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Encouraging vaccine hesitancy has proved deadly

Politicizing healthcare — from vaccines to research and safety net funding — has led to some dangerous changes in public health in this country. Among them is the surge in measles and whooping cough cases. Vaccine hesitancy fueled by intentional misinformation and disingenuous religious freedoms outrage has resulted in significant increases in the two potentially deadly illnesses. Across the country, there have been 1,983 measles cases in the first half of this year, according to an Ohio Capital Journal report that used U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The total ...

Stay focused on OhioSEE funding

At the end of the school year, Gov. Mike DeWine attended an event at a Dublin City Schools elementary school, during which he did a countdown that ended with several young students putting on their prescription glasses for the first time. It was the lead-in for DeWine to talk about the expansion of the OhioSEE program. And, for those of you who remember what it was like to put on glasses and see clearly for the first time, likely quite an effective one. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, OhioSEE has so far administered approximately 1,900 eye exams, with nearly 1,200 ...

Family caregivers important part of healthcare system

Millions of Ohioans are caregivers for family members or neighbors in Ohio. As Ohio AARP Executive Director Jenny Carlson put it, “That’s one in four adults … holding up our healthcare system.” As public officials demand greater scrutiny over how Medicaid funds are used for at-home caregiving, AARP has conducted a study that shows many of the adults who are caring for aging parents and other family members are struggling financially, and nearing burnout. “Right now, it’s reaching a breaking point,” Carlson said in an interview with Statehouse News Bureau. “We have an ...

Shine a light on operation of EdChoice voucher recipients

Carroll, Champaign, Hardin, Harrison, Holmes, Meigs, Morgan, Noble, Preble and Vinton counties did not have a single private school during the 2025 fiscal year. Most of those students simply do not have the option to use a taxpayer-funded voucher to attend a private school. Meanwhile, Ohio spent more than a BILLION dollars on those vouchers during the same school year, with almost half of that amount coming from the expansion of the EdChoice program, according to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal. If you’re in the dark about what your tax dollars are funding with these vouchers, ...

Spelling and stage presence strengthen at national bee

Veritas Classical Academy’s Aadhya Adhikari advanced through two rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, missing the third-round cutoff and finishing in the top half of the national field last week. That’s quite a feat considering there were 247 spellers in the competition. Even better than her performance was the experience and confidence she says she is gaining through the national event. Not yet a sixth grader, Aadhya said “I love being on stage and seeing all those people in the audience cheering me on,” and that she has a new study plan for next year that will focus ...

Adults must set better examples

From school sporting events and recitals to board of education meetings and awards assemblies, plenty of adults have set terrible examples for the kids in their lives by behaving badly. A recent example from Queen of Apostles School in Toledo is particularly bothersome. One parent has been charged with felonious assault after a fight broke out, allegedly over seating, according to a report by WTVG. The event? A kindergarten graduation ceremony that had to be rescheduled because of the melee. Though the fight is under investigation, cell phone video appears to show a large group of ...