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Stopping swatting

Ohio lawmakers passed a bill last year that was meant to deter the waste of law enforcement resources by adding criminal penalties for those convicted of placing “swatting” prank calls. At least four Ohio officials were victims of just such calls late last month. According to a report by WBNS, a 9-1-1 dispatcher received this call: “Hello, I just shot my wife with an AR-15. My name is Jamal and I just shot my wife with an AR-15,” with the call allegedly coming from political leaders’ homes, including state Rep. Kevin Miller, R-Dist. 69; former state Rep. Rick Carfagna; ...

Wellbeing measured

Ohio’s elected officials are tooting their own horn a bit, with good reason. Economic development is happening at a pace to which Buckeye State residents have been unaccustomed. But as a recent report by Scioto Analysis suggests, there is much room for improvement. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, Scioto Analysis came up with an Ohio Human Development Report, which focused not just on income and financial wellbeing, but also on health and education. It uses the Human Development Index created by the United Nations back in 1990 to compare countries, but this version ...

Wrong reason for override

Ohio lawmakers have gone power mad, as they continue their march to prove 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 flexed their muscles to keep 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 from poisons such as flavored ...

Cheers & Jeers

CHEERS to school officials and first responders for their quick reactions Wednesday, when an odor of gas was detected at St. Clairsville high and middle schools. They kept everyone safe. JEERS to the complications making road repairs in the area of Martins Ferry City Schools difficult to complete. From traffic patterns to ownership of the roads, the situation is complex. CHEERS to the launch of a new Belmont County Sheriff’s Department app to provide residents more information on a daily basis. JEERS to the fact that there is a great need for blood donations in the local area and ...

Opportunities 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 earlier this week when he visited the Rotary Club of Toledo to talk about the jobs landscape. According to a report by WTOL, Husted said of the 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 in northwest Ohio alone, in a variety of ...

Give plows room to work

Driving can be tricky during winter storms such as the one just experienced here. For some, the need to travel wins out over being patient and waiting for weather to clear up and roads to be properly treated. That means some drivers are out and about at the same time as snow plows and salt trucks — and not necessarily with a proper understanding of the rules of the road. According to a report by FOX Weather, there have been at least 13 crashes involving snow plows in Ohio so far this year. “Folks, I can’t stress this enough: Pay attention and give our crews room to work,” ...