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Keep Meacham as county auditor

Editorials

Some government jobs are like being an offensive lineman. Those performing well often do not get noticed until or unless a mistake happens. The quarterback gets sacked? The replay might show a missed block. But you rarely see replays of the successful blocks he made. Maybe that’s because they’re expected. A county auditor also likely won’t get noticed unless a county employee doesn’t get paid, or as we saw in neighboring Trumbull County in 2024, someone gets paid who shouldn’t have. That hasn’t been an issue here, where Mahoning County Auditor Ralph Meacham has been as ...

Ramaswamy’s ad with Acton’s estranged mother crosses the line

David Skolnick

During his Oct. 5 endorsement interview with this newspaper, Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy criticized Amy Acton, his Democratic opponent, for how she is conducting her campaign. Ramaswamy said: “I think that she’s the beginning of a new kind of politics of real personalization. She’s running a campaign on identity politics, not in the way that you traditionally may think about, but it’s a different kind of identity politics. Identity politics that – I don’t care to go into this now – actually has skillfully baited the worst instincts about aspects of ...

LaRose’s plan helps celebrate first-time voters

Editorials

Have you ever gone to a major theme park and been given a button to wear that says “First visit!” or some other form of celebration for the occasion? Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has a similar idea in mind when it comes to those about to cast their first ballots. The First-Time Voter Initiative will allow newcomers to the polling place the chance to scan a QR code to request a personalized state proclamation “recognizing them for casting their first ballot in an Ohio election, as well as graphics to share on social media. If a first-time voter chooses to cast their ballot ...

France's warning to the west

Guest columnists

Rioting is part of the political furniture in France. It's just what they do. But beyond the core of these latest riots — ostensibly over education policy, albeit expressed through the looting of stores, the ransacking of businesses and proud displays of the Palestinian flag — there's a deeper warning for not only France, but for the West: Eventually, you will run out of money. For decades, France has offered the rest of the Western world a masterclass in political cowardice, demonstrating what happens when governments respond to public outrage and mass riots by throwing taxpayer ...

All of Trump's men: Don't blame them

Guest columnists

WASHINGTON — Once upon a time, a theory made waves in political science courses that it didn't matter who the president was because the U.S. government was so mighty that it would run itself without any one person in charge. That's ridiculous. I hope that professor lived to see what hell we're burning in now. His grade: F. One man has changed everything and is still coming for you, your neighbors, your city, the air you breathe, the water you drink, and the affordable golf course here in Washington. He just chopped down hundreds of trees, which were on public land, under cover of a ...

Why are so many Ohioans in favor of book bans?

Editorials

School book ban trends come and go, but there are always groups of people who want to keep their children from having access to reading material that might expose them to new ideas or, worse, ask questions. The problem is particularly bad in Ohio, which ranks third among the states in PEN America’s study of school book bans for the 2025-26 school year. The free-expression advocacy group counted 117 instances of school book bans in the Buckeye State during that period. Only Texas and Florida were worse. Across the country, 11,982 books — 7,370 unique titles — were banned in public ...