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Who will stand up for those who need SNAP?

“As stated in our lapse of appropriation correspondence dated October 1, 2025, SNAP has funding available for benefits and operations through the month of October,” reads a letter dated Oct. 10 from Ronald Ward, acting associate administrator of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to regional and state agency SNAP directors. “However, if the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the Nation.” We know that last year there were approximately 1.4 ...

Grateful for ongoing support

United Way organizations across the country serve their communities by connecting those in need to resources to support them as they face their challenges. “When you donate to United Way, you help kids succeed. You help adults secure jobs. And you help families become healthier. Your support fuels our mission and creates stronger communities where all can thrive,” according to its website. Plenty of financial support comes from individuals, of course, but there are also reliable community partners who make a big difference for the organization. One of those partners is the ...

Don’t take anything from strangers

One can understand why U.S. Rep. Dave Taylor, R-2nd Dist. (southwestern Ohio, near Cincinnati), would want to distance himself from the appearance of an altered U.S. flag that appeared in the background — tacked onto a bulletin board behind a staffer — during a video call last week. But he has gone from describing the appearance of a flag that had a swastika tied into the red lines of the traditional U.S. flag as “vandalism,” to saying this is actually part of an effort in which he claims “numerous Republican offices” were “targeted” by a person who was allegedly handing ...

Welcoming Dougherty to her new post

Marietta College inaugurated its 21st president last week, with Dr. Kathleen Poorman Dougherty taking the helm at the nearly 200-year-old institution. The weight of time does not seem to be a burden to Dougherty, however, as those in attendance noted she does not fall prey to the tendency of those in academia to move at a snail’s pace. “She has a plan for executing initiatives with a level of speed that’s often missing in academia,” said Staff Council Chair and head soccer coach Joe Bergin. Good. It’s never good for an institution of higher learning to be stuck in the ...

Emphasizing abstinence isn’t working

Ohio is one of the few remaining states not to have a comprehensive sex education plan for its schools. A report by the Ohio Capital Journal presents the possibility that there may be a connection between that and some disturbing statistics. For example, the national birth rate for those between 15 and 19 years old is 13.1 per 1,000 females. In the Buckeye State, that rate is 14.6 per 1,000, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. In 2023, 61% of the chlamydia cases in Ohio were people between the ages of 15 and 24. The syphilis rate here is 16.3 per 100,000, ...

Join us to help fill local food pantries

Food insecurity — and outright hunger — are not new problems for families in Appalachia. But inflation, continued economic challenges and changes in (or elimination of) state and federal supports mean right now the danger is significant. An average of 13% of families in this part of the country receive food stamp benefits. For families with children under age 18, the average rate is 26%. In West Virginia, nearly 16% of the state’s population — more than 277,000 people — participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; in Ohio, approximately 12% of the population ...