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Lawmakers must keep up Medicaid reform push

Editorials

A recent review of Ohio’s Medicaid enrollment by state Auditor Keith Faber’s office found plenty of people enrolled who should not be receiving benefits – and it is not perhaps the group of people some low-aiming politicians hope you would expect. According to a report by The Center Square, the audit found 3% of Buckeye State residents receiving Medicaid benefits have more resources than allowed. In fact, “several” of those people are millionaires. Further, Faber’s office reported more than 3,000 people receiving state Medicaid benefits are dead. Ohio spends approximately ...

MOV Climate Corner: The death of natural history and why it matters

Local Columns

The Academy of Natural Sciences, located in Philadelphia, closed last month just shy of its 200th birthday. It was founded in 1812 and opened to the public in 1828. In 1868, the academy was the first place in the world to display a dinosaur skeleton. It housed a massive, irreplaceable library of over 19 million specimens, which included Thomas Jefferson's fossil collection, and plant samples gathered by Lewis and Clark. Since the Covid pandemic, visits to the museum had steadily declined, and financial instability played a major role in the decision to close the academy. The declining ...

Backyard Gardener: Hard frost marks end of growing season

Local Columns

Hello Mid-Ohio Valley Farmers and Gardeners! Most likely we will say goodbye to the growing season this weekend in the Valley as frost is in the forecast. Any late squash, tomatoes or other vegetables need to be harvested quickly. Don't forget to move houseplants back indoors before they get frosted. Many homeowners move indoor plants onto the deck or front porch to enjoy during the summer. To be safe, Extension recommends houseplants be brought indoors before nighttime temperatures dip below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep in mind many of our houseplants are tender tropicals, and some ...

Tighter regulations needed for surveillance technology

Editorials

Ohio Rep. Karen Brownlee is right. Lawmakers MUST make changes to put in place safeguards against the abuse of automatic license plate readers and other surveillance technologies. Brownlee, D-Symmes Township, is asking for an indefinite pause on the use of Flock cameras in the state following the indictment of Sharonville Police Lt. Walter Cordes on charges of unauthorized use of a computer or telecommunication property. He is alleged to have searched the department’s Flock camera system 29 times to track someone he knew for personal reasons, according to a report by WLWT. "Ohioans ...

Stay focused on completing Glass Press rebirth

Editorials

Excitement continues to build over a project to revitalize Marietta’s Glass Press building. Work has been under way for a couple of years now, but earlier this week, we learned local and state support is coming together to set the $10 million redevelopment plan in motion. "The Glass Press buildings helped build Marietta once. Now they'll help build its future and bring new energy to downtown," said JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef. "A project of this size wouldn't have been possible without strong collaboration alongside OhioSE, SEOPA (the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority), the ...

Funding and systemic reform essential for Ohio’s vulnerable kids

Editorials

Though the case has faded from the headlines, it has been only a little more than three months since 16 children were removed from the Siders’ home in Hamden, Ohio. While that case makes its way through the system, Job and Family Services workers are sounding the alarm that part of that system is significantly broken. “I have been a county director since 1999, yet I have not seen such a challenging time in the child welfare system as I do today,” Jody Walker, head of South Central Ohio Job and Family Services, told lawmakers, according to a report in The Guardian, “specifically ...