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Kids’ education and safety are never worth compromising

Editorials

Gov. Mike DeWine has legislation on his desk that should not be difficult to reject. State Senate Bill 50 would allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. during the school year. According to a report by the Cincinnati Enquirer, the law would require permission from a parent or legal guardian and a work permit from a school, but it would allow students (some of whom could be in the eighth grade, based on their age) to work 18 hours a week or three hours a day during the school year, and 40 hours a week when school is not in session. The most surface-level reason to reject the ...

Three brave veterans

Local Columns

The Grave. It was a moving sight, a solitary gravestone near a hiking trail. The Inscription: “Wm Flood. Morgan’s Va. (illegible) Rev War.” What did that mean? I found that William Flood served with Daniel Morgan’s Virginia Riflemen on the expedition to capture Quebec in late 1775. ...

‘Best of a worst case scenario’

Editorials

Give credit where credit is due to Ohio lawmakers who worked together to come to a compromise on a redrawn Ohio Congressional district map that has its critics, but came as a bit of a surprise to those who expected something much worse. According to the Statehouse News Bureau, Democrat lawmakers acknowledged the decision wasn’t easy — there is still anger and frustration on both sides — but Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, called it “the best of a worst-case scenario.” In fact, U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, told the Akron Beacon Journal she was ...

Food quality and activity take effect

Editorials

As Americans try to focus on upcoming holidays and rapidly approaching New Year’s resolutions, data accompanying this National Diabetes Awareness Month reminds that many of us have some work to do regarding our health. This is no time for nasty digs about SNAP and the health of those living in states with high numbers of people living both below the poverty line and in food deserts. In fact, where access to affordable, nutritious options is limited, health woes that go far beyond hunger are plentiful. It’s no surprise, then, that WalletHub’s “Most Overweight and Obese ...

Trying to keep our heads above water

Editorials

Historians generally agree Marie Antoinette never actually said “Let them eat cake,” as French citizens were struggling to buy bread to feed their families. But elected officials at all levels have come pretty close to expressing the same sentiment lately, as their constituencies wrestle with the consequences of a federal government shutdown that has endangered Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Some seem to be expressing the sentiment intentionally — relishing in it, even — while others likely just don’t understand how their words are being felt. On ...

Making new voters’ voices heard

Editorials

Imagine being 18 (or nearly 18) years old and having someone like the West Virginia Secretary of State tell you that, at least in one aspect, you are just as powerful as someone like Taylor Swift or the president of the United States. That’s what local students learned when Secretary Kris Warner visited Parkersburg High School and Wood County Christian School this week to encourage them to register to vote when they are eligible. “We are all equal in this country,” Warner said. “When we all go to the ballot box, we all have the same rights and opportunities.” Warner was ...