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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 ...

Healthcare dead zones

KFF Health News, has published a report called “Dead Zone: Millions in U.S. Live in Places Where Doctors Don’t Practice and Telehealth Doesn’t Reach.” It’s an intriguing look at communities and counties where residents tend to have more health problems, fewer health professionals and insufficient access to broadband internet. Southeast Ohio has a significant number of counties where residents live in such “dead zones.” “Compared with those in other regions, patients across the rural South, Appalachia, and remote West are most often unable to make a video call to their ...

A way to lift all Ohioans

Efforts in Columbus to address the shortage in affordable housing appear to be making a difference, though the momentum must be maintained. According to the 2025 Gap Report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, there is a deficit of 264,083 rental units that are affordable and available to the 438,108 extremely low-income households in the Buckeye State. That’s an improvement over last year, when the shortage was 267,382. “The new housing programs that Ohio created in the last budget bill are having a positive ...