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Opinion

Returning to pencil-and-paper testing

Editorials

Marietta City Schools Board of Education members made an important decision for students this week when they approved Superintendent Mary Schaeffer’s recommendation to return to pencil-and-paper testing for third grade students. It’s tempting to think students of any age are adept at using — and being flexible with — technology these days, but that’s simply not the case. In fact, Schaeffer said some students may be struggling because of their unfamiliarity with keyboards, rather than what they are being taught. As she pointed out, students at Marietta Elementary School do ...

Support the Start Westward Memorial Society’s efforts

Letters to the Editor

As the granddaughter of Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of the Start Westward Memorial statue in Muskingum Park, I am concerned about its future. The Start Westward Memorial Society is a very committed group of citizens who have been working for years to get the statue recognized on the National Register of Historical Places, as was originally intended in 1937. I have been an out-of-town member since 2022, attending meetings virtually. The Ohio Preservation Office, owner of the memorial, does not appear interested in fulfilling any duty to preserve the statue - or allow anyone else to do ...

Protect school children with required vaccines

Editorials

Sitting in the Ohio House Health Committee is state House Bill 561, a measure for which authors appear to have given as much thought to a catchy acronym as they did to the well-being of Ohio children. HB 561, “to revise the law governing childhood immunizations and exemptions and to name this act the Parental Clarity on Health Options and Information on Conscientious Exemptions ‘C.H.O.I.C.E.’ Act,” would eliminate the requirement for some Buckeye State children to get the hepatitis B vaccine and make changes to other vaccine regulations. It is similar to a host of other ...

Thank you from the BJFM Society

Letters to the Editor

On behalf of the entire BJFM (Blues, Jazz and Folk Music) Society Board, we would like to thank so many individuals and groups for their support, whether financial, volunteering, in-kind donations or all the other countless ways that others helped to make the 33rd River City Blues Festival and other activities we do a success. First, a great thank you to our audience members, whether you came for the first time this year, or you’ve been coming for years. Your support, excitement and interest in seeing live, fun music and visiting the Marietta area is what keeps our board going. ...

Bill to improve online safety for children

Editorials

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Washington, D.C., has been working on ways to better protect kids online by giving parents the right to receive safety notifications through Federal Trade Commission-regulated third-party providers. Versions of Sammy’s Law, introduced in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, are meant to help alert parents when their children are taking part in potentially risky interactions. U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, has joined Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Katie Britt, R-Ala.; along with U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and Buddy ...

Economic fragility felt by too many

Editorials

Buckeye State residents don’t have to be reminded, but research from the Urban Institute might help elected officials and policymakers remember a significant number of their constituents are struggling with economic insecurity. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, the institute updated its 2023 research with help from U.S. Census Bureau data to look at “income fragility,” and other factors here. For example, the cost of average rent, groceries and daycare for two in Ohio is more than $55,000 per year. That means even those who aren’t sitting at or below the ...