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Support Ohio farmers after storms

Editorials

Recent violent storms across Ohio have provided a reminder about just how much we take for granted our local farmers. Many were hit by another round of storms earlier this week that destroyed this year’s harvests. According to a report by WCMH, Tuesdays weather events were the worst in central Ohio since the 2012 derecho. States of emergency have been declared in Perry and Muskingum counties. Those storms did not just produce winds and rain that damaged or destroyed crops, they also took out structures ranging from barns to farm stands. Just a couple of weeks ago in Washington ...

Early Marietta: Henry the Dreamer and the WASHINGTON, Part 2

Local Columns

On Monday evening June 3, 1816, Henry Shreve's new steamboat WASHINGTON, built at Wheeling, cast off on its long maiden journey to New Orleans. She was built along Wheeling Creek; wood for the boat came from old Fort Henry. Florence Dorsey, Henry's daughter, in Master of the Mississippi: (She) sat on the water like a great aquatic bird...Niles' Weekly Register: She is 148 feet in length. Her main cabin is sixty feet; she has three handsome private rooms, besides a commodious bar room. She is furnished in very superior style...'" Shreve's years on the river had taught him the engineering ...

One study isn't whole picture for Ohio

Editorials

Ohioans paying attention to national reports and rankings of the state are on a bit of a roller coaster ride lately, as hot on the heels of CNBC naming the state the best in the country for business, U.S. News and World Report says it’s actually one of the worst in the country for everything else. According to a report by WCMH, Ohio is doing better than only West Virginia and Michigan among its neighbors, and is ranked 42nd overall in the country in a survey that looked at education (29th), health care (36th), economy (38th), infrastructure (31st), opportunity (a bright spot at 18th), ...

Backyard Gardener: Broccoli for the fall garden

Local Columns

Hello Mid-Ohio Valley farmers and gardeners! Many areas here in the valley recorded over 3 inches of rain this week. In addition, several areas experienced flooding. We creep closer to autumn every day, so now is a good time to plant crops for the fall garden such as kale, Swiss chard, lettuce and other greens, cauliflower and of course one of my favorites, broccoli. Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.) is a great addition for the fall garden. Broccoli has been cultivated for over 2,500 years; its origins are found in the Mediterranean area located in modern day Italy. It was a popular ...

Poverty: Politicians must prove they want better for kids

Editorials

Children’s Defense Fund says an unfathomable one in seven children in the U.S. lives in poverty. In this land of the free and home of the brave, a child is abused or neglected every 54 seconds. As WalletHub researchers pointed out (because they are a financial website, after all), even if you aren’t moved by the plight of that many children living an American nightmare, perhaps you will be moved to act by the $592 billion in lifetime economic costs from just one year’s worth of child maltreatment cases. And the thing is, those are the averages. In West Virginia and Ohio, the ...

Politicians must prove they want better for our kids

Editorials

Children’s Defense Fund says an unfathomable one in seven children in the U.S. lives in poverty. In this land of the free and home of the brave, a child is abused or neglected every 54 seconds. As WalletHub researchers pointed out (because they are a financial website, after all), even if you aren’t moved by the plight of that many children living an American nightmare, perhaps you will be moved to act by the $592 billion in lifetime economic costs from just one year’s worth of child maltreatment cases. And the thing is, those are the averages. In West Virginia and Ohio, the ...