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MOV Climate Corner: The problem(s) with plastic

Local Columns

Plastic is everywhere. Some uses are beneficial and unavoidable, like the specialty plastics that enable contact lenses and lightweight eyeglasses. Other uses are less beneficial but often seem almost equally unavoidable. Take grocery shopping as an example. Unless we milk our own cows, make our own cheese, bake our own bread, shop exclusively at farmers markets and bulk stores, and never order takeout, most of the food we consume is likely packaged in plastic. Even if we avoid bagged salads and cut fruit, our individual produce items are generally marked with scannable stickers. Bread ...

The Way I See It: Lady Liberty must have wept on June 17, 1940

Local Columns

Some days are just sad. And some days the newspaper’s front page reflects that sadness. On June 17,1940, The Marietta Times had one of those headlines that just knocks you down a notch when you read it. FRANCE GIVES UP! Britain fighting alone as French ask Hitler for “Honorable” ...

Juneteenth must be both celebration and inspiration

Editorials

Given so many politicians’ efforts to block thorough and accurate teachings of our country’s history — for example, a fair look at the Civil War and what caused it — it is possible some Americans are unaware that it was not until June 19, 1865, that the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation took place. The proclamation had been issued Jan. 1, 1863. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865. But it was another more-than two months before Major Gen. Gordon Granger was able to order enforcement of the proclamation in Texas. Almost immediately, ...

Fast food spending sign of bigger problem

Editorials

Here in Appalachia, we know how to make good food at home — when we can. What comes out of our gardens and woods is better than much of what is prepared at a five-star restaurant. But the trouble is these days, not everyone has a garden or the luxury of time to head into the woods, let alone time to prepare such meals. And affordable, accessible, fresh and healthy food is not always an option either, in a region riddled with food deserts. So families turn to what is available, and do their best to afford it. In fact, a recent WalletHub survey that looked at the cost of fast food as a ...

Hands-on programs help Ohio job-seekers AND employers

Editorials

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association is on board with a new effort by JobsOhio, which increases pathways to high-demand technical careers in the state. The Experiential Learning Initiative is a $300 million, ten-year effort in its early phases. “Ohio’s workforce challenge will not be solved by hoping more people find these careers on their own,” said OMA President Ryan Augsburger. “Manufacturers need a stronger pipeline of skilled talent, and Ohioans need clearer pathways into good careers. Experiential learning helps connect both sides of that equation.” At first, the ...

Lawmakers right to step back from family caregiver ban

Editorials

A group of lawmakers appears to have listened to advocacy groups and ordinary Ohioans, as they have stepped away from sections of state House Bill 795 that would have banned family members from serving as paid caregivers in the state. The anti-fraud effort is understandable, but as is often the case in Columbus, lawmakers took it a step too far. “How dare you come in my house and tell me who can care for my child! I’m not standing here telling you thank you,” Marlana Kendrick said last week, according to Statehouse News Bureau. “I drove two and a half hours from Cleveland with ...