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Leaving the distractions behind

Last week, at least one expert was disappointed by Ohio’s performance in the National Assessment of Educational Progress report card. Aaron Churchill, Ohio research director for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, called the report — based on exams given biennially to fourth and eighth graders in math and reading — “disappointing.” “Mirroring national trends, Ohio’s reading scores continue to be on an alarming slide,” he said. “Results from math are more positive — Ohio’s proficiency rating ticked upward in both grades — yet still remain well below pre-pandemic ...

Keep up the beat

It makes sense that a month that includes Valentine’s Day would also end up designated American Heart Month. February is a great time to start thinking about more than just cards, chocolates and roses. It’s a time to think about ways to keep our hearts healthier. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States — among men AND women. But in many cases, there is plenty we can do to prevent it. NHLBI suggests adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle: understand your own risks, get enough good sleep; eat a ...

Removing public notices from view

When Marietta City Council meets Thursday, it will be asked to consider an update to the Citizen Participation Plan that will make its operations more opaque and citizen participation in its own government a little more difficult. It’s true, a recently passed Ohio law allows for public notices to be posted on municipalities’ websites, rather than in full view in a printed newspaper. That law was passed with almost no prior notice in the wee small hours of the morning of Dec. 23. Though Gov. Mike DeWine had the opportunity to veto it, he chose instead to sign it and other legislation ...

Childcare costs

Ohio lawmakers have a lot to navigate lately, but recently released data from Groundwork Ohio should give them new tools to understand where working families need them to focus. According to a report based on responses from nearly 500 Buckeye State parents, Groundwork Ohio says approximately one-third choose to stay home rather than pay high childcare costs. WBNS reported 66% of those parents said they were struggling — an astonishing increase from the 10% who answered similarly in 2023. Approximately one million parents have been forced to reduce the number of hours worked to ...

Continue efforts to improve access to mental health care

During these cold and bleak months, when many are struggling with their mental health and looking forward to brighter, warmer days, it is encouraging to learn recent numbers from the Ohio Department of Health show there was a small DECREASE in the number of deaths by suicide in the Buckeye State in 2023. The more than 1,700 people who took their own lives were a 1% reduction in 2023 from the previous year. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, the decrease was the first in three years. “Every death by suicide is a tragedy that deeply affects so many,” ODH Director ...

Lawmakers need to make a move on the Railway Safety Act

Norfolk Southern has suffered another derailment — although this one, thank goodness, was more an inconvenience than a disaster. Monday morning, at the company’s rail yard near Portsmouth, Ohio, eight cars of a train carrying several thousand pounds of soybeans derailed. Three of those cars turned over completely. Scioto County Emergency Management Director Larry Mullins told WCHS the derailment was caused by extreme weather, which led rails at Norfolk Southern’s yard to freeze, thaw, become brittle and break. It’s enough to make one wonder whether knowing such damage was ...