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Return to full and fair funding for public schools

As Ohio lawmakers consider expanding funding for education vouchers, it appears as though the programs may have veered off course from their original intended purpose. According to a report by WCMH, data from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce shows nearly 90% of the students enrolled in the state’s voucher program are NOT low-income qualified. When EdChoice was established, the whole idea was to broaden educational opportunities for low-income students who were not receiving the education they needed in struggling districts. Now, with the EdChoice Exp program, any ...

T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is 100 years old this year. Back in 1925, only nine participants spelled their way through the competition — six girls and three boys. Photos of the event through the years show a growing and evolving group of young people, all decked out in the fashions of their era, and all displaying a mixture of happiness and uncertainty as they take their place in a national spotlight. By the time you read this, a young person from the Mid-Ohio Valley will be preparing to join this year’s group in Washington, D.C., in May. I don’t know who it is yet. ...

When we talk about shortages of workers in certain fields in Ohio, the legal profession is not often mentioned. But according to Mary Amos Augsburger, CEO of the Ohio State Bar Association, there is an attorney shortage so severe here that it is jeopardizing legal rights. “While those accused of a crime have a constitutional right to counsel, the legal needs of Ohioans extend far beyond criminal defense, and people need lawyers to help them with adoptions, divorces, starting a business and protecting their property,” Augsburger told the Ohio House Finance Committee. “Without ...

There is so much to offer here

“Tourism is a shared effort.” Marietta-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Deana Clark is right. Our region is becoming better known as a good place because every stakeholder is working to make it happen. “It’s because of you, all of our business owners, our nonprofit leaders, our hospitality professionals and the community advocates. (You’re) the reason that Washington County continues to grow as a destination,” Clark said during the bureau’s annual meeting and dinner this week. There is so much to offer here. But rather than keeping ...

‘Get people what they need’

With plenty of focus on state and federal government entities these days, it is important for local residents to remember the agencies in our own communities that serve us every day. That includes our local health departments, such as the Marietta/Belpre Health Department. From education to immunization, our local health departments serve as an access point to healthcare for just about everyone. “We’ve had a federally subsidized program for two years now that helps people with reproductive needs and also tests for STIs,” said Dianna Beck, nursing director for the nursing ...

Lawmakers and legalized marijuana

One does not need to have voted in favor of the 2023 legalization of recreational marijuana in Ohio to understand what lawmakers are now attempting is misguided at best. Both the state Senate and House of Representatives are working on bills that would significantly change the marijuana laws that allowed for the start of sales in August 2024. Back in November 2023, approximately 57% of those who voted in Ohio were in favor of a regulated adult recreational use marijuana market in the state. When Issue 2 passed, tax revenue from sales was to be divided: 36% to the cannabis social equity ...