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Orchids & onions

ORCHID: To Poland McKinley Elementary School teacher Samantha Alexee and all students in the school for recently wrapping up a compassionate and fantasmagorical fundraising drive to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. The students raised a whopping $26,000 during the monthlong campaign in the community. As Principal Matt Beard aptly put it, “Our kids are always wanting to help others, and this year they took the ball and ran with it.” That penchant for giving carries on as well, as illustrated by Poland Middle School student Sophia Jones who led a ...

Congress should approve help for Ohio River

State Rep. Kevin Ritter, R-Marietta, was among those testifying this week in support of House Concurrent Resolution 40, which urges Congress to enact the Ohio River Restoration Program Act. Speaking before the House Natural Resources Committee, Ritter reminded those in Washington, D.C., of what we here already know. “The Ohio River Basin is not merely an environmental asset,” he said. “It is a productive economic engine that supports jobs, commerce, transportation and regional competitiveness.” The act in question would create a federal restoration initiative for the Ohio ...

Don’t fear consolidation: Youngstown State is here to stay

The patriots who built America were known for their strong statements, such as Virginia House of Burgesses Delegate Patrick Henry’s declaration, “Give me liberty or give me death.” 250 years later, with the future of Ohio’s higher education system caught up in our state’s gubernatorial campaign, let me make an equally emphatic statement: Youngstown State University isn’t going anywhere! In fact, it’s not even in the conversation. I’m glad to see our community show its Penguin Pride and rally to YSU’s defense, but we’re uniquely suited for being part of the solution, ...

Parents should be better examples for their children

From school sporting events and recitals to board of education meetings and awards assemblies, plenty of adults have set terrible examples for the kids in their lives by behaving badly. A recent example from Queen of Apostles School in Toledo is particularly bothersome. One parent has been charged with felonious assault after a fight broke out, allegedly over seating, according to a report by WTVG. The event? A kindergarten graduation ceremony that had to be rescheduled because of the melee. Though the fight is under investigation, cell phone video appears to show a large group of ...

Trump and Thune: just you wait

Here in Washington, D.C., we endure slights of the president’s barking, his constant use of capital letters and his ever-present red ties. These are forms of shouting, weapons of psychological warfare that he wields as the master of repetition. Then there’s the 250-foot Arch he plans to build, which would block the view across Arlington Cemetery to the Lincoln Memorial shrine to freedom. But the Greek gods may yet get President Donald Trump for his hubris. Let me explain. When it comes to Senate Republican leader John Thune, Trump had better tread more carefully. The strong ...

It’s on us to choose how to use our freedom

Coincident with the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence is the 250th anniversary of the publication of “The Nations.” The full title of Scotsman Adam Smith’s book, published in 1776, is “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.” One might say that in that one year 250 years ago, the American Declaration of Independence provided the road map for political freedom and Adam Smith’s book provided the road map for economic freedom. The result was a great new achievement in the history of ...