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How students from around the world help Ohio thrive

As summer comes to an end and a new school year begins, thousands of students here in Ohio will be heading to college — many of them for the first time. But it’s not just Ohio students that pursue their education here. Bright young students from across our country and around the world flock to Ohio because we have some of the best public and private universities in the world. While we might be partial to our Valley’s own Youngstown State University — Go Penguins! — our state takes immense pride in the caliber of all our institutions and the impressive faculty talent we ...

Ohio must not enter gerrymandering war

Lately, there’s been a lot of talk coming out of Texas about drawing new voting maps to get rid of Democrats in Congress and help Republicans try to save their majority, with California and New York threatening to respond in kind and starting what can only be called a “gerrymandering ...

Lordstown’s newest chapter

A new chapter is turning in Lordstown. It’s one that could not have been written without the perseverance, vision and collaborative spirit of an entire community. Foxconn’s announcement to sell its Lordstown manufacturing plant, while continuing operations at the sprawling 6.2-million-square-foot complex formerly operated by General Motors, is more than a real estate transaction. It’s a defining moment for the Mahoning Valley that’s been years in the making. To fully appreciate where we are today, let’s reflect on how we got here. Back in November 2018, when GM announced ...

Don’t politicize advances in energy technology

One of my favorite episodes of “The West Wing” is when the deputy chief of staff gets a burst of machismo and test drives a new monstrous SUV, only to run into the back of a fuel-sipping hybrid. This of course is happening as his administration is promoting fuel efficiency standards. This episode is more symbolic than the writers even knew, as it is reflective of our trend to politicize every bit of innovation in today’s world. The end result is that we no longer step up and embrace our ability to bring new technologies to the forefront of our economy without a major divisive ...

Closing the digital divide

In today’s digital age, access to high-speed internet is not a luxury — it’s a necessity. Yet, Ohio lags behind much of the U.S. in broadband availability. According to a study last year by BroadbandNow, which collects and analyzes internet service provider plans to help consumers find and compare options, Ohio is ranked 30th among states for internet coverage, speed and availability. For more advanced services, the picture worsens. The study shows that only 34.2% of Buckeye State residents have access to 1G broadband — that ranks 47th among states. Digging down ...

Economic wins stacking in Valley

We’re on a roll. That was evident at the beginning of the month when Kimberly-Clark announced it would build an $800 million facility employing nearly 500 people on property that straddles Howland, Warren and Warren Township. This surpasses the recent Foxconn investment of $500 million, creating more than 400 jobs. Kimberly-Clark represents the largest economic development project since 2020, when Ultium Cells announced a $2.6 billion factory that now employs 2,200 workers. It’s not just Kimberly-Clark, Foxconn and Ultium. Amazon broke ground on a facility in Bazetta that will ...