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Commit to cut trend of rising cycle carnage

Editorials

Over the past two months, roadways in the Mahoning Valley have fast become concrete killing fields for motorcyclists. The proof is in the data: Since August no fewer than six individuals have lost their lives while riding motorcycles in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. The fatalities included a 64-year-old Salem man traversing state Route 45 in Lordstown, a 42-year-old Cortland woman who struck horses along state Route 46 in Bazetta, an 18-year-old Youngstown man struck by a vehicle turning into an East Side apartment complex and a 61-year-old Lisbon man hit by a turning ...

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Be sure to keep score as Election Day approaches DEAR EDITOR: I know there is not a lot of interest in midterm elections, but there should be. I know it’s hard to pay attention to what they say and what they don’t say, which makes me have to read between the lines. Keeping score isn’t easy either. It’s harder than calling balls and strikes. Dad rule (I was right). It seems to me there is more at stake in this midterm than most. Trump knows construction: 1) pour the footer, let it cure; 2) Build the foundation 3 or 4 courses at a time. Let that cure; 3) Finish the ...

Why are so many Americans down in the dumps despite great prosperity?

Editorials

In nearly every way, Americans have more material wealth, better health, better housing and more of just about everything than ever before. Not just the rich, but nearly everyone. Americans’ standard of living is roughly 50% higher, after inflation, than it was 50 years ago. The median family income is now close to $90,000. That’s an income level higher than that of 90% of families living in the rest of the world. These ARE the good old days. Yet over the past 30 years, nearly every poll has shown that a plurality of Americans think things are “headed in the wrong ...

In-person voting surges while mail balloting lags

David Skolnick

People are coming to boards of elections to vote early-in person almost like it’s a presidential election, but those requesting ballots by mail have dropped off. It’s a trend happening all over the state, and the examples of Mahoning and Trumbull counties fit into that narrative. In 2022, the last election for all statewide executive branch seats, the Trumbull County Board of Elections mailed out 17,008 ballots to voters. For this election, it’s 10,837 so far — and that isn’t likely to increase by much. When you look at early in-person votes, Trumbull did 841 on Tuesday, ...

Why do groceries cost more in Ohio?

Editorials

If grocery store sticker shock is fading in Ohio, it is only because Buckeye State residents have gotten used to spending more than they’d like (or are truly able) to spend to feed their families these days. The reality is inflation simply isn’t letting up. But the problem is worse in some states than others. Disturbingly, according to WalletHub’s “Cities Where People Spend the Most and Least on Groceries,” three of the top 10 most expensive cities in the country in which to buy groceries are in Ohio. No other state has more than one city in the top ten, out of 100 cities ...

A tale of two Americas

Editorials

"The rich are different from you and me." — F. Scott Fitzgerald I read two books in one weekend: "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson on Saturday, "Strangers" by Belle Burden on Sunday. They're true stories, told well, about two countries, both inside America's borders: Death Row in Alabama, ...