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Lives depend on doing better for ALL

Officials have known for years there are maternal healthcare challenges in Ohio, but it always comes as a shock to see the numbers. This month, the state Department of Health announced it is hosting trainings for some new programs meant to help prevent the deaths of mothers due to pregnancy-related complications. Such programs are necessary because in the Buckeye State an average of 24 mothers die every year during pregnancy or within one year of the end of their pregnancy, because of pregnancy-related complications. The Department of Health says 62% of these deaths are considered ...

Officials have a responsibility to all Buckeye State residents

State officials on Tuesday announced 17 economic development projects that have received approval from the Ohio Tax Credit Authority, in the hope those projects will result in more than $148 million in new payroll and more than $1.1 billion in investments. It is an impressive list that is projected to create 2,347 jobs and retain another 8,592. In Logan, Madison, Sandusky, Marion, Cuyahoga, Lake, Crawford, Wyandot, Wood, Lucas, Williams, Butler, Montgomery and Clark counties, these projects range from a new Net World Sports location in London, Ohio, for which the company will receive ...

Protections against elder abuse

Our region’s population is aging, and that growing older population is increasingly vulnerable to a number of abuses. Sometimes they fall victim to complex scams, in this digital age. Sometimes they fall prey to those they should most be able to rely on. WalletHub estimates elder abuse is an issue that costs more than $2.3 billion per year. But the human toll is incalculable. Certainly, policymakers do their best to put in place measures to stem everything from gross neglect and exploitation to financial abuse. But some parts of the country are doing better than others. Fortunately ...

Lawmakers prioritize online safety

A Pew Research Center study shows approximately 20% of teenagers report social media has damaged their mental health. Interacting with online platforms (this includes video games and chats, too) can create a host of ways for young people to endanger not just their mental health, but their physical safety, too. U.S. Sens. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and John Thune, R-S.D., are joining Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in supporting the Kids Online Safety Act, which would help protect kids’ personal data on these online platforms AND give ...

Ohio is the heart of manufacturing

Data centers are getting a lot of attention in Ohio, but one organization reminds us the backbone of the Buckeye State economy is still an industry with a more human touch. The Ohio Manufacturing Association released its 2025 Ohio Manufacturing Counts report Thursday, in which the analysis shows manufacturing is the largest private sector contributor to the state’s economy. Manufacturing supports jobs, income, exports and investment. The association says it also continues to make progress in efficiency and environmental metrics. “Manufacturing sets the pace for Ohio’s ...

What we have here is worth protecting

Work to preserve our region’s incredible natural treasures and the environment that sustains us all is most effective at the local level. Through the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, that work gets done with the help of grant funding for “locally led conservation and environmental stewardship efforts that advance the greater well-being of the region.” This year, with the help of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, the group awarded more than $120,000. Community grants included Base Camp Alpha in Jackson County, Caldwell Exempted Village School District in Noble County, ...