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Letters to the Editor

Getting there with Jesus Christ

Dear Editor, When I was a little girl, and Mum and Daddy and I would go on vacation, or drive to a distant location, about one, or one and a half hours would pass, and Daddy would hear these words from the back seat of the car: “Daddy, are we almost there?” Of course, Mum and Daddy had already told me where we were going, and what a new adventure awaited us at our journey’s end; but, it was the GETTING THERE that so greatly tried my “little girl” patience. God is timeless -- eternal -- and doesn’t count time as we do on this earth; and, I’m now a woman of ...

Silver Lining

Dear Editor, I want to be mad. I want to be mad at the virus and the government. I want to be mad at people taking all the toilet paper and the person in the express lane with too much stuff or standing too close to me. I want to be angry at the guy turning right on red in front of me and especially, angry that I can’t see family and friends. I want to hate social distancing. But, I can’t because of what this horrible virus has shown all of us. Every day, I see so much good because of COVID-19. People are doing so many extraordinary things, like delivering meals to the elderly ...

Freeing inmates

With Ohio still a couple of weeks away from the expected peak of COVID-19 cases, Gov. Mike DeWine is considering release of some state prison inmates to hold the death toll down. His concern is valid. Jails and prisons are playgrounds for communicable diseases, and COVID-19 is extraordinarily contagious. Many county sheriffs already have taken similar action. Some have stopped accepting new inmates from other counties. In Steubenville, Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla said a few days ago that, “We have released some” non-violent prisoners. Between that and suspending ...

Overreaction will lead to a depression

Dear Editor, Sunday (March 22), Governor DeWine shut down the restaurants and bars in Ohio—What? Doesn’t Mike know that the food service jobs in Ohio are about 10% of the jobs in Ohio? Many of these affected people are rather low income people—what are they supposed to do? Will these people have jobs to go back to after this? Well, Mike says he is sorry about that. Governments thrive on fear. It’s government’s way to gain power and exercise it on us. Let’s see, this virus originated in China. China was having big problems with the Hong Kong protests and they did not ...

FDR’s Freedom of Fear

Dear Editor, In President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first inaugural address he taught us: “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” Extreme fear — caused by the coronavirus as our constant companion — should gives us pause to reflect on the possible loss of our freedoms. Our present, frightening time reminded me of FDR’s’ Four Freedoms in his 1941 State of the Union address. FDR said: “In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. “The first is freedom of speech and expression — ...

Willow Grove

Dear Editor, The United Mine Workers of America scheduled a memorial service on March 14 at the Willow Grove Mine site in Neffs, Ohio, to honor the 72 lives lost in an explosion 80 years ago. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus that is plaguing our country, we felt it necessary to postpone the service and not put anyone at risk. Despite the need to cancel this event, we want to thank all of the individuals and businesses that helped us turn what was previously an overgrown piece of land into a much-deserved memorial site. We hope to reschedule the service at a later date. Rick ...