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Lawmakers need to improve our State of Tobacco Control

A dive into the American Lung Association’s “State of Tobacco Control” shows our region doesn’t come close to meeting the ALA’s standards for fighting the damage we know is done by tobacco products. Both Ohio and West Virginia performed miserably in the group’s report card. Ohio received F grades in tobacco prevention and cessation funding, tobacco taxes and flavored tobacco products, a C in access to cessation services, and an I for smoke free air (“Ohio is receiving an ‘I’ for Incomplete grade due to the uncertainty around whether preemption of stronger local ...

Thank you to local law enforcement

Local law enforcement officers continue to do the hard work of disrupting the flow of fentanyl to our region. Last month, they did so in spectacular fashion, in one of the largest fentanyl seizures in Washington County, with an estimated street value of $80,000. Washington County Sheriff’s Det. Peters with the help of K9 Timmy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by a Belpre man. Peters picked up on how nervous the man appeared and how many mistakes he was making. When the man consented to a search of the vehicle, the officer discovered a soda box in the trunk concealing ...

Be smart, follow fire rules

Perhaps we should take it as a positive sign that we are moving out of winter and into spring and the Ohio Division of Forestry’s outdoor fire laws (for “kindled” fires) are once again in effect. From the beginning of March through November, outdoor open burning is prohibited statewide in unincorporated areas between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. This could mean anything from a proper burn barrel to burning of yard waste, trash and debris. “During spring, wildfire danger is high before plants have turned green, and in fall, fire danger is high due to abundant dry leaves and ...

You could save a life

Most of us think of the American Red Cross for one of two reasons: blood donations and disaster response. But as the organization points out, its founder Clara Barton was a nursing pioneer who cared deeply about humans and their healthcare. Here in Appalachia, one of the larger health care concerns is diabetes — and access to affordable, quality health care. But in March, the Red Cross is “helping to bridge access to health care for blood donors by providing free A1C testing, commonly used to screen for diabetes and prediabetes, on all successful blood, platelet and plasma ...

Breaking promises, as per the usual

Economic development officials in Columbus and Franklin and Licking counties can be forgiven if they find themselves humming the tune to an early 1980s hit while they wonder when the next bad news will come from Intel Corp. After all, the company had nothing but “promises, promises” in the beginning. But Friday, the chipmaker announced it is once again pushing back the planned opening of the semiconductor plant that was going to revolutionize the employment landscape in central Ohio. Now Intel says construction on the first of two planned factories in New Albany is expected to be ...

Broadband internet urgency

While Bill Johnson was serving Ohio’s 6th district in Congress, he tried twice — in 2021 and 2023 — to introduce legislation that would help Americans (particularly those living in rural areas) have easier access to broadband internet. His successor, Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli, has taken up that mantle and has again introduced the Wireless Broadband Competition and Efficient Deployment Act. It may be an uphill battle, as others have also tried. U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., introduced the same bill in 2024 after Johnson resigned. None of these efforts ever left ...