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Technology, helpful but also hurtful

Technology can be a wonderful thing. It also can be horrifying, particularly when the law does not keep up with innovations. Ohio lawmakers seem to be working to address one of those shortfalls, as the state House of Representatives just passed Senate Bill 100, which makes it a crime to put or install a tracking device on someone else’s property without their consent. Seems like common sense, doesn’t it? But until the measure is signed in to law, use of, for example, an Apple AirTag to aid in stalking a victim is not in and of itself a crime. According to a report by the Ohio ...

Those we have relied on now rely on us

It’s easy to pick out areas in which we wish West Virginia and Ohio were doing better for residents. The list is long and varied. But in one category, both states are doing quite well. In WalletHub’s list of “States With the Best Elder-Abuse Protections,” the Buckeye State is 4th in the country and the Mountain State is 9th. Not too shabby. Given the age of our states’ populations, those are important protections, indeed. Ohio’s 32nd ranking for prevalence (share of elder-abuse, gross-neglect and exploitation complaints; estimated elder fraud rate; and elder fraud loss ...

Obey the speed limit and other rules of the road

As the holiday season gets into full swing, the Ohio State Highway Patrol is stepping up its focus on keeping us safe. Throughout the holiday season, the patrol says it plans to be highly visible and is “committed to removing dangerous and impaired drivers, keeping Ohioans and our visitors safe.” As Gov. Mike DeWine put it, there is never an excuse for driving impaired. Just because we are entering a season featuring plenty of celebration does not mean we throw our responsibilities to the wind. According to the OSHP, since 2019 there have been more than 72,000 impaired ...

Lead by example at sporting events

Now that the dust has settled, responsible adults have a duty to look back on what we witnessed during college football’s rivalry week and understand it was all part of a larger and very disturbing trend we MUST reverse. The Atlantic Coast Conference fined four of its schools — North Carolina State, North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech for in-game scuffles. But those didn’t top what happened after the Michigan Wolverines beat the Ohio State Buckeyes and violence broke out midfield to the degree that pepper spray was employed, one police officer suffered a head injury and ...

Elections officials, poll workers impressive accomplishment

Earlier this month, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose certified the official results of the Nov. 5 general election. In doing so, he noted voter turnout was the second-highest on record in Ohio (the 2020 general election was the highest). With voter participation at 71.7% and more than 5.8 million ballots cast, there was a lot to keep track of — and to get right. But LaRose said the consensus among bipartisan elections officials was that this had been the smoothest in the state’s history. “More people are paying attention to the process of administering elections, and that ...

Hope begins here

In a state where so many political figures make a big show about how much they care about babies, some communities are walking the walk and providing an important option for desperate parents with nowhere else to turn. Last year, Lebanon, Ohio, installed a Safe Haven Baby Box at one of its fire stations. At the time, it was the tenth such box to be installed in the Buckeye State. Last Monday, it was used for the first time. According to a press release from the Lebanon Police Department, the city’s communications center received an alarm at 3:34 p.m. from the newborn safety ...