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Case shows importance of those who watch out for kids

A Vinton County case in which 16 children were rescued from horrifying conditions and four adults now face child endangerment charges has raised a host of questions. One that repeatedly surfaces is how in the world no one noticed what was happening to those children, inside that house. The answer highlights the crucial role of public school truancy officers and the safeguard we take away from kids when we allow them to be removed from the public school setting without proper monitoring and assessment. NBC 4 requested records from Gallia County, where it reports the local school ...

Keep party politics out of the judiciary (editorial for 7/16)

If one takes a step back and looks at the matter logically, Ohio’s requirement that candidates in state supreme court races bear partisan labels is ridiculous. Add to that the decision that allowed judges to endorse political candidates and the situation is laughable. But three former state supreme court justices weren’t laughing last week when they took part in a nationwide effort to protest the politicization of judge’s seats and threats to the independence of the judiciary. Yvette McGee Brown, Michael P. Donnelly and former Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor were part of ...

Consider being part of Ohio’s polling place team

As Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office prepares for a $1 million initiative to recruit and train another 40,000 poll workers before November, the folks at the local level understand this isn’t about volume as much as it is about preparedness. LaRose says the effort updates requirements and resources to ensure poll workers are prepared to serve voters professionally, efficiently and in accordance with Ohio law. And Mandy Amos, director of the Washington County Board of Elections says that’s got a lot to do with the anticipation ahead of hotly contested races for governor ...

First place ranking should only inspire harder work

Even as there is plenty of room for improvement, Ohio is making an impression, as CNBC has named it the country’s top state for business in 2026. It’s the first time the Buckeye State has topped the list. Back in March, Gov. Mike DeWine used his State of the State address to talk about the efforts being made in Columbus: “We’ve been strategically focused on making Ohio literally the go-to state for business,” he said. Ohioans living in some regions can be forgiven for wondering what in the world is going on in other states, but according to CNBC, Ohio has not only low ...

State-mandated civic centers could have opposite effect

One wonders whether Ohio Senate Finance Chairman Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, sees the irony in railing against an alleged liberal agenda and bias in education while simultaneously proclaiming “We have to change people’s minds and hearts,” with state-mandated “intellectual diversity” civics centers teaching his version of American history and political science on state college campuses. Required by 2025’s state Senate Bill 1, the centers are paired with a ban on public universities in Ohio having diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; and “bias” in classrooms. The ...

Don’t leave unclaimed funds in hands of state

Perhaps not enough Ohioans have been trying to reclaim their money, as the state Department of Commerce Division of Unclaimed Funds has recruited Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel for a campaign to encourage them to search for and claim some of the approximately $4.8 billion in state coffers that does not actually belong to the state. The money could be from dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, stocks and bonds, utility deposits, unclaimed wages and more. Because of a new law that introduces a 10-year deadline on claiming those funds, some people are running out of time before their money really ...