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So you want to be a plumber? There’s good and bad

Editorials

The skilled trades have become hot of late. That has many young people dropping plans to attend college. Meanwhile, some desk-bound professionals are said to gaze longingly at nearby construction sites. They daydream about trading spreadsheets for tool belts. They imagine becoming plumbers, electricians or carpenters — welders, riggers or crane operators. The list of hands-on jobs that require real training is long. Why the change of hearts? Three reasons: 1. Artificial intelligence will soon do the thinking required for many of these office occupations. 2. The realization that ...

Washington Post: DHS remains unfunded amid new terror threat

Editorials

As America’s conflict with Iran continues, the Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement about the heightened risk of lone wolf attacks. Yet the agency tasked with keeping Americans safe — one of the few responsibilities just about everyone agrees is appropriate for government — remains unfunded as Congress bickers over immigration politics. Congressional negotiators reached a deal to fund the federal government but outrage over President Donald Trump’s deportation tactics pushed Democrats to defund DHS. The agency has been in a shutdown since Feb. 14. Both ...

Jesse Jackson succeeded in keeping all hope alive

Editorials

Having covered the Rev. Jesse Jackson for more than a half-century, I have an insider’s understanding of why thousands of people lined up to wait patiently last week in Chicago to pay their final respects to the departed civil rights icon. Jackson knew when and how to defy power, but he also knew how to cajole the powerful to make room at the table for the excluded. Of all the memories I have gathered in the past 50 years, one stood out on this solemn occasion: Black Expo, an annual convention put on by Jackson’s Operation Breadbasket for several years in the late 1960s and early ...

I don’t care at all if Olympian Alysa Liu is woke

Editorials

As the nation celebrated American figure skater Alysa Liu’s stunning victories at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, there’s a particular collection of embarrassingly sad online dwellers who just can’t understand why conservatives might cheer on Liu. Why? Well, because she is, apparently, woke. For those who just don’t get it, let me explain. In the world of sports in which Alysa Liu is thriving, we (the big bad conservatives) simply don’t care about your politics if you are proudly representing our great nation — which Liu undoubtedly is — and you leave your politics at ...

Bust a move: Ohioans need more exercise

Editorials

All that technology we drag around with us all the time is giving researchers data that provides insight into everything from our travel to fitness. If you have a habit of checking your health and fitness data through a smart watch and app, you are not the only one keeping track. Data from participants, provided by Apple, helped researchers produce the “Apple Heart and Movement Study.” “The heart is an incredible organ, working tirelessly every second of every day,” the report begins. “Understanding how various heart metrics reflect your overall well-being can empower you to ...

Celebrate vital roles of women in US history

Editorials

At the dawn of Women’s History Month this week, a common equation emerges among the many, many unsung American women heroes over this country’s 250 years of nationhood: struggle plus perseverance equals positive change. In the 18th century, consider the struggle and perseverance of Sybil ...