Elementary and high school students need all sorts of support. That is why we are pleased to see a new strategic planning committee forming with that goal in mind. Team BLUE — which stands for Team Buckeye Local Uniting Everyone — is a new organization that formed in the wake of a recent ...

Monroe County residents received some good news this week, when they learned that financing for the new jail there is on track to be secured ahead of a Sept. 10 deadline. Earlier this month, county commissioners had talked with a financial adviser who was concerned that provisions had not ...

Americans' admiration and gratitude for the bravery, dedication and toughness of the armed forces in combat zones is expressed so often and so fervently that those who serve ought to take it for granted. But we forget, sometimes, about the hundreds of thousands of men and women in the U.S. ...

Volunteer firefighters and medical personnel are critical to life in Eastern Ohio, and we are fortunate that some of these individuals are willing to devote even more time and energy to ensure local first responders have the equipment they need to help us when we call them. It is common ...

It has been five years since it was revealed dozens of teachers and administrators in the Columbus school system were falsifying student data. It was a massive conspiracy to make the district and some schools in it appear to be doing better jobs than actually was the case. Now, Ohioans are ...

A company that is drilling for natural gas and oil in our region wants to use some city-owned property in St. Clairsville, and it appears the proposal will benefit the entire community in the long run. City council held a special meeting Tuesday to hear a proposal from Gulfport Energy. That ...

If you are a public school official, it can be difficult to know where to begin in terms of improving education these days. Demands come from all quarters. Local boards of education may not want the same thing as state officials. With a new president and federal secretary of education in ...

Sometimes you just have to scratch your head and wonder what on earth the politicians were thinking? Or whether they were using their brains at all. Among matters being considered by the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission is whether changes need to be made in the process of how the ...

History ought to teach politicians that what goes around, comes around, at least when gerrymandering is involved. It is a lesson they never seem to absorb. Gerrymandering is the process of setting legislative district boundaries to favor certain political parties or candidates. The map of ...

School is out and summer activities are underway even though the season won't officially begin until June 21. That means many people are enjoying some fun in the sun. Traditional summer activities in our region include hard work, such as cutting and baling hay, painting old buildings and ...

Several organizations across the nation are clearly focused on preserving and protecting people's vision this month. June is both Child Vision Awareness Month and Cataract Awareness Month. That means groups such as the American Academy of Ophthalmology are encouraging people of all ages to ...

The Buckeye Local School District will again turn to voters in November, seeking a levy to help avoid a financial crisis. The district proposed a similar levy in May, but it failed by about 3 percent of the vote. The decision to place a 1.9-mill emergency levy before voters in the fall came ...

A perfect storm may be on its way to local highways. The Ohio State Highway Patrol told our reporter last week that troopers saw heavier traffic than expected on Memorial Day weekend, with plenty more on the way. Lt. James Faunda said the amount of traffic wasn’t the only concern for ...

Members of Bellaire Village Council and the municipal administration are taking on a task no one wants to perform — they are considering staff cuts and other cost-saving measures in an effort to cover a budget shortfall. The main culprit behind the potentially large deficit seems to be the ...

Folks in Eastern Ohio have been pretty neighborly lately, and that is a good thing. All around the area, people have been striving to improve their properties and communities. In some cases, individuals are making contributions that will benefit many others in addition to themselves and their ...

We could all learn a thing or two from Andrew Masciarelli, an eighth-grader at Bellaire Middle School and Belmont County’s representative at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. For one thing, we could learn how to spell some pretty daunting words. Masciarelli worked hard ...

There appears to be some good news for Belmont County in the latest U.S. Census Bureau population estimates. While every community in the Ohio Valley lost residents from 2015 to 2016, the population of cities and villages in Belmont County remained relatively stable compared to other local ...

Occasionally, we call on prosecutors and judges to punish certain criminals harshly. Because suggesting someone go to prison for a long time is a very serious thing, we usually explain why we believe lengthy sentences are appropriate. Not this time. There really is no need to explain why a ...

Several local school districts are participating in a study to determine if it is feasible for them to share services and facilities. It is an effort that could increase efficiency and save taxpayers money, if it is handled correctly. Ohio House Bill 5, which became law in September, allows ...

Business and government leaders in the Purple City are still working to move the community forward as it recovers from a massive downtown fire. Representatives of local churches, Belmont County agencies, stores, service providers and city government formed Project Forward, a Martins Ferry ...