Breaking News

Opinion

Wonderful effort gets real results

Editorials

Each year, Mid-Ohio Valley residents get a reminder of the deep community commitment to trying to tackle the problem of food insecurity in our region. Over the weekend, the 26th annual Empty Bowls of the Mid-Ohio Valley Luncheon again gave attendees an opportunity to help raise money for food pantries in Marietta, Williamstown, Parkersburg and Belpre. It’s a small part of a global effort Caroline Putnam, a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Marietta, learned about back in 2000. After finding out about Michigan potters who made bowls to be filled with soup to combat ...

Better career preparation for Ohio students

Editorials

Ohio officials have continued to look for ways to support teachers as they expand effort to improve education in the state. Among those efforts is the Ohio’s Teachers Bootcamp Program. Ashland University, Kent State University, University of Cincinnati and Malone University are this year’s participating institutions of higher learning. “These bootcamps provide teachers with the real-world experiences they need to better prepare students for future employment,” said Gov. Mike DeWine. “By emphasizing in-demand fields, students will graduate prepared to build career paths and ...

All paths are open to young Ohioans

Editorials

Preparation for life, an education and a career after high school graduation looks different for every student. That’s why it is important that Ohio lawmakers are moving toward recognizing the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps and National Defense Cadet Corps are career-technical education, too. State Reps. Kevin Ritter, R-Marietta, and Ty Mathews, R-Findlay, were primary sponsors on House Bill 500, which has passed the House and been introduced in the state Senate. It recognizes the JROTC and NDCC as career-technical education programs and says, “The department of education ...

Time is now for Railway Safety Act

Editorials

More than three years after a disastrous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Congress has continued to sit on its hands rather than upset its friends in the railroad industry by implementing desperately needed rail safety reform. Well, most of Congress, anyway. A few have repeatedly tried to push change. Most recently, a bipartisan group that includes U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, has introduced the Railway Safety Act of 2026. “Three years ago, many Ohioans understandably lost faith in the safety and reliability of our nation’s railways after the accident in East Palestine, ...

It’s about safe drinking water

Letters to the Editor

In response to the letter to the editor written by Dan McKenzie, research director for Accountability Project Institute, published Feb. 21: Washington County for Safe Drinking Water was founded here in Marietta by and for residents of the Mid-Ohio Valley in response to threats posed by injection wells, existing and proposed, within two miles of our aquifers along the Muskingum and Ohio rivers. These wells channel toxic, radioactive wastewater from fracking operations deep into the rock structure below the level of our aquifers, and under high pressure. Underground, that toxic concoction ...

Natural preventative medicine

Editorials

All that technology we drag around with us all the time is giving researchers data that provides insight into everything from our travel to fitness. If you have a habit of checking your health and fitness data through a smart watch and app, you are not the only one keeping track. Data from participants, provided by Apple, helped researchers produce the “Apple Heart and Movement Study.” “The heart is an incredible organ, working tirelessly every second of every day,” the report begins. “Understanding how various heart metrics reflect your overall well-being can empower you to ...