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Backyard Gardener: Ornamental trees to replace the Callery pear

Local Columns

Hello Mid-Ohio Valley farmers and gardeners! Everyone is enjoying the beauty of spring flowering trees and shrubs around the Mid-Ohio Valley. This spring you will notice hundreds of white blooming trees along the highway, interstate and even in rural areas. Many of these white blooms belong to an invasive species, the Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana). If you have planted a “Bradford,” “Cleveland Select,” “Aristocrat” or “Chanticleer,” you have planted a variety of the Callery pear. It has become one of the most popular ornamental trees in North America due to its showy ...

Keep up momentum for cleaner Ohio

Editorials

There are still environmental worries to be addressed, and policymakers must not lose momentum on that front. But there was good news this week as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Ohio is no longer on the list of states that do not meet clean air standards. “The air is cleaner. What that means for families in Ohio: Your children are healthier. What it means for businesses in Ohio is that they are more competitive,” said U.S. EPA Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel. This is not only a success to celebrate, it could also mean a change for Ohio drivers one day. Because ...

Be cautious in making Ohio more affordable

Editorials

Ohioans are facing increasing struggles with “affordability.” In fact, we have been for several years now. Lawmakers know that, but aren’t always clear on what to do. A group of state representatives has come up with a collection of ideas they believe will gain bipartisan support. “Ohio is too expensive for too many, and it’s time that legislators and leaders stepped up to take action,” Ohio state Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio, D-Gahanna, told the Ohio Capital Journal. “For too long, politicians in Columbus have steered the economy in the wrong direction.” Ideas for ...

Ohio must consider all energy options

Editorials

State senators have plenty of work to do — for their constituents, they must remember — and among those tasks is understanding Ohio’s energy landscape and the demands we are placing on our power grid. Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chair Jenifer French spoke to the body recently about the benefits of shorter regulatory timelines, noting that last year the commission signed off on 2,000 megawatts of behind-the-meter power (standalone power serving a facility) and 2,755 megawatts of traditional gas-generating facilities. She told the committee, “This is more gas-fired ...

Ohio's ancient works worth celebrating

Editorials

Mariettans know something about the importance of celebrating and educating about the earthworks that enhanced this region’s landscape long before the Ohio Company showed up. But even if most of ours are no longer fully visible - outside of Mound Cemetery and the Quadranou Mound north of Third and Warren streets - there are still spots in the Buckeye State where Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks have been protected. They are so important, the earthworks became Ohio’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. As part of Ohio World Heritage Week April 11-18, events in Newark, Heath, Columbus and ...

Storm didn’t stop local first responders

Editorials

First responders across the Mid-Ohio Valley got an unusual test last week when a vicious thunderstorm that included high winds, hail and lightning led to poor visibility, dangerous driving conditions and at least one fire. A Reno Volunteer Fire Department crew was tending to downed power lines when it got the call to respond to a fire that sparked in an attic when lightning struck a house. “They did a great job at stopping it, and the fire mostly just damaged the attic,” said Reno Fire Chief Jon Bradford. Then they were asked to respond to another fire, despite the storm ...