Opinion

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Letters to the Editor April 25, 2026

A March 9 Vindicator story noted that for the fourth consecutive year, the number of fatal crashes in Ohio has declined. Speed-related crashes were the highest type in Mahoning County, 3,130 from January 2021 to the present. Ohio should have never changed the speed limit to 70 mph on the highways. People now go 80 mph. No wonder why there are so many crashes. — Canfield The taxes which support the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County are paid by all county residents. Many communities have never had a library, and for others, their once “public” libraries have been ...

No substance from Sen. Bernie Moreno

Letters to the Editor April 25, 2026

DEAR EDITOR: What a sham! This is what you receive from Sen. Bernie Moreno if you write to him. It’s the same for ALL contacts I’ve attempted. Don’t waste your time. “Thank you for reaching out to my office and sharing your thoughts. Your feedback is invaluable as we work together to address the issues that matter most to Ohio. We meet with constituents every day in Washington, D.C., and it is the best part of my day. I ran for office because I was tired of career politicians that cared only about getting reelected. I understand I work for you. It is one of the greatest ...

We cannot lose Youngstown State

Letters to the Editor April 25, 2026

DEAR EDITOR: Too many people in the Mahoning Valley still don’t know that Vivek Ramaswamy has put forward plans that include closing universities like Youngstown State University. This is not speculation or a passing idea. YSU is on the list. That should alarm every resident of this region. YSU is more than a campus. It supports jobs, drives the local economy and creates opportunity for thousands of families. It also fuels our identity, especially through programs like Youngstown State Penguins football, which bring pride and energy to the Valley. Closing YSU would not just ...

The hollowest of words from Moreno

Letters to the Editor April 25, 2026

DEAR EDITOR: First a bit of reference from the April 14 Vindicator editorial. The editorial speaks to an environmental and health win for Ohio in that the U.S. EPA announced the good news that Ohio is no longer on the list of states that do not meet clean air standards. Ohio’s U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno was quoted in the editorial with “ … quite frankly, taking care of the environment and being good stewards is not really a partisan issue.” But then we move on. U.S. House Joint Resolution 140 was introduced to strip prohibitions that prevented toxic mining for copper in the ...

Let the sun shine in on JobsOhio

Editorials April 25, 2026

Ever since its creation in 2011 by then-Gov. John Kasich as Ohio’s quasi-public nonprofit economic development department, JobsOhio has rightly attracted its fair share of admirers and detractors. Admirers, such as many in business and development circles, have hailed the agency for its leading role in attracting major companies such as Intel, with its $5 billion investment in the Columbus area and Kimberly-Clark, with its $800 million investment in the Mahoning Valley. On the other hand, detractors such as government watchdogs, civil liberties organizations and some state ...

Trump reprehensible is so many ways

Letters to the Editor April 25, 2026

DEAR EDITOR: It is said that Donald Trump is “the greatest geopolitical disaster in history.’ In my opinion he is that and more. He is a national disaster and has taken us from status as a world-class country to nothing more than a laughingstock to the rest of the world. Our allies have been lost. He has said and done things never imagined from a president of any country. His love and admiration for three of the world’s worst dictators puts Trump in their class for the degradation of humanity. Remember that our president is a convicted felon, no matter how you spin it, he is a ...