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Protect school children with required vaccines

Sitting in the Ohio House Health Committee is state House Bill 561, a measure for which authors appear to have given as much thought to a catchy acronym as they did to the well-being of Ohio children. HB 561, “to revise the law governing childhood immunizations and exemptions and to name this act the Parental Clarity on Health Options and Information on Conscientious Exemptions ‘C.H.O.I.C.E.’ Act,” would eliminate the requirement for some Buckeye State children to get the hepatitis B vaccine and make changes to other vaccine regulations. It is similar to a host of other ...

Bill to improve online safety for children

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Washington, D.C., has been working on ways to better protect kids online by giving parents the right to receive safety notifications through Federal Trade Commission-regulated third-party providers. Versions of Sammy’s Law, introduced in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, are meant to help alert parents when their children are taking part in potentially risky interactions. U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, has joined Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Katie Britt, R-Ala.; along with U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and Buddy ...

Economic fragility felt by too many

Buckeye State residents don’t have to be reminded, but research from the Urban Institute might help elected officials and policymakers remember a significant number of their constituents are struggling with economic insecurity. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, the institute updated its 2023 research with help from U.S. Census Bureau data to look at “income fragility,” and other factors here. For example, the cost of average rent, groceries and daycare for two in Ohio is more than $55,000 per year. That means even those who aren’t sitting at or below the ...

Ramaswamy suggests college consolidation

Social media platforms can tempt politicians into hyperbole that doesn’t always match reality. It can tempt anyone to do that. So, Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy can perhaps be forgiven for wondering on Threads whether it is possible to eliminate the state income tax (the real question is, if we do, how do we pay for everything?), and suggesting the Buckeye State’s colleges and universities should be consolidated. “Look at the number of universities in our state. I love universities in Ohio. I want us to have the best universities,” Ramaswamy said, ...

‘Pay-it-forward’ event thanks community

Mid-Ohio Valley communities are filled with traditions we hold dear. Some of them are important fundraising or awareness efforts. Some of them are just cherished ways of giving back. Among the latter is the annual Waterford FFA hog roast, which has been running for more than four decades. Matt Hartline, agriculture teacher and FFA adviser, called it a “pay-it-forward event” that lets the FFA thank the community for its support. “We have a community service event; we just call it the hog roast,” he said. “We cook about 50 pork butts or pork shoulders, and we smoke those. ...

Do what you can for the Red Cross

“We never take a holiday because disasters never take a holiday.” As Wood County Commissioners recognized American Red Cross Month, Sharon Kesselring, executive director of the American Red Cross of the Ohio River Valley, reminded them just how vital the organization is to our communities. The Red Cross provides services to the armed forces, disaster services, training for CPR and first aid and, of course, blood and blood product services. Locally, Kesselring said the Red Cross helped 81 people, and “put more than $22,000 into the pockets of individuals that had suffered ...