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Churches aid young adults

We are nearing the end of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, and one of the main focuses this year has been urging people to seek help when needed, as more efforts are being made to reduce the stigma around struggling with emotional wellness. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “(M)ore than 1 in 5 U.S. adults live with a mental illness (59.3 million in 2022; 23.1% of the U.S. adult population).” The NIMH classifies mental health conditions into two categories: Any Mental Illness and Serious Mental Illness. AMI includes “mental, behavioral, or emotional ...

Do we still have a Constitution?

Last week, President Donald Trump announced that he plans to give away tax dollars without congressional or judicial authorization to his friends and allies whom he believes were mistreated by the Biden administration. Can he legally do that? Here is the backstory. During the last year of his first term in office, Trump’s tax returns were stolen along with those of 425,000 others by an IRS employee who leaked Trump’s to media outlets. The acts of stealing and leaking were, of course, criminal, and the now-former IRS employee who pleaded guilty to theft of government documents ...

Is this a PTSD Nation?

I was born just after the end of World War II. The first half of the 20th century marked a particularly difficult, violent era. But the 21st century so far has been, well, one trauma after another. It started with 9/11, followed by the grim wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then the Wall Street crisis of 2008 and subsequent Great Recession. The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and its own economic crisis. The attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Then, beginning in 2024, President Donald Trump’s full-scale attack on democratic institutions, followed by his war on Iran and soaring prices. ...

Orchids & onions

ORCHID: To Poland McKinley Elementary School teacher Samantha Alexee and all students in the school for recently wrapping up a compassionate and fantasmagorical fundraising drive to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. The students raised a whopping $26,000 during the monthlong campaign in the community. As Principal Matt Beard aptly put it, “Our kids are always wanting to help others, and this year they took the ball and ran with it.” That penchant for giving carries on as well, as illustrated by Poland Middle School student Sophia Jones who led a ...

Congress should approve help for Ohio River

State Rep. Kevin Ritter, R-Marietta, was among those testifying this week in support of House Concurrent Resolution 40, which urges Congress to enact the Ohio River Restoration Program Act. Speaking before the House Natural Resources Committee, Ritter reminded those in Washington, D.C., of what we here already know. “The Ohio River Basin is not merely an environmental asset,” he said. “It is a productive economic engine that supports jobs, commerce, transportation and regional competitiveness.” The act in question would create a federal restoration initiative for the Ohio ...

Don’t fear consolidation: Youngstown State is here to stay

The patriots who built America were known for their strong statements, such as Virginia House of Burgesses Delegate Patrick Henry’s declaration, “Give me liberty or give me death.” 250 years later, with the future of Ohio’s higher education system caught up in our state’s gubernatorial campaign, let me make an equally emphatic statement: Youngstown State University isn’t going anywhere! In fact, it’s not even in the conversation. I’m glad to see our community show its Penguin Pride and rally to YSU’s defense, but we’re uniquely suited for being part of the solution, ...