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Sound off!

4 min read

How does Mill Creek MetroParks get away with charging $10 for parking in the lot across from Canfield Fairgrounds? The taxpayers already paid for that area in the first place and now the powers that be just put up blockades and have police stand guard and charge to park. I remember Judge James Evans put a stop to that when they tried that while he was on the bench. Very sad.

Canfield

Deer are good only for food for humans and predators. They're not good for nature, eating sapling, buds, new growth (poor rabbits). I can't have flowers in my yard; they eat bird seed. Can't have a garden; they jump the fence. They spread disease and ticks and leave their droppings in the yard where my grandchildren play. There are 1.5 million deer car crashes with 10,000 injuries and 200 fatalities per year. They're not Bambi, just trouble.

Liberty

I agree with The Vindicator's July 19 editorial, "Put to rest the bike path legal battle." Diane Less does not have to sell her property to the Metro Parks. Compromise: She can keep her property and grant access to the parks for the small part of the property that is needed to continue the bike path from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. It is time for her to give back to the community that has supported her.

Austintown

I saw news that Mayor Jamael Tito Brown is going to host black mayors from around Ohio. Why only black mayors? Shouldn't Mayor Brown want any mayor who wants to come to see Youngstown welcome them? If a white mayor invited only other white mayors, he would be called racist and the media would go crazy over it. If you eliminate a person because of their race, that's racism.

Hubbard

Maui fires confirm electrical utilities are complicit, dishonest monopolies squandering funds needed to do what they should have done long ago -- put all power lines underground! Yes, it's more expensive. Also witness: California wildfires caused by power lines; yearly wind storms knock out power; multi-million dollar power company-Ohio government bribery scheme; downtown Youngstown amphitheater-Wean Park overhead major transmission line proposal they're still trying to construct.

Boardman

Youngstown should take a lesson from Chicago. It seems gas stations are behind all the crime there, so Chicago wants to shut them down at night. Wouldn't that allow for daytime gas station crime? I admit I am robbed every time I fill up, but I don't report it because the police won't respond anyway. We feel your pain, Windy City!

Columbiana

My fellow Republicans, wake up. All trial witnesses against Donald Trump are Republicans. If the Biden family has been corrupt in any way, then prosecute accordingly. We haven't heard much about Jared Kushner's $2 billion Saudi deal while serving as "Special Aide" to Trump. All his trips were paid for by the USA. We need John Kasich! And the beat goes on.

Campbell

Six of eight GOP primary competitors raised their hands as supporting the failed one-time president and current multicriminal indictee if he becomes the party's nominee in 2024. In that moment, the clown car insurrection became a multi ring circus with big tops supported by six contestants. Media could do us all a favor by reducing the ringmaster's entrance to a side note on the late news or 2 inches on Page 9.

Canfield

In the intellectual world, our recent ex-president is not a stalwart member. His base talk, ridiculous juvenile taunts and vengeful behavior alone should deem him ineligible to hold political office. But his sneaky, oily, devious methods to drag his fans into a thrall and keep them giving is sad commentary on the psyche of the easily led who continue to support him. That includes the cowards in the GOP.

Youngstown

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Have something you want to get off your chest? Share it here with other readers.

"Sound off!" publishes Saturdays to provide readers with a forum to applaud successes, discuss issues, point out local problems or review events of the day -- all in a constructive manner. Preference is given to local issues, but will not include local election issues. Selected "Sound off!" submissions are published. Names are not included, but residential community is.

Limit "Sound off!" comments to 80 words. Submit longer comments as "Letters to the Editor," a separate forum that publishes Sundays.

Submit via email to soundoff@tribtoday.com or via the Virtual Newsroom by going to www.vindy.com and clicking "Submit News" and then "Sound off.

Letters to the Editor

Sound off!

4 min read

Parents are children's first teachers. School teachers are children's second teachers. Many times they are the only teachers that children ever really have. Support your teachers. We need them more than ever for today's children.

Youngstown

We see Hubbard making preparations for the eventuality of electric vehicle charging stations. It is amusing that trustees (consider the definition) assume knowledge and right to regulate something unheard of just a few years ago. Why does government call it regulating when it's really another tax without service or value.

