Four steps to take action for Stroke Month this May

May 2, 2026

DEAR EDITOR: Every 40 seconds someone in the U.S. has a stroke. In fact, stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death, according to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update, and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States. Unfortunately, a stroke can happen to anyone, at any age. That’s why this May, for American Stroke Month, the American Stroke Association is spotlighting four things you can do to take action against stroke: 1. Learn B.E. F.A.S.T. to spot a stroke. If you see sudden Balance loss, Eye or vision ...

On the world stage, Trump is a royal embarrassment

May 2, 2026

DEAR EDITOR: His welcome speech to King Charles had the oratorical clarity and grace of an eighth grader. It reminded me what an embarrassment 47 is on the world stage. He won’t get better enabled by the former GOP, on stage in his grandiose ballroom surrounded by his masked secret police. Given the lack of a spine in Congress, it’s up to us to vote Trump and company out before then. He’s costly in both blood and treasure. He started a war with Iran sans strategy or allies. So far, he has won the deaths of nearly twenty of our service members and injuries to hundreds more. He ...

Expand Valley coverage in Tribune Chronicle

May 2, 2026

DEAR EDITOR: We have been customers of the Tribune Chronicle for many years, but I am planning a change. We live about 200 yards from Mahoning County near the Trumbull County line. I think that it is ridiculous that I must buy a Tribune to see the nearby Trumbull County schools’ scores—teams such as Newton Falls, Lordstown and McDonald. And I have to buy a Vindicator to see local school scores, such as Jackson-Milton, Canfield and Austintown Fitch. If you truly want to be the Valley’s newspaper, you should cover news from both areas. I have not run a newspaper, but I ...

Exclusive Citizenship Act will hurt more than it helps

May 2, 2026

DEAR EDITOR: Below is a letter I sent to U.S. Sens. Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted and to U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli. Sirs, In regards to your proposed Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, I would ask you to please stop this act from moving forward. A little story about my son Chris: Chris signed up to serve in the Army in September 2001 after our country was attacked. It was his senior year in Boardman High School. He was motivated by his patriotism and the only requirements were for him to graduate high school and to turn 18. He would become the 4th generation of our family to serve ...

America suffering from a collective religious hangover

May 2, 2026

DEAR EDITOR: Last weekend another column was printed about Jesus and “His soul-saving deliverance, His unending love, His miraculous power to transform lives,” and calling for us to be more “Christ-like.” Meanwhile, as writer and political observer Mary Geddry puts it, each day as of late seems to “arrive carrying a flamethrower.” Global conflicts erase innocent lives and real estate off the face of the earth not to mention the desecration of the planet itself. Where is the deliverance, the love and the power? While some would like to expunge the need for religion from ...

How and why the U.S. Congress went off the rails

May 2, 2026

DEAR EDITOR: So, you vote for your U.S. congressional representative, and you think they will vote in your best interests? Think again. Newly elected representatives first attend “Freshman Orientation for New Members of Congress.” On the average, each representative stands in for 760,000 Americans in their district. A LOT of people with different opinions on how their rep should be voting. And only a handful of that number actually elected them. After Freshman Orientation, they no longer vote your will; they vote as they’re told to vote by their “party leadership,” both ...