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Multi-pronged attack is needed to wage war on child abuse

Editorials

Those cruising past Warren G Harding High School or Boardman Park this month cannot help but notice the gargantuan garden of colorful pinwheels planted firmly in the ground and spinning whimsically in the wind. That plethora of 2,500 total pinwheels is designed to grab attention to a noble but challenging cause: preventing child abuse and neglect in our community, state and nation. The symbolism of the pinwheels is stark and heart-rending as each represents a case of abuse or mistreatment of a child in Mahoning and Trumbull counties in 2025. As April has been declared Child Abuse and ...

Remembering spending time in Monkey’s Nest

Letters to the Editor

DEAR EDITOR: This is an issue concerning WKBN’s report on the Monkey’s Nest neighborhood. I’m probably the last living person who roamed the streets on West Rayen Avenue. The gentleman’s report did get into very early times with his newspaper issue, but showing the homes that looked like junk was further from the truth. My grandparents lived at the end of the street right next to the large lumber yard. The home was where nine of my uncles and one aunt grew up. The area was populated with some prominent folks and yes, as time moved on homes did fall apart and yes, the black ...

Our memories together compared to today’s zealotry

Letters to the Editor

DEAR EDITOR: My memories are my recollection of the past. Disquieting. I am searching today, delving into the comparison of an off-color world (the present) compared to how I once knew it. It was 1945. I was born into a nation celebrating the victory over a Nazi regime, along with an imperial regime that committed acts of profound cruelty. The pull of a city trying to change and the American people that once celebrated they had won a war — showing that win with the love of each other, with hugs and kisses. At that time, we had a president named Harry S. Truman. He was basically ...

Low primary turnout is the norm in Mahoning Valley

David Skolnick

As has been the case for years, turnout for this spring’s primary is expected to be poor. It should be between 23% and 25% in Mahoning County, according to Tom McCabe, director of its board of elections. Stephanie Penrose, his counterpart in Trumbull County, expects turnout to be around 25% in her county. The predictions are in line with what the two counties have seen in the past few years. In the May 2022 primary, when the governor’s seat was on the ballot, turnout in Mahoning was 23.24% and 25.83% in Trumbull. In the 2018 primary, which had contested governor’s ...

America’s bright and dark sides, all in just one day

Editorials

The seventh of April: Put it down as the most schizophrenic day in United States history. While the nation waited with bated breath to see if Donald Trump would keep his threat to destroy the ancient Iranian “civilization” by 8 p.m., we also glimpsed the dark side of the moon for the first time in human history. Let’s start with the good news. The voyage to the moon came thanks to Yankee ingenuity, teamwork and inventiveness in building a rocket for four astronauts to take the trip of 250,000 miles. Thank you, Houston, no problem. You showed what America can do, and it sure ...

World Heritage Week puts spotlight on Ohio’s Native American history

Editorials

If you were born and raised in Ohio and worked your way through school here, you probably remember learning about our history of indigenous people and the earthworks left behind by native tribes. Many of the names of Ohio cities, towns, lakes and rivers draw from that heritage. At least 14 counties in the state draw from Native American words, including Ashtabula (Algonquian), Coshocton (Delaware) and Pickaway (Shawnee). Other counties, such as Huron, Ottawa, Seneca, Tuscarawas and Wyandot are named for tribes that once called parts of Ohio home. Three ancient mounds are less than an ...