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Don’t be misled by Valley’s high jobless ranking

Editorials

The latest unemployment report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services is not kind to the Mahoning Valley. In fact, Trumbull County holds the dubious distinction of ranking No. 1 in highest unemployment in the state among all 88 counties. Mahoning County trails close on its tails, ranking No. 3. But before anyone flips out, a bit of perspective will prove that while there may be cause for concern, there is definitely no cause for alarm. We’re a far cry from the COVID-19-induced recession that shot local jobless rates soaring above 20% six years ago this spring and ...

Another sham deal with Iran comes undone

Editorials

An early period of World War II was known as “the phony war.” What we may be witnessing now in the U.S.-Iran war is the end of a “phony peace.” The nearly five-month-long conflict has featured a couple of sham ceasefires, each marked by supposed Iranian pledges to reopen the Strait of Hormuz that came to nothing. With the Iranians firing on shipping in the Strait again, Trump has declared the so-called memorandum of understanding signed a month ago to be dead. After lifting sanctions on Iranian oil and ending the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, Trump reinstituted both. ...

Save Sparkle, but not with city funding

Editorials

For more than six decades, Sparkle Markets have stood as a formidable presence on the retail landscape of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. At its height, more than a dozen of the full-service grocery stores, emblazoned with the perky “Save With Sparky” mascot, kept hundreds of thousands in our region well-stocked with food and household supplies. Sadly, however, time and circumstances have taken their toll on the once-thriving iconic regional grocery store chain. Nearly all of them in the Valley have shuttered or rebranded, such as the last remaining two in Trumbull County ...

Sun won’t shine on JobsOhio

David Skolnick

A bill sponsored by state Sen. Sandra O’Brien requiring JobsOhio to comply with open records and meetings laws seems to make a lot of sense — and has little chance of being passed. Several of O’Brien’s fellow Republicans in the state Legislature, including the most-powerful ones, don’t want to see changes to JobsOhio, created in 2011 as a private nonprofit agency to provide incentives to companies to locate and remain in Ohio. The agency is funded through lucrative state liquor profits. O’Brien, R-Lenox, whose district includes all of Trumbull County, on April 9 ...

Lindsey Graham, your fellow citizen

Editorials

This week, we mourned the loss of Lindsey Graham, who had represented his state of South Carolina in the House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003 and in the Senate from 2003 until he unexpectedly passed away at the age of 71 after a “brief and sudden illness.” And by “we,” I obviously mean anyone with the smallest shred of dignity or honor or respect for their fellow American citizens. “Good riddance,” wrote Ana Kasparian, as did white supremacist and part-time hobbit Nick Fuentes. Not to be outdone, Cenk Uyghur responded by saying that Graham had “moved on to the ...

Former Ohio judges protest politicization of judicial seats

Editorials

If one takes a step back and looks at the matter logically, Ohio’s requirement that candidates in state supreme court races bear partisan labels is ridiculous. Add to that the decision that allowed judges to endorse political candidates and the situation is laughable. But three former state supreme court justices weren’t laughing last week when they took part in a nationwide effort to protest the politicization of judge’s seats and threats to the independence of the judiciary. Yvette McGee Brown, Michael P. Donnelly and former Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor were part of ...