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Guest columnists

Liberty story needs nuance and empathy

Last week the Trumbull County Coroner released the autopsy finding that a Liberty Township firefighter and paramedic died of “acute fentynal toxicity.” And, again, the over-wrought story, high on spectacle and short on empathy, has been plastered across Mahoning Valley news. The story starts with the death of my brother, John Beard. My family has been rocked by John’s death, and we have been caught in the upheaval at the fire department. It’s time that readers hear a more nuanced narrative that approaches what happened to John and his colleagues from a human and public health ...

Second Harvest receives national recognition

Many people across the Mahoning Valley understand the wonderful work being done by Second Harvest Food Bank. Second Harvest’s staff and 153 member agencies and programs work tirelessly every day in an effort to make food accessible to all people in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. It’s nice when our neighbors recognize the good work being done by local people for local people. But it’s even nicer when someone outside our community takes notice. That’s exactly what happened recently when Second Harvest Food Bank was honored as one of the top charities nationwide by ...

Saving family dairy farms benefits all of us

My day-to-day work with family dairy farmers keeps me in touch with some of the finest people you can imagine. They produce wholesome food and provide social benefits we all enjoy. Family dairy farms are good for rural economies, good for food security and good for the environment. But all of this is in danger of being lost forever. Family farmers have been enduring an economic pandemic for decades. Poor prices and lack of markets have had us measuring dairy losses in farms per day long before COVID-19 was in the news. The get-big-or-get-out perspective is ushering in a system in which ...

US workers score win with USMCA

Martha Newton, Guest columnist The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is now in force. Completing a long-time objective of President Trump, the USMCA changes the dynamic in trade by bringing manufacturing jobs back to America and leveling the playing field for U.S. workers and businesses. The USMCA is a win for the American worker. The USMCA means creation of up to over half a million jobs and increase in wages of up to around $500 per year. Provisions that help the U.S. auto industry will help create 76,000 additional U.S. automotive jobs, according to the Office of the U.S. ...

Protecting Ohio’s stroke victims

F.A.S.T is an acronym widely used by health organizations and professionals to educate the public on how to identify and get treatment for someone experiencing a stroke. The acronym stands for Facial droop, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty and Time to call 911 and get to a hospital immediately. What the public is not taught, however, is that it is critical for people experiencing a stroke to be taken to the correct hospital, not just the nearest hospital. There are four different levels of stroke hospitals as determined by the Joint Commission, an independent, nonprofit organization ...

Help wanted: Motivated poll workers

July 4, 1776, America declared its independence from the British monarchy. Nov. 3, 2020, voters across Ohio and the nation will participate in the very self-governing our founders envisioned 244 years ago. That day a bold and courageous idea about justice, equality and human freedom became a nation — the first nation founded on an idea. We know that for much of our 244 years of history we have failed to live up to those lofty ideals. We know that for more than half of our history women and people of color were excluded from the franchise and even systematically subjugated by the ...