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Oliver the choice in GOP primary for commissioner

Editorials

Property taxes are on the minds of homeowners and politicians across Ohio these days and for good reason. Property taxes have increased since the most recent round of revaluations in the state, including here in Mahoning County, where another round of revaluations is set for this year and still another in 2030, per the Ohio Department of Taxation. The concern is that some homeowners — especially older people on fixed incomes whose homes are already paid off — may be priced out of houses they’ve lived in for decades. Christine Oliver, one of three Republican candidates for a ...

Engler faces challenges in winning stop-abortion suit

David Skolnick

Trumbull County Judge David L. Engler is seeking to stop abortions in Ohio through a lawsuit he filed with the Ohio Supreme Court contending the 2023 reproductive rights constitutional amendment does not provide protections for minors. Rather than asking the court to focus on that lone issue, Engler, a domestic relations / juvenile division court judge, wants an end to all abortions and a revote on the issue, approved by 57% of voters in November 2023. Engler’s lawsuit states that the reproductive rights amendment, which took effect in December 2023 as Article I, Section 22 of the ...

Boccieri the choice in Dem primary for 58th District

Editorials

John Boccieri is no stranger to Mahoning Valley politics after serving nine years in the Ohio House of Representatives, two years in the state Senate and two years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is one of three candidates in the Democratic primary race to replace state Rep. Lauren McNally, who is leaving her 58th District seat to run for a Mahoning County Commissioners seat. The other candidates are former Youngstown City Council member Basia Adamczak, of Youngstown, and political newcomer Jordan Pegues, of Austintown. The winner of the primary will face Republican Heather ...

Clarence Thomas’ great speech on the Declaration

Editorials

Many speeches will be delivered this year about the Declaration of Independence as we celebrate its 250th birthday. However, I think the greatest was just delivered by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on April 15 at the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas, Austin. The force of Thomas’ words does not just result from his deep understanding of what the United States is about, and how the Declaration of Independence defines it. The force flows from Thomas’ personal reality. He has lived what the Declaration is about. His words are not just the product of thought ...

The triumph of economic freedom?

Editorials

Prices rise. People blame capitalism. Politicians promise “solutions.” President Donald Trump wants to cap credit card interest rates. My socialist mayor wants to freeze rents. Elizabeth Warren wants politicians to decide what prices are “excessive.” So I was surprised to see economist Donald J. Boudreaux’s new book titled “The Triumph of Economic Freedom.” “Economic freedom is losing!” I shout at him in my new video. “Republicans and Democrats vote against it.” “Free markets are on the ropes,” he replies. “But when you look at history, you ...

Ohioans have much to celebrate on this Earth Day

Editorials

On this Earth Day, it’s important to reflect on and appreciate the real-world energy advancements that are helping deliver a cleaner, more sustainable environment. In the U.S., carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are down while electricity demand has increased. Across the PJM Interconnection, which manages electric power to 65 million people in Ohio, 12 other states, and the District of Columbia, power-sector emissions have declined by nearly 50% since 2005. Reductions driven by the decisive shift to cleaner natural gas-fired power. In shale-rich Ohio and across the larger Appalachian ...