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Hope for tiny Ohioans

In a state where many political figures make a big show of how much they care about babies, some communities are walking the walk and providing an important option for desperate parents with nowhere else to turn. Last year, Lebanon, Ohio, installed a Safe Haven Baby Box at one of its fire stations. At the time, it was the 10th such box to be installed in the Buckeye State. On Monday, it was used for the first time. According to a press release from the Lebanon Police Department, the city’s communications center received an alarm at 3:34 p.m. from the newborn safety incubator. When ...

Helping Those in Need

One of the most joyful tasks we have each year is with helping — and chronicling — the efforts of the Bishop Darrell Cummings as he works to improve life in our community on both sides of the Ohio River. The latest such example came Saturday when the Bishop, dozens of community members and others came together to ensure about 200 local families from Belmont, Ohio and Marshall counties had a happy Thanksgiving. Cummings, pastor of Bethlehem Apostolic Temple in North Wheeling and the bishop of Port Elizabeth in South Africa, on Saturday helped spread holiday cheer to more than ...

News reporting or influencing?

During an age in which a universe of information is at most people’s fingertips, it is no surprise some are changing how they consume what they consider to be news. Pew Research Center analysts, with funding from the Knight Foundation, reported last week a study showing approximately 20% of Americans say they regularly get what they consider to be news from digital influencers — most of whom (85%) are found on Elon Musk’s social media platform X. Only a slightly higher number of those who responded said they were Republicans than Democrats. This is a problem across the political ...

Cheers & Jeers

CHEERS to all the winners and others recognized at the Best of the Ohio Valley Readers’ Choice Awards, presented Wednesday evening. JEERS to the need for schools and first responders to conduct annual “active shooter drills” to help students, staff and emergency personnel prepare for an emergency in which someone would attack a school with a firearm. CHEERS to Eat’n Park locations for holding fundraisers to benefit children’s hospitals in their regions of operation. In St. Clairsville, a spaghetti dinner takes place 1-5 p.m. Saturday at the Kevin Barr Event Center. JEERS ...

Hate must not be tolerated

Letter writers to The Columbus Dispatch were spot on earlier this week with a response to a neo-Nazi march in the Short North neighborhood of our state’s capital Nov. 16. City and state officials rightly jumped to denounce the tiny gathering of those so covered in clothing and masks it was impossible to tell just who was waving swastika flags and shouting racist slurs. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther called it a “cowardly display.” “We will not allow any of our neighbors to be intimidated, threatened or harmed because of who they are, how they worship and whom they love,” ...

Celebrating the season

We’re solidly into November, and, while the weather has not really offered much to indicate it, the calendar reminds us that the spirit of the holiday season is ready to shine brightly in communities throughout the Tri-State Area. For those who enjoy being outdoors, the Rink at Franciscan Square will open for the season Wednesday. The area’s only outdoor ice-skating rink is made possible by the Franciscan University of Steubenville and the support of numerous area businesses and individuals, including Trinity Health System, the title sponsor. Steubenville will help to welcome the ...