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Cheers & Jeers

CHEERS to all who hosted events, set up decorations and handed out candy to children in celebration of Halloween. It’s a fun time of year for kids and adults alike. JEERS to ongoing drought conditions that have left about half of the country extremely dry. Here’s hoping that Mother Nature has a plan to rehydrate our region and other dry areas before spring. CHEERS to all of the candidates seeking political offices in the upcoming Nov. 5 election. It is everyone’s right and responsibility to vote, but someone has to actually serve in those elected positions. JEERS to word that ...

Trick-or-treating safely

Forget about decades-old urban myths about razor blades and poisons hidden in Halloween candy, the real dangers tonight are more likely to come from inattentive drivers and children consuming candy containing allergens. According to a report by The Hill, other risks include falls due to costumes that become a trip hazard (or reduce visibility), and candy that can lead to choking. Parents are advised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to feed children before sending them out for their candy, to reduce the chance they will snack on a treat that contains an ingredient to which they ...

Give ODOT room to work

We’ve been spoiled with beautiful fall weather lately, and for most of us, the thought of travel-altering snow and ice still seems far away. Luckily for us, the folks at the Ohio Department of Transportation are preparing now for what we may eventually face. Inspections are underway. At ODOT’s District 10 headquarters in Marietta, mechanics and drivers checked trucks and plows this week. That job was done earlier in Belmont County. Statewide, ODOT is conducting safety checks, hiring additional mechanics and drivers, replenishing salt stores and getting ahead of the game. Route ...

A tradition of kindness

As we get closer and closer to Election Day, it seems to get harder and harder for people to be kind to one another. From the major party candidates themselves all the way down to our neighbors who are stealing campaign signs, it seems that trading insults and attempting to force our own preferences on others is the order of the day. That is not the case in Shadyside, though, as a tradition of caring for others is returning to the forefront there. Melanie Haswell, a village council member and longtime educator, is keeping her parents’ legacy of kindness alive by organizing the 33rd ...

Get screened for cancer

Pink is a prevalent color around our communities this time of year — it serves as a reminder that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. One in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer in her lifetime, according to medical experts, and the most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender — being a woman — and growing older. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in women, behind only lung cancer. Breast cancer remains a killer of women, but, as always, early detection and treatment remain the best ...

Prosecutorial overreach

Ohio voters were not the only ones to raise an eyebrow at an announcement by state Attorney General Dave Yost earlier this week. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley had a thing or two to say about it as well. It turns out, one of the six green card holders indicted for allegedly voting illegally — Ramesh Patel, 68, previously of North Royalton, Ohio — has been dead for two years. The last time Yost’s office was accusing Patel of having voted illegally was in 2018. Despite Yost’s attention-getting effort, according to WOIO the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s office ...