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Protect yourself from utility scams

Nearly all of us have been on the receiving end of an attempt to scam us out of our hard-earned money — particularly in the digital age. Utility scams are fairly common, and many of us probably think we know how to sniff them out. Still, according to AEP Ohio, more than 2,000 scam attempts have been reported to that company alone so far this year. That’s 2,000 the company knows about. Who knows how many have gone unreported, or who might have fallen victim? “We care about our customers and want to help keep them safe from bad actors. Scammers are getting more sophisticated, and ...

Hard times and tough choices

Perhaps you’ve heard the expression that being poor is expensive. But either you are or have been in that position and understand exactly what that means, or it is very difficult for you to understand. Those who organized the Cost of Poverty Experience in Marietta earlier this week did their best to shed some light on what low-income families experience every day. Participants assigned real family profiles tried to navigate four 15-minute sessions, each representing a week in poverty. Decisions about housing, employment, child care and transportation under tight financial ...

The right recipe to eliminate food deserts

Ohio is riddled with food deserts. Affordable, accessible fresh foods and healthy options for grocery shopping are not available to as many as 2 million residents. A report this year by the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies found 67 counties with at least one food desert, though in some counties, there are several. And it’s not just rural populations suffering. Nearly 60% of Cleveland residents are in food deserts. WTOL reports the U.S. Department of Agriculture calls most of Toledo a food desert. “When I lived in the inner city of Toledo on the north end, ...

Let’s hope lawmakers choose us

A report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland delivered some unsettling news as we roll toward the holiday season. Indicators suggest there is a 24% chance the U.S. economy was in recession last month. The Cleveland Fed represents Ohio and parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky, where the Ohio Capital Journal noted there have been a number of worrying indicators. Credit card debt is rising faster in Ohio than in all but four other states. We had the fifth-highest unemployment rate in the country in August (the Capital Journal notes “despite years of spending billions ...

Doing good in memory of Haddie

The family of Hadassah “Haddie” Marie Williams, Belpre Church of Christ and a host of community partners have opened an accessible playground in Civitan Park, dedicated to Haddie’s memory. It is designed to be an accessible play structure for children of all abilities. Civitan Park also has a free little library sponsored by the Haddie Fund. After Haddie’s death in 2018, the church supported creation of that fund, which “exists to bless and equip children and families in the Mid-Ohio Valley dealing with medical handicaps,” according to Haddie’s mother, Kate. Those who ...

High education costs outweigh house income

Though a well-trained, well-educated and skilled workforce is more important than ever, students seeking a higher education to prepare them for their careers are having a harder time being able to afford it. Sure, many people still believe having a college degree will translate to higher earnings, but students are increasingly challenged to decide whether the expense of that education (or the long-term debt they may incur) is worth the risk. According to WalletHub, the cost of attending a four-year public college has risen by an average of 30% over the past 20 years. And that cost ...