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Making the Buckeye State heard

In less than a week, Ohioans who have not already voted will head to the polls for the Nov. 4 general election. According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, as of Monday there had been 61,308 absentee ballots returned and 98,382 early in-person ballots cast. Nearly 160,000 people had already weighed in on the candidates and issues. But at about this time last year there were 8,159,946 registered voters in the Buckeye State, and 71.71% of them turned out to vote. Admittedly, that one was a bit more of a headline-grabber — but it was certainly no more important than the ...

Cloth your community

As much as we have all rightly had our minds on making sure those who need it have access to enough food in the coming days (or weeks), there is another need we must not ignore. Families struggling to get by do not always have the resources to buy clothing as children grow, seasons change and maybe even employment situations evolve. Organizations such as the Zonta Club of the Mid-Ohio Valley try to help with events such as the biannual Unique Boutique — for which donations are being collected at the Reno Community Center from 4-8 p.m. through Thursday. “We ask that people donate ...

Efforts to prevent youth substance abuse

You might remember them as the National Federation of Parents for Drug Free Youth, from back in the 1980s, but today, the renamed National Family Partnership continues its work to support families and communities “in nurturing the full potential of healthy, drug free youth.” Among the efforts supported by the organization is National Red Ribbon Week, Oct. 23-31 each year, and established to honor the memory of U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency agent Enrique Camarena, who was killed, likely because of his work, in 1985. At the time, according to the organization, “In honor of ...

Stepping up when others aren’t willing

When there is a need to step up and help one another, Mid-Ohio Valley communities rarely disappoint. Among the reasons for that is our incredible nonprofits, which are asked to shine far too often; but they do, anyway. Hunger Solutions Mid-Ohio Valley came through in a big way last week when it provided up to $100,000 in support to the Southeast Ohio Food Bank, after Food and Nutrition Services — the division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that offers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — announced it had run out of funds. Because of the federal government ...

Make a difference on Drug Takeback Day

Looking for an extra way to be productive and make a difference on Saturday? How about clearing out your drawers and cabinets of any unused or expired prescription drugs that should be thrown away? Saturday is National Prescription Drug Takeback Day, during which law enforcement agencies provide a safe way to anonymously dispose of medications as a means to prevent drug misuse and abuse. “When each of us takes responsibility for safely disposing of medications, we take a meaningful step toward ending the cycle of addiction,” said Jonathan Board, West Virginia First Foundation ...

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 ...