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Letters to the Editor

What Transgender Awareness Day is really all about

DEAR EDITOR: We are writing in regard to the column “What is ‘Transgender Awareness Day’ actually about?” by Ian Haworth and would like to reply in good faith. Transgender Day of Visibility is about celebrating the rights and dignity of trans people, as well as bringing awareness to the issues trans people are facing in our community. Haworth argues that “no serious person denies their existence, or their right — as human beings — to ‘exist’”. Meanwhile, some serious elected officials in the Ohio Statehouse and federal Congress have already passed and continue to ...

Why the personal injury settlement fails East Palestine

DEAR EDITOR: As the final personal injury checks from the $600 million East Palestine settlement begin to show up in mailboxes, it would seem this would provide a sense of closure. But for those of us who experienced the 2023 derailment, this isn’t justice. The personal injury component is a painful example of how our legal and environmental justice systems don’t work. While the base payout was touted at $25,000, many residents are receiving far less due to an incomprehensible formula of multipliers and pretend math that feels more like a game of craps than an actual medical ...

Hoping for a solution to the Poland public library quandary

DEAR EDITOR: Recently, someone asked me about the “Save Our Library” signs in Poland. This person wondered if the Poland library was closing. I explained that the signs were about the building that currently houses the library. The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County board is considering moving the library because the upkeep is expensive, and even if they were to repair it where needed, it would continue to be an expensive building to run. The Poland Library is not closing, although one option is to relocate it to a better-suited building. Being here only 16 ...

Sound off!

Trump’s post depicting himself as Jesus was blasphemy, no doubt about it. His explanation that he thought it was supposed to be a doctor is so unbelievable it can’t even be argued. So, MAGA, is your adulation of Trump so strong that you’ll still defend him as JD Vance did? The abandonment of ethical principles among this group is frightening. God have mercy on us. — Youngstown I believe Trump feels that $90 a barrel oil and a 1,300 uptick in stocks was worth his soul because he thinks his leadership starting a war was perfect to drive both numbers. It was not. He lost lives ...

Donald Trump’s threats to Iran are war crimes

DEAR EDITOR: On Easter Sunday morning, the president of the United States announced his intention to commit war crimes. That’s not hyperbole or partisan rhetoric. Legal scholars citing the laws of armed conflict, using the same framework American military commanders are trained on, confirm that deliberately targeting civilian power plants and bridges constitutes a war crime. Causing excessive suffering to civilian populations clears that bar. We called it a war crime after World War II. The label hasn’t changed. On April 6, The Vindicator ran the headline: “President ...

Vote for Shelley Pratt for county probate judge

DEAR EDITOR: On May 5, Republican primary voters will have to decide on who will be the new Trumbull County Probate Court judge. Shelley Pratt, an experienced Prosecutor and current Common Pleas magistrate is the candidate voters should trust. Magistrate Pratt was a prosecutor for 20+ years in both Ashtabula and Columbiana counties. During that time, she was involved in over 100 cases before the Ohio Supreme Court. In comparison, her opponent has 4. Shelley Pratt has argued before the 11th and 7th districts’ Court of Appeals. Shelley Pratt is a full-time magistrate who has involvement ...