Opinion

What happened to initiative?

Two years after voters tossed Democrats from power in Washington, polls show they are ready to switch sides again. Does it make sense to welcome back a party and its ideas that were so recently rejected? The reason so many voters are frustrated by both parties is that they have been putting too much faith in government and too little faith in themselves. It's called initiative and the lack of it has contributed not only to dysfunctional government but also to a loss of the things that built and sustained America through challenges greater than high gas prices and "unaffordable" ...

Friday editorial cartoon

Observations on Trump’s Youngstown rally

When you attend a Donald Trump rally, there are certain things to expect. You’re going to wait around before anyone speaks, you’re going to wait even longer for the president to deliver his speech, his is not going to be a short speech, it’s going to go off on tangents that have nothing to do with the matter at hand, the crowd is going to eat it up and there’s going to be incidents between Trump’s supporters and those who feel the need to protest inside the building. While there were many people protesting near Youngstown’s Covelli Centre, there were at least four people ...

Guardrails are needed for plate-reading technology

Ohio Rep. Karen Brownlee is right. Lawmakers MUST make changes to put in place safeguards against the abuse of automatic license plate readers and other surveillance technologies. Brownlee, D-Symmes Township, is asking for an indefinite pause on the use of Flock cameras in the state following the indictment of Sharonville Police Lt. Walter Cordes on charges of unauthorized use of a computer or telecommunication property. He is alleged to have searched the department’s Flock camera system 29 times to track someone he knew for personal reasons, according to a report by ...

Who is Ilhan Omar?

Much of Ilhan Omar's family story is a black box, but we are presumably about to learn more about it. Federal authorities raided her Washington, D.C., residence in what's reportedly a probe related to her immigration paperwork. The congresswoman has alleged an effort to weaponize federal law enforcement and silence her. The Trump administration, which has repeatedly overreached in pursuit of its political opponents, doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt in such matters, although questions have swirled around Omar's background for years. She has always responded with angry ...

Hearing from our patrons

Public libraries have always been trusted sources of information. From clay tablets to touch screens, they have preserved knowledge and connected people with the resources they need. But as communities change, libraries must evolve with them. Since becoming Director and CEO of the Public ...