Columbiana

Democrats thinking Donald Trump will be jailed over these indictments are fooling themselves. Trump is under Secret Service protection 24/7 for life. Secret Service won't allow a former president to be jailed. He will be the Republican nominee and will run against President Joe Biden. Instead of trying to put Trump in jail, Biden and radical Democrats should try to convince Americans their way is better. Biden knows how bad he's made this country. The only way he sees to win is to jail his opponent.

Hubbard

Learning history is beneficial. You are less likely to repeat your forefathers' mistakes. We are less likely to repeat the Holocaust or enslave people because it's wrong. We learn equal opportunity is best. If we prevent our kids from learning the horrors of slavery, Jim Crow and systemic biases, discrimination against minorities and gays will continue. The resulting conflict between advantaged and oppressed will continue. Tell our legislators to take their heads out of the sand.

Campbell

"You can't yell 'fire' in a crowded theater" is an oft-cited limit on free speech in America. Telling an armed (after ordering weapon-detecting gates to be removed) mob to "March to the Capitol and fight like hell or you won't have a country left," is the same thing, when directed to rioters to prevent the legitimate transfer of power. Malicious, self-serving speech to create panic and injury deserves jail time.

Canfield

A noncitizen received life in prison. The child, 9, whom he raped had an abortion. On Aug. 1, The Vindicator reported another noncitizen raped a child twice and received 15 years in prison. How many other children have been raped by noncitizens? Two lost their innocence and the cost of counseling will be high. Incarceration for noncitizens will cost millions. They eat and live for free in much better surroundings than the prisons in their countries. Stop illegal immigration now.

Youngstown

"True, because no other president has put himself in that position"? Maybe because no other president was free from debt in owing something to somebody! Donald Trump is arrogant and can be obnoxious, but he knows his stuff. He is a businessman, not a politician. That scares the good ol' boys / gals. We need him or someone like him to take the reins of this country, getting us out of this mess someone got us into by paying off his debt.

Canfield

O-H-I-NO. Voters in Ohio made it very clear. We don't like politicians that think of only themselves and their special interest groups that support their radical agendas. Remember who supported Issue 1 and take notice: Mike DeWine, Nick Santucci, Mike Loychik, Sandra O'Brien and Frank LaRose.

Liberty

soundoff@tribtoday.com

Have something to say?

Have something you want to get off your chest? Share it here with other readers.

"Sound off!" publishes Saturdays to provide readers with a forum to applaud successes, discuss issues, point out local problems or review events of the day -- all in a constructive manner. Preference is given to local issues, but will not include local election issues. Selected "Sound off!" submissions are published. Names are not included, but residential community is.

Limit "Sound off!" comments to 80 words. Submit longer comments as "Letters to the Editor," a separate forum that publishes Sundays.

Submit via email to soundoff@tribtoday.com or via the Virtual Newsroom by going to www.vindy.com and clicking "Submit News" and then "Sound off."

soundoff@tribtoday.com

Letters to the Editor

Sound off!

3 min read

One of Youngstown's showplaces is Mill Creek Park's Fellows Riverside Gardens. Previously, the grounds were pristine with seasonal flowers and plants. Now the grounds look barren and not well kept. An example is grass / weeds in plantings and walkways. What is going on and what can we do to fix it? We had out-of-town guests this weekend and were ashamed. We need an explanation.

Canfield

The SOBE plant meeting showed exactly what's wrong with this area. Mask-wearing (why?) people and politicians fearful of science and progress with no real knowledge of the topic emotionally are trying to stop a way to help this area reduce pollution and waste.

Girard

The residents with "Save our Deer" signs in their yards are reminding us that the deer and Millcreek Park belong to all taxpayers who are financially supporting efforts by Millcreek MetroParks Board to hunt our deer this year and for 5 to 10 years forward. The $50,000 budget for this hunt is funded by the 15-year tax levy which we approved. It's money that could be better used for saving our park to enjoy, and not destroying it.

Youngstown

Issue 1 defeated; GOP power grab avoided. If we could just lose the blimp factory reputation, get our money back from the self-chilling $8-a-can bust, stop building million-dollar fire escapes and quit dining in Vegas on taxpayer money, we may yet look pretty smart to the rest of the country.

Canfield

I find it incredibly sad that people support, praise and send hard-earned money to a liar, caring only for himself. He does not care about anyone but himself, truly. And, to receive this adulation from "adoring public" is pathetic. He is scamming people who think he will help them. He won't.

