Breaking News

Sports officials must be protected

Refereeing isn’t supposed to be dangerous. But those who (often volunteer to) do so are increasingly facing dangers to their mental health and wellbeing AND their physical health while they are trying to do their jobs for our kids. During a Steubenville-New Philadelphia boys soccer game this week, an official was injured so badly he had to be hospitalized. Video evidence shows a Steubenville player who may have been reacting to a red card being given to a teammate charging at the official, knocking him to the ground. According to published reports, the referee suffered a collapsed ...

The grumpy, Trumpy turkey on the table

Pick a Thanksgiving table, any Thanksgiving table in America, and it's sure to have a turkey and a grumpy uncle. Sometimes they are one and the same, stuffed with all the trimmings. As the midterms draw near, this November will be an especially heated month, right? We the people are so deeply carved down the center. There's no moderate middle ground. As the presumptive winners of the House, the Democratic family members get the white meat. The Republicans will have to do with dark. The winner of the Senate gets dibs on pumpkin pie. Oh, what a feast it will be for starved ...

Orchids & onions

ORCHID: To veteran Boardman firefighter Bill Glaser for his recent promotion to chief of one of the Mahoning Valley’s largest fire departments. Township trustees reportedly voted unanimously last week to appoint Glaser the eighth chief of the 103-year-old force. Clearly his credentials more than warranted his ascension in rank. After all, over the past 25 years, he has served in virtually every position in the 43-member department: firefighter, lieutenant, captain, assistant chief and interim chief. His exhaustive knowledge of the department and of the sprawling suburban community will ...

Letters to the editor

GOP, independent voters should back Kristen Rock DEAR EDITOR: As a Republican and a conservative voter since I started working and paying taxes, I typically look for political ideology that aligns with mine. However, when it comes to the future of our county, effective government, fiscal prudence and strong character should take priority over political labels. In local government, we need leaders who are focused on results rather than partisan rhetoric. That is why I am considering Kristen Rock, a Democrat for Trumbull County commissioner I partnered and worked with Kristen Rock ...

Letters to the editor

The story all missed at Trump Valley rally DEAR EDITOR: Of all the negative majority letters concerning President Trump’s rally, you missed a touching, feel-good story. This has been posted on Facebook, but you may not be aware of it. I would hope you decide to print this in the near future, as you say: This newspaper is politically independent publication. A 75-year-old black, Marine Vietnam War veteran stood in line for hours to see a president; it was President Trump. He was surprised at the protesters yelling vulgar and hostile attitudes. He wore a camouflage ...

Sound off!

If style, grace and truth were the recipe of the world’s most delicious soup, Trump would be a fork. Claiming to feed the nation, he would appear working furiously at that bowl. The nation would starve as he forked it up, fed himself and was still Trump. — Canfield Approximately 90 million has been taken from our National Parks’ revenue for 47’s selfish vanity projects aided by the Interior secretary. This denies essential maintenance, improvements and safety within the parks that are visited by millions of Americans and international travelers. Every whim by this president is ...