu shots or a listening ear to the veterans they help keep healthy, ...

Anti-measles vaccine nonsense dangerous for Ohioans

Have you gotten your annual flu or COVID-19 shots yet this season? It’s a good idea, both because it protects you and your families AND because it helps protect those in more vulnerable populations. For many of us, getting those two protections has become simply part of the fall routine — and rightly so. Similarly, for most families, making sure everyone is up to date on other vaccinations, such as against measles, is an important item to check off the list. An alarmingly increasing number of people are failing to take that step, however, and Ohio’s third measles outbreak of 2026 ...