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Happy New Year, everyone!

As we wrap up one year and look hopefully ahead to the next, most in our region are looking forward to the possibility of peace, prosperity, success … all the good things that are possible when the blank slate of an entire year stretches out before us. Sure, we take some accountability by assigning resolutions to ourselves — improvement plans to which we say we will stick for 365 days. (On the other hand, some eat their pork and sauerkraut and hope for the best knowing they’ve done their part.) But it is worth asking ourselves: What do we truly want for ourselves, our families, ...

More elderly than young children

Elected officials and policymakers in Ohio have plenty to work on in the coming years. We talk a lot about the loss of population, but there’s a follow-up to that: The Buckeye State’s population is shrinking AND aging. Data projections show that by 2040, the percentage of residents 65 or older will rise to 25%, while the percentage of those 85 and older will make an even more significant leap. This is not just an Ohio problem, of course. “For the first time in our nation’s history, we will have more older people than young children,” Ursel McElroy, director of the Ohio ...

Crippling labor shortages in the skilled trades

Those who have the opportunity to spend time with younger family members over this holiday break may be tempted to ask questions such as “What do you want to be when you grow up?” or “What are you studying in college?” A growing number of employers are hoping the answer to that question is plumber, carpenter or even conveyor belt repairperson. There are so few people entering (or staying in) the skilled trades that consulting firm McKinsey predicts an estimated imbalance of 20 job openings for every one net new employee between 2022 and 2032. Employers such as Walmart and ...

Federal funding halted without a clear reason

Ohio’s elected representatives in Washington, D.C., are doing their best to understand and overcome a bizarre federal decision to suspend the state’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership award. U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, along with U.S. Reps. Max Miller, Michael Turner, Robert Latta, David Joyce, Mike Carey, Michael Rulli and David Taylor, all R-Ohio, sent a letter earlier this week to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, asking him to restore the flow of funds to the Buckeye State program. This is in addition to a letter Husted sent to Lutnick on Dec. 11 asking for ...

Public should have time to weigh in

A group of Ohio lawmakers believes public bodies within the state should be required to allow public comment before decisions are made. It may come as a surprise to you that is not already the case, but state law requires only that the public be allowed to attend and/or listen to meetings. House Bill 609 would address that barrier to civic engagement with a revision “to require a public body to allow for public commentary and testimony before taking formal action on any item.” State Reps. David Thomas, R-Jefferson, and Meredith Craig, R-Smithville, are leading the bipartisan ...

Merry Christmas, everyone!

As the rush to Christmas day nears its end, families across the Mid-Ohio Valley are settling into their traditions and regaining their grasp on the reason for our celebration. Many will find themselves in candlelit sanctuaries singing “Silent Night” together as we remember the birth of an infant holy, tender and mild. Born in the humblest of circumstances to overwhelmed parents in a land that was not their own, but that of their ancestors, this child came with tidings of “peace,” and “good will toward men.” While we celebrate with strings of twinkling lights rather than a ...