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Don’t risk causing a fire

While the weather may make it a little easier to spend time outside, Ohioans tempted to use the opportunity to fire up the burn pile and get rid of some yard waste might want to take a look at the rules for doing so. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry, most open burning in unincorporated areas is prohibited in March, April, May, October and November between the hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Burn risk is higher when the weather is windier and vegetation is not yet green (or, in the fall, when it is losing its green again). Pay attention to the ...

Anything is possible in Ohio

Appalachia is home to plenty of survival stories, and thanks to botanists at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, we can celebrate another one. The running buffalo clover, which was once believed to be extinct, is now doing so well it has been taken off the endangered species list. Because bison were responsible for helping to maintain the plant’s habitat and, well, we got rid of the bison, the plant disappeared more than 80 years ago. Until its rediscovery in West Virginia in 1983, it was thought extinct. Once known to grow in the Appalachian Mountains and Central ...

Cheers & Jeers

CHEERS to news that Belmont College is expanding its outreach to local students by offering classes at the Kendall Behavioral Solutions building in Martins Ferry. An additional location will be convenient. JEERS to Mother Nature for bringing an EF-2 tornado to Monroe and southern Belmont County this week. The damage was extensive, though no human lives were lost. CHEERS to falconry enthusiasts who will descend on Holloway this weekend for their annual End of Season Meet. The event provides them an opportunity to hunt, and it allows other interested people to learn more. JEERS to word ...

Preserve local control

Some Ohio lawmakers need to consider their actions, as they continue to show they are uninterested in allowing families, doctors, schools, or even local governments to make their own decisions. In their most recent override of one of Gov. Mike DeWine’s vetoes, legislators stopped local governments from being able to regulate tobacco in their own communities. DeWine had rightly criticized the Home Rule-violating measure, pointing out it helps the tobacco companies and keeps communities from deciding how they want to protect their kids. So why in the world would lawmakers want to ...

Check for unclaimed funds

As we approach the end of February, Unclaimed Funds Month may be wrapping up, but that does not end the opportunity to check with the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Unclaimed Funds about whether there is money being held in your name. Department of Commerce data shows about one in seven people in the United States has unclaimed funds. In Ohio, the department is “safeguarding more than $4 billion in unclaimed funds.” “Many unclaimed funds belong to individuals who are over the age of 50, as well as some individuals who have passed away,” Superintendent Akil Hardy ...

Opportunity for all of Ohio

Though the signs are up all across Ohio, elected officials still feel compelled to remind us that the Buckeye State is “The Heart of it All.” Lt. Gov. Jon Husted took another such opportunity recently when he visited the Rotary Club of Toledo to talk about the jobs landscape. According to a report by WTOL, Husted said of the revived slogan: “We brought it back because we are a state that’s growing. We have more jobs than people to fill them right now.” In fact, WTOL says Husted told the group there are 16,000 open positions of all sorts in northwest Ohio alone, in a wide ...