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Report cards show range of success and struggle in Washington County schools

Report card day. For some students, it’s a chance to get excited about how well they’ve been doing; for others, it’s a day met with dread, as they are confronted with how much room for improvement they face. The same is true for school districts in Ohio, as the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s annual school report cards mean validation and celebration for some, and a reminder it’s time for others to make some significant adjustments. In Washington County, students are in school districts that received the full range of scores. Fort Frye Local School ...

Fall offers new chances to explore Ohio

It might not feel like it just yet, but fall is on its way. With the transition to colorful leaves and (for many of us) more comfortable weather comes yet another opportunity for Ohio to shine — especially for those who didn’t quite work the traveling bug out of their system over the summer. According to TourismOhio, the state offers “gold medal” leaf peeping opportunities, particularly at its 76 FREE state parks and Cuyahoga Valley National Park. For Mid-Ohio Valley residents, options include Forked Run, Strouds Run, Lake Hope, Hocking Hills, Burr Oak, Jesse Owens, Musingkum ...

Local babies, toddlers need our help, too

Too many in our region are experiencing needs that go beyond food, clothing, housing, transportation and medicine, as inflation just won’t let up. For parents of very young children, there is another necessity many of the rest of us don’t consider: diapers. "I don't know that folks are aware that diapers are a real need in our community and diaper insecurity is prevalent,” said Cammie Loane, registrar and financial clerk of the Marietta/Belpre Health Department, which has organized a Diaper Drive this month. If you’ve ever had to keep one (or more) baby or toddler supplied with ...

OMA must continue good work in building trust with feds

It is no small feat to reportedly mismanage something so terribly that the federal government steps in and says you’re done. But that’s what happened last year with Ohio’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center, for which the Office of Inspector General says the Ohio Department of Development failed to report accurate financial results and ensure subrecipient expenses were allowable. Now, the National Institute of Standards and Technology says it trusts the Ohio Manufacturer’s Association Educational and Industrial Development Institute to handle the job. OMA says it will be ...

Fighting food insecurity may be up to us

Most Ohio households are feeling the continuing and increasing squeeze of higher prices. Far too many are feeling that squeeze to a degree that is forcing them to make unsustainable decisions. According to a survey included in the Ohio Association of Foodbanks annual report, of the 2,644 food pantry visitors surveyed between April 18 and May 22, 57% of households were forced to choose between paying for utilities or paying for food. In households with children, that percentage increased to 65%. In addition, 63% said they had to choose between transportation or food and 59% said they had ...

Husted right to get rid of problematic staffer

Plenty of politicians are getting caught saying the quiet part out loud these days, but few have been as bold as Stephen Woytek, political director for U.S. Sen. John Husted, R-Ohio. Woytek was rightly fired by Husted after discovery of social media activity that at best indicates a person so out of touch he should not be working on Husted's campaign. At one point, he was using as his Facebook profile picture a photograph of soldiers from the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. That would be Hitler's personal bodyguard. Woytek's social media accounts also featured photos of him ...