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Ohio agencies seek to reduce suicide rates

Winter can be a tough time for those struggling with fragile mental health and other challenges. But for some, the struggle is more than seasonal — and can be deadly. Ohio’s Suicide Prevention Foundation notes adult men in particular experience disproportionately high suicide rates. For some counties, the need for support is even more profound. So, a two-year initiative will partner with local organizations to reduce the suicide rates for adult men in Clark, Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning, Marion, Montgomery, Richland and Summit counties. Projects will focus on ...

Drug abuse in Ohio evolving and continuing

It is breathtaking to watch the manner in which the substance abuse epidemic in our region continues to evolve. Just last month, officials in Gallia County, Ohio, warned a growing danger has reared its head — Xylazine. The powerful veterinary sedative, which is, of course, not intended for human use at all, has been found in the region; sometimes mixed with fentanyl and other opioids. This is a drug meant for large animals such as horses. There is no safe dosage of “tranq” for humans. In fact, overdosing is all too easy. The Gallia County Health Department says symptoms of an ...

The dark day democracy almost died

Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, was a solemn anniversary for Congress, five years to the day since a mob of President Donald Trump’s followers broke into the Capitol and savagely battled the police officers defending us, those trapped inside. I should say it was solemn and healing for the Democratic members of the House and Senate, who honored the police officers who suffered or died from the melee, holding a candlelight vigil on the Senate steps. Republicans, taking their cue from Trump, did their best to squelch the story into silence — while he pushed a false narrative on the White House ...

The dividends of Operation Absolute Resolve

One great irony is that deposed Venezuelan socialist despot Nicolas Maduro sits in jail in New York City, where a new socialist mayor, inaugurated a few days ago, extols the “warmth of collectivism” rather than the “frigidity of rugged individualism.” No warm, cuddly collectivist has ever nor will ever perform a mission like rugged American individualists just pulled off in Venezuela, surgically extracting their oppressive leader from the midst of his capital, without a single American casualty. In democratic elections held in Venezuela in 2024, Venezuelans said “no, ...

Be smart and safe during flu season

It is the season during which many of us simply accept that we will get the common cold or come down with the flu, but failure to do all we can to prevent such viruses can be dangerous. In some cases, it can be deadly. Last week, Ohio reported its first pediatric flu death of the season — a teenager under 18 in Greene County, according to state health officials. In fact, each year there are between one and seven pediatric flu deaths in the state. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nationwide 6,300 to 52,000 people died from the flu annually between 2010 ...

Republicans face some big questions in 2026

“Are the Republicans going the way of the Whigs?” During President Trump’s first term, this question was asked a lot. The answer then: No. But one year into his second term it’s worth revisiting the question, not so much because the answer is different this time, but because the question illuminates how much our politics have changed in the last decade. Just in case you forgot — or never knew — the Whigs were one of the two major American parties from the 1830s to the mid-1850s. We’ll return to them in a moment. A decade ago, the conversation about the Whigs ...