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Boccieri the choice in Dem primary for 58th District

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 ...

The triumph of economic freedom?

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 ...

Clarence Thomas’ great speech on the Declaration

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 ...

New tool helps all to track students’ chronic absenteeism

It’s just common sense that students who are able to attend school regularly are more likely to perform at grade level in reading and math, and eventually graduate on time. But during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school year, approximately one-fourth of Ohio students were considered chronically absent (missing two or three days per month). Addressing such a challenge will require having the information to get a handle on each student’s situations. To that end, the state has unveiled an attendance dashboard that should give schools another tool in the effort. “The goal is to spot ...

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 ...