Breaking News

Editorials

Buckle up every time

Seat belts. For the vast majority of us, putting on a seat belt when entering the car is second nature — it’s done without a thought. But for some, apparently, the act remains optional — and that’s leading to fatal results. In Ohio over the Fourth of July weekend, 10 people died in car crashes, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Of those 10 fatalities, six were not wearing seat belts. The issue goes deeper. According to the Columbus Dispatch, during the Fourth of July weekend troopers issued 2,286 seat belt and child safety seat violations. How is that ...

Swimming safely this summer

Swimming season is here, and the sounds of people enjoying the water are a sure sign that the summer is really heating up. But the fun of playing in the water can quickly turn tragic. It’s a reality that hit home last week, when 13-year-old Reese Hanshaw of Burgettstown, Pennsyvania, lost her life after drowning while swimming in the Ohio River near the Veterans Memorial Bridge. Almost 400 children younger than age 5 drown every year in swimming pool accidents across the country, and more than 3,200 go to a hospital emergency room after a near drowning, statistics show. A child ...

Vaccinate against measles

Though an outbreak in Ohio appears to have subsided since the spring, outbreaks of measles are still popping up all over the country. Most recently, Kentucky has announced its first measles outbreak of the year, with four cases in Fayette and Woodford counties. That brings the total in Kentucky to seven. In the U.S., the total number of confirmed cases this year sits at 1,267 — just shy of the 30-year high. Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah also have active outbreaks. So far, two children and ...

The foundations of Ohio

Next week, Ohioans will continue the celebrations of this country’s early days on the 238th anniversary of the “Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio.” On July 9, in Marietta, Paul LaRue, president of the Ohio State Board of Education, will talk mainly about Article 3 of that document and the effect it has had on education in this country for centuries. But there is so much more worth celebrating in that founding document. At the time, the authors made repeated references to religious freedoms, noting that “the ...

Why we celebrate July 4

As Americans prepare to celebrate the anniversary of the adoption of our Declaration of Independence, it is important to take a hard look at why it is worth celebrating, nearly 250 years later. After all, the date has been a federal holiday only since 1870 — the heart of the Reconstruction Era, when lawmakers saw the value in finding ways in which Americans could be united in their celebration. But since the beginning, there have been certain truths worth fighting for here — foremost among them that ALL men are created equal. In that equality they are endowed “by their Creator ...

Celebrating July 4 safely

The Fourth of July is a time traditionally shared with family picnics and get-togethers. Many of those celebrations will be accompanied by a few bangs, booms and splashes of color and sparks. And, while we hope everyone will have a good time, we ask, once again, that you leave the fireworks to the professionals. Summer, especially the weeks that surround the Independence Day holiday, offers the promise of relaxing, care-free enjoyment, but this time of year can be dangerous. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were an estimated 14,700 fireworks-related ...