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E-bike, scooter regulation necessary in Ohio

Editorials

In parts of Ohio, it’s impossible to drive up to a youth sports practice or large gathering of friends without noticing the pile of e-bikes and scooters where older generations might have left their bicycles in the yard. But those electrically driven forms of transportation can be even more dangerous than our trusty old bikes (cinder block and plywood ramps notwithstanding). A couple of Ohio lawmakers have the right idea, then, with state Senate Bill 477, which would ban children 13 and younger from operating the devices, and require all users to wear helmets. According to a report ...

Farm City Days give kids important lifelong lesson

Editorials

As has been the case for 28 years in Washington County, elementary school students got an opportunity this week to participate in Farm City Days, hosted by the Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District at Hartline Valley Farms. Understanding our food supply doesn’t start at the grocery store is an incredibly important part of young people’s education. The slogan “No farms, no food,” actually means something to them once they’ve gotten a better understanding of where their food and other agricultural products come from — and understand how much of that happens ...

Cracking the Code: Learning from past success

Local Columns

Lynnda and I got our COVID shots last week. We believe prevention is better than a cure. Some people are against vaccinations. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Most are too young to live through what Lynnda and I have. We remember crippling polio. Polio is an infectious virus that can cause muscle weakness resulting in permanent paralysis and possible death. It can cause muscle and fat tissue to waste away. There is no cure except for supportive care. Both of us knew people with polio. I remember Danny in my second-grade class. He had a wasted leg from polio. Danny had a pleasant ...

Letter to the Editor: Ohio Oil & Gas Association opposes proposed moratorium

Letters to the Editor

Kevin Ritter, member of the Ohio House of Representatives for District 94, is running for re-election this November. Still, he doesn’t seem concerned with one issue facing the people in District 94. In the Sept. 19th article titled “Ohio Oil & Gas Association opposes proposed moratorium,” Ritter questions the need for a pause in new injection well activity. The issue with this stance is that residents are less concerned with "new injection well activity" than with the continuing injection. The continuing injection of toxic brine into over-capacitated wells is a pressing concern. ...

Living Democracy: So, what happens if I don’t vote?

Local Columns

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” “What’s one vote?” These comments are often heard from people who choose not to vote. The idea that one vote can’t possibly have an effect is a common misconception. In fact, throughout our history, there have been very close votes that made the difference in the direction taken by America. One Vote! The Musical is a play written about Marietta’s founding and its place in Ohio and American history. When Thomas Jefferson wanted to introduce slavery where it had been prohibited before (the Northwest Territory) at the Constitutional Convention ...

Early Marietta: Life aboard the G W McBRIDE

Local Columns

Working on a river towboat was never easy. Hard and dangerous work. Difficult personalities. Steady work? – rarely; boats, crew, and conditions changed often. A job could end abruptly for misbehavior or on a captain’s whim. Young Clare Carpenter from Apple Grove in Meigs County was "hired ...