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Celebrate the new year safely

Oh, the anticipation of celebrations on New Year’s Eve — the kind that do not involve the pressure of exchanging gifts or catering to the younger members of the family. For some, it is an occasion to dress up, go out and party in a way that perhaps they might not at any other time of year. That doesn’t make it OK to throw caution to the wind and get behind the wheel after having too much to drink. According to the National Safety Council, the New Year’s holiday weekend can be deadly. (For the NSC, that period is from 6 p.m. Friday to 11:59 p.m. Monday this year.) The ...

Cheers & Jeers

CHEERS to reports that the ballot issues and candidates considered during the elections of 2023 drew many voters to the polls. Participation is important to democracy. JEERS to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East. The death toll continues to rise there, with no resolution in sight. CHEERS to Elite Heating & Cooling of Belmont for supplying a new furnace for John and Patty Phillips, longtime volunteers with the Smith Township Volunteer Fire Department. JEERS to continuing divisions among the people and lawmakers of the United States that make it difficult ...

Core GOP tenets lacking

Though the Republican National Committee’s online platform summary does now contain TWO references to “America’s greatness” and what “makes America great,” it is conspicuously lacking a tenet many political conservatives still hold dear: When it comes to government, less is more; and decisions should be made as locally as possible. Perhaps it is no surprise then that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s takeover of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District stinks of government power-grab and tyranny. According to a lawsuit filed by Disney, the DeSantis-controlled CFTOD has ...

Improving life in Ohio

Ohio’s elected officials are tooting their own horn a bit at the end of the year, with good reason. Economic development is happening at a pace to which residents have been unaccustomed. But a recent report by Scioto Analysis suggests there is room for improvement in other categories. 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 ...

Protecting our rights

In Flagstaff, Arizona leaders were walking away from revenue for displays at the city’s airport because of fears the courts might expect them to allow a gun shop the same opportunity to advertise as any other business. Unfortunately a similar case has popped up closer to home — the American Civil Liberties Union will represent the National Rifle Association in a lawsuit contesting New York’s Department of Financial Services targeting the group with a campaign of harassment, discouraging banks and insurers from doing business with the NRA. “The government can’t blacklist an ...

Christmas spirit still thrives

It is nearly that time — nearly the day on which we celebrate a light brought into a dark world just as many have rejoiced that our darkest day of the year is now behind us. Christians across the globe will spend Christmas Day gathering with family and friends to eat, sing, exchange gifts and love one another. Many of us have rushed to and fro for weeks, shopping for gifts, preparing holiday foods and making plans to celebrate together under sparkling lights and around our trees. Millennia ago we were brought “good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” A baby ...