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Letters to the Editor

What virtues do we want

On January 19, Marietta College students celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a campus-wide day of service and reflection. These students implemented many community service projects and demonstrated a positive force in our community. I am reminded of MLK’s commitment to nonviolence and service to others. I am reminded of his optimism as he said, “The believer in nonviolence has deep faith in the future.” I am reminded of the importance of teaching our children about social responsibility and how to make caring decisions that contribute to the improvement of our communities. ...

Voting rights

As we remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. let us recall his many words and actions besides the “I Have Dream” speech. Many times during the struggle in the 1960’s he kept saying we need the ballot. John Lewis marched on Selma as a young man and was brutally beaten to obtain the ballot. Today we have two bills in the United States Senate that need to be passed to protect the ballot. Senator Manchin cannot find 10 Republicans to vote for these bills which work strengthen our democracy. What is wrong with the party of Lincoln??? As John F. Kennedy once said, “Let us not seek ...

Stop issuing fracking permits

I am a life-long resident of Appalachia. I grew up in West Virginia and for twenty years I have lived in beautiful Marietta, enjoying the local parks and walking them. That love of nature has been threatened by the fracking industry. For the past few years, every time I travel Third Street, I have encountered more and more tanker trucks. That got me to start asking questions and doing research, which became very troubling. As I am sure most of you know, all those trucks are carrying waste from the fracking industry, called brine. Fracking is “a process that injects liquid at high ...

An inversion of natural rights

An inversion of natural rights I was recently teaching a group of students some of the concepts included in the Declaration of Independence. As we talked about natural rights, I read to them Thomas Jefferson’s soaring language affirming that we are “endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights.” While we talked about each individual’s God-given right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” it occurred to me that not only is our society no longer protecting these rights, we are actively promoting the opposite of each. Take, for instance, our right to ...

CTC payments helping local families

The Advanced Child Tax Credit (CTC), enacted this past year under the American Rescue Plan, has had an incredible impact on families across our area. The Advanced CTC allowed families to receive half of their Child Tax Credit payments in monthly installments throughout 2021. This meant families received $300 per child age 5 and under or $250 per child age 6-17 each month. As the outreach worker for HAPCAP, I worked with families to help them enroll in the Advanced CTC using the website GetCTC.org. This site was used to file a simplified return for folks who made very little to no ...

St. John Central 2021 Gala Thank You

On Nov. 20, 2021, the St. John Central Home and School Association welcomed guests for our third St. John Central Gala. The proceeds from the Gala support the ongoing operation of St. John Central School, located in Churchtown, Ohio. Guests this year enjoyed appetizers and entrees by Big Food, Little Kitchen and extravagant desserts provided by St. John Central parents and Lisa’s Sweet Stop of Beverly, Ohio. Entertainment was provided by Anthony Mossberg who did a fabulous job with his acoustic set. We’d like to thank our sponsors again who, year over year, are willing to support ...