Youngstown

Before Tuesday's election much media attention was given to money the "Vote Yes" campaign received from an Illinois millionaire. However, we heard very little about dark money that funded more than three-fourths of the "Vote No" campaign. We have no idea who was behind those contributions. Dark money helped win the August election. Those who value the sanctity of life and rights of unborn can't let dark money win in November.

Poland

I find it troubling that my representative to the United States Congress for political expediency or in order to curry favor, without hearing any debate or policy platforms from other candidates, would endorse a thrice-indicted liar for president.

Struthers

Why won't lawmakers insist on single-item bills? Want a new fire station at the airport? Vote yes or no. Want to fine people using the wrong pronoun? Vote yes or no. Please don't require passage of pork or inane bills to get something that's needed. Much less time would be spent on discussion, arguments and voting. Let's start with a budget!

Columbiana

Letters to the Editor

Sound off!

4 min read

To area residents with "Save Our Deer" signs in their yards, I'd like to remind them the deer at Mill Creek Park are not "your" deer. They are wild animals with no rights. Many of these same people are part of the problem by feeding the deer and treating them like pets. Thin the herd and take out a few of those overpopulated dirty geese for good measure.

Boardman

Just a quick question about the proposed Canfield Schools reconfiguration: Why does the administration need a whole school building for their offices? Do they need a gym, cafeteria, library, classrooms? It doesn't make sense to me; can someone explain?

Canfield

I say I will debate Frank LaRose and others when they talk about outsiders trying to influence Ohio voters. We are lucky to have our own FirstEnergy Corp. bribing former House Speaker Larry Householder and others to the tune of over $60 million. Keep the corruption in Ohio first. Keep Ohio first. Give me a break.

Austintown

Ohio has about 8 million registered voters. Our state constitution requires only one-vote majority to amend it. That's 4,000,001 votes in favor, one-vote majority out of a potential 8,000,000 votes. Issue 1 will require 60 percent majority, or 4.8 million votes to amend the state constitution. So the difference is one vote or 800,000 votes. This is assuming 100 percent turnout, but math applies in any case. Even at 50 percent turnout, the difference would be 400,000 votes. Issue 1 is really about never allowing voters power to amend Ohio's constitution.

Youngstown

Congratulations to Ricky Morrison on his $175,000 settlement. No one should be fired for freedom of speech on their off-work hours no matter if you're Republican or Democrat. I am certain we, the taxpaying citizens, are paying for the county insurance. I am also sure the insurance premium will increase due to the risky behavior of these officials. Hold your government accountable. Vote these county commissioners out of office. Good luck, Ricky, and wishing you a full recovery.

Austintown

The East Palestine train derailment was a tragedy. It will be interesting whether more damage was done by toxins from wreckage or the microplastics in the donated water. Due to the bad press, property values are down. Norfolk Southern said they would make up the difference. That doesn't help because most live in East Palestine because they can afford it. A better approach would be copy a nearby neighborhood and give everyone a 20-year tax abatement.

Youngstown

Why does the 60 percent vote requirement become effective immediately and the rest of the constitutional amendment is effective Jan. 1, 2024? Why did the Ohio Legislature vote to stop all August special elections then decide to spend $20 million to have one this August with only one issue on the ballot? We need a way to check politicians' power and protect our right to initiate a constitutional amendment. Keep the current majority rule at 50 percent, and vote no on Issue 1.

Poland

Mahoning County has insurance to protect the county. Difficult to defend if you fire someone because they support your opponent. The commissioners approve the cost of insurance. Usage is part of the formula for the rates to go up or down. Poor character along with arrogance can shut someone off because they have the gavel. Somehow, "the big three" will patch up their differences. And, you think there are problems in Trumbull County?

Campbell

Have something to say?

Have something you want to get off your chest? Share it here with other readers.

"Sound off!" publishes Saturdays to provide readers with a forum to applaud successes, discuss issues, point out local problems or review events of the day -- all in a constructive manner. Preference is given to local issues, but will not include local election issues. Selected "Sound off!" submissions are published. Names are not included, but residential community is.

Limit "Sound off!" comments to 80 words. Submit longer comments as "Letters to the Editor," a separate forum that publishes Sundays.

Submit via email to soundoff@tribtoday.com or via the Virtual Newsroom by going to www.vindy.com and clicking "Submit News" and then "Sound off."

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