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Ohio Turnpike moves into overdrive on improvements

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission is building the largest construction project in its history, dating back to the years leading up to the turnpike’s 1955 completion. The toll collection system or TCS modernization project, adopted by the turnpike commission in December 2017, has reached full swing as 2022 winds down, and it will continue next year. More than 20 construction projects are required to build the infrastructure enabling the turnpike commission to modernize the TCS, which will create open road tolling lanes for E-ZPass customers to travel non-stop across the ...

Ohio’s opportunity to lead EV transition

California recently approved a policy that phases out the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035, and while many states are looking to follow suit, this plan is very shortsighted. Forcing Americans to swap their gas guzzlers for an electric vehicle (EV) is simply a heavy-handed policy that won’t be successful — and could be disastrous if we let the accompanying infrastructure lag behind. The federal government is investing billions to fund charging stations across the country. But, with heat waves causing rolling blackouts and power grids struggling to convert to renewable energy, ...

Optimizing health for NE Ohio women, babies

Childbirth in the U.S. can be dangerous, compared with other developed nations. Roughly every 12 hours a woman dies of a pregnancy-related cause, and 60 percent of these causes are preventable. In addition, many babies continue to be born too early, too small or too sick to go home with their families. These alarming statistics are why our affiliated health plans, which members account for 11 percent of our nation’s births, and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, are at the forefront of improving maternal and infant health, especially in communities of color where health ...

Injuries from fireworks down, but be sure to remain vigilant

From 1994 to 2021, there has been a 74.7 percent decrease in injuries per 100,000 pounds of consumer fireworks used in the U.S., while there has been a 265 percent increase in consumption. Consumption has increased from 117 million pounds in 1994 to 428.8 million pounds in 2021, and injuries per 100,000 pounds of fireworks used during the same period dropped from 10.7 to 2.7. The year 2021 was record-breaking in the U.S., with the greatest use of fireworks and the lowest fireworks-related injury rate ever recorded. The use was up by a factor of four since 1994, while the injury rate is ...

No law can stop needed critical thinking skills

I never expected to learn about an early black community living in Salem, Ohio, when I purchased the book, “Hearts Beating for Liberty: Women Abolitionists in the Old Northwest,” hoping to learn more about Emily Rakestraw, Marius Robinson’s wife. Emily, a Quaker, grew up in New Garden, Ohio, and moved to Cincinnati to teach free black children in the 1830s. There, she met Marius and they got married. Her family disowned her until they later met him and smoothed things over, when he did a speech in New Garden. Marius and Emily moved to Salem where he was the editor of the ...

Electric vehicle infrastructure funds support region

It’s been a truly exciting few years for economic revitalization in Warren, and we believe it’s just beginning. In this ‘Voltage Valley,’ small businesses are reinvesting in their community, young people are signing leases, and innovators are reaching out to us daily. It’s a vibrancy that is continually growing across our region. Even with a lingering disruption of the pandemic for more than two years, all signs are pointed toward us maintaining much of the economic momentum that we had in the bank until that point. Simply put, this community is poised to bounce back even ...