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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 ...

Collaboration key to plugging local workforce gap

Various public and private entities across the Mahoning Valley are collaborating to execute a state-organized initiative to fill the workforce talent gap. And it’s working. It’s working because of structure, communication, strong local leadership and funding. Many area organizations are benefiting from the investment, as are job seekers, many of whom were displaced during the pandemic. The initiative is called “Ohio To Work,” and credit for it starts at JobsOhio, the state’s private nonprofit economic development corporation. Through the collective leadership and vision of ...

Be aware of teen dating violence

When their 18-year-old daughter, Tina, was brutally murdered by an abusive ex-boyfriend in 1992, Jim and Elsa Croucher, who lived in Monroe, Ohio, picked up the pieces of their shattered lives, determined to do all they could to prevent a similar tragedy for other families. They became trailblazers. The Crouchers started by educating themselves on dating violence and the warning signs of abuse. They were alarmed to learn that one in three girls and one in 10 boys have been a victim of teen dating violence. It became their mission to empower local teens with knowledge to keep them ...

Let games begin in Pittsburgh-Cleveland

I’m sleep deprived. And while I enjoy my new job, I try not to work all nighters at it. No, I have been losing sleep over the last two weeks because I love watching the Olympics, and to do so live. The last three Olympics, two winter games and one summer, have been hosted by Northern Asian cities. While that is certainly reflective of the region’s rising prominence, it is going to be good for viewership in the U.S. when the games next go to Europe (Paris and Milan / Cortina, respectively). It’ll certainly be good for my sleep patterns. Regarding the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics ...