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It’s up to YOU to prevent wildfires

Fall fire season has arrived across our region. Don’t let a little rainy weather in September fool you, things are still dry enough to elevate the risk of wildfires. That risk is already higher now that leaves are hitting the ground, and other vegetation is either going dormant and drying out or dying altogether at this time of year. Lower humidity and fall breezes may be pleasant for us, but they, too, add to the risk. All those factors create “a situation where we have an elevated risk of wildfires here in Ohio,” according to the state Division of Forestry’s Aaron ...

Stay alert, don’t stay silent

In naming its latest statewide human trafficking operation, the Ohio Attorney General’s Organized Crime Investigations Commission chose “Operation Next Door” as a way to bring home the message that the people committing these crimes are not distant strangers. They may, indeed, live right next door. With the help of more than 100 law enforcement agencies, 135 people were arrested for seeking to buy sex — some of them from minors, according to state Attorney General Dave Yost’s office. Of those 135, three were from Athens and Washington counties — from Glouster, Marietta ...

Great care must be taken with crypto currency transactions

Last week, Ohio moved one step closer to being able to accept crypto currency as payment for state fees and services. The news was greeted with congratulations from officials such as Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. “Ohio has always been a state of pioneers and innovators,” LaRose said. “I want to commend Treasurer (Robert) Sprague, Auditor (Keith) Faber, and Attorney General (Dave) Yost for taking this bold step to position us at the forefront of the emerging digital economy. There’s a reason why we now rank among the top five states in the nation to do business. It’s ...

Expansion efforts for Ohio manufacturing

New manufacturing employers may not be banging down the door (or fulfilling their promises) to build in Ohio as state officials might once have hoped, but the fact remains the Buckeye State is already home to plenty of manufacturers looking to grow. They are also hoping Ohio’s workforce learns and grows along with them. So the state has developed the Ohio’s Manufacturing Workforce Blueprint, a strategy for meeting that need. “Ohio’s manufacturers are a crucial part of our state’s economy, contributing 17.5% of our GDP and employing more than 680,000 Ohioans,” said Gov. ...

Revere would’ve gotten behind an energy revolution

As the U.S. Senate considers codifying the reestablishment of the National Coal Council, lawmakers have an opportunity. U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli’s bill drew support from enough Democrats in the House of Representatives that it is now moving to the Senate, which will consider whether it is necessary to back up the executive order that, among other things, called for reinstating the group that provides guidance on the future of coal technologies and markets. And Rulli, R-Ohio, is right. It is important for those making decisions about our energy future to have information and ...

Expanding the reach of the new Child Care Cred Program

For many families, finding affordable child care is one of the bigger obstacles to being able to be full participants in the workforce. Sometimes it just makes more sense for a parent to stay home with the kids than to go out into a job that perhaps doesn’t even cover the costs of child care. With the launch of Ohio’s Child Care Cred Program, funding is now available for a program that helps split the child care burden. “Ensuring a stable workforce for Ohio’s growing economy encourages us to support our working families,” said state Sen. Tim Schaffer, R-Lancaster. “By ...