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Mahoning Valley’s momentum is real — and it’s gaining steam

In 2020, we saw a generational opportunity to grow our economy based on the number of leads for economic development projects. That year, nearly 60 leads startled us. By the way, in 2020 we also received one lead for what’s called a mega project—think Ultium Cells’ $2 billion investment and more than 1,000 jobs. We used to get about one every other year. We were told this level of activity would sustain itself for years. So, we made population and talent expansion our No. 1 priority and housing expansion our No. 2 priority. We didn’t sustain this level of interest. In ...

Ohioans have much to celebrate on this Earth Day

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 ...

Hovis is best pick in the GOP race for commissioner

Incumbent Denny Malloy wants a second four-year term as a Trumbull County commissioner. Michael J. Hovis, currently a two-term Bazetta Township trustee, is bidding to oust Malloy from office in the May 5 Republican primary. The winner of that race will face Democrat Kristen F. Rock, an attorney, in November’s general election. Hovis and Malloy share similarities beyond being Republicans. Hovis, 57, lives in Bazetta and Malloy, 56, also resides there. Both — questioned during endorsement interviews with this newspaper’s editorial board and a reporter — are concerned about ...

Trump, Pope Leo XIV and the gospel of ‘Pulp Fiction’

It is hardly surprising that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s explicitly Christian monthly worship services monthly in the Pentagon have raised alarm in some quarters about the separation of church and state. But who expected to find him quoting lines of alleged scripture that were lifted from Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 cult classic “Pulp Fiction”? The flap begins with a prayer. At an April 15 worship service, Hegseth recited a prayer he said was sent to him by the lead mission planner of “Sandy One,” of the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) mission in Iran that saved a ...

Stacy A. Marling should be GOP candidate for Trumbull auditor

The Republican race for Trumbull County auditor is one of the most interesting in the May 5 primary. Incumbent Martha Yoder is bidding for a second term against GOP challengers Stacy A. Marling, the current deputy auditor in Mahoning County — who also serves as Bazetta Township’s fiscal officer — and former state Rep. Mike Loychik. In Yoder’s first campaign, she emphasized increased accessibility, transparency and fiscal responsibility. “We made a lot of progress,” Yoder said. “We revamped our website to make information more accessible by moving those things that ...

What are politicians thinking?

Democrat Eric Swalwell and Republican Tony Gonzales were both accused of sexual misconduct involving staffers. Californian Swalwell said he’d resign from his House seat after giving up on his run for governor. Texan Gonzales said he was withdrawing from the 2026 reelection race. Back in the day, male politicians cavorted with their female staffers and got away with it. But that was way back and many days ago. An official cheating on his wife with a woman picked up at a rally doesn’t seem to bother voters the way it once did. Donald Trump has numbed the electorate to that level ...