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Editorials

Ohio lends helping hand

Across the south, the effects of Hurricanes Helene and Milton have been devastating and deadly. Help is desperately needed, and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has made sure the Buckeye State is answering the call. Last week, airmen and soldiers were sent to North Carolina to assist with the recovery from unfathomable flooding and mudslides. This week, the Ohio National Guard was activated after a request for assistance Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. “As Florida recovers from one hurricane and braces for another, Ohio is answering the call to ...

Ensuring voters can vote

As the Nov. 5 general election approaches, third-party groups appear to be trying to bog down county boards of elections with requests to systematically remove thousands from voter rolls. In Ohio, the state chapters of Common Cause and the League of Women Voters, represented by the ACLU and the Brennan Center for Justice, are alerting Secretary of State Frank LaRose to what the groups say are the illegal systematic removal of voters from the rolls in Delaware, Muskingum, probably Logan and possibly Cuyahoga counties. The groups cite public records, including minutes of county election ...

Sliding scale a good move

Officials with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services made an important change that should help the program do better help those who are part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Last week, ODJFS Director Matt Damschroder announced a sliding scale to allow recipients to move off the program gradually. That way, recipients will feel less as though they need to turn down promotions or new job opportunities to keep food on the table. “Fear of losing food benefits can be a deterrent to taking a new job, working more hours, or even accepting a promotion,” ...

Comply with burn ban

As wet as the weather has been over the past several days, it is tempting to think drought warnings and burn bans are a thing of the past in Ohio. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, by Oct. 1 only 14% of the state had been made drought-free by the recent rain. In Southeast Ohio, conditions are still labeled as “extreme drought” or “exceptional drought.” Meanwhile, the change in season adds another danger. Leaves now litter the ground as the air gets less humid, too. Even in an ordinary year, most outdoor burning would be prohibited in unincorporated areas from 6 a.m. to 6 ...

Cheers & Jeers

CHEERS to Jeremy Pasztor, winner of the Ohio Valley Mall’s Small Shop Showdown contest. His business, Holey Rollers Donuts, will receive free rent for a space at the mall through May 20. JEERS to the fact that Martins Ferry city leaders found that bids for repairs to the city building were too vague. Hopefully bidders can provide more details. CHEERS to Barnesville Hutton Memorial Library on its 100 th anniversary of serving the village and the surrounding community. A special open house marked the date on Sept. 23. JEERS to word that deer just across the Ohio River in Ohio County ...

Helping Helene’s victims

For those of us watching in horror as Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee come to grips with the devastation left by Hurricane Helene, the first thought might be “I need to help. Now.” Whether the urge is to send money, send supplies or volunteer, we might have to be more patient than we’d like. Federal Emergency Management Agency guidance begins with something that might come as a surprise. Should you be trying to contact someone in the affected regions, text rather than calling. Texting leaves the lines open for ...