Some candidates just avoid the press

April 25, 2021

The reaction of voters to some far-right proposals by freshman Ohio Rep. Mike Loychik, R-Bazetta, seems to be utter shock — on both sides of the spectrum. Voters either are thrilled with what Loychik is doing in Columbus and believe Trumbull County has long needed such a conservative representative, or they’re spitting fire over Loychik’s extreme proposals to make Ohio a Second Amendment sanctuary state and to rename Mosquito Lake State Park after Donald Trump. The fact is, love him or hate him, voters went to the polls voting for a guy they really knew little or nothing ...

More on FEMA funeral expenses reimbursement

April 18, 2021

You’ve probably heard by now that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is offering financial funeral and burial assistance for families who lost a loved one to COVID-19. We’ve written a few stories about it, and last week we published an editorial explaining some details. Our editorial board — of which I am a member — thought it was an important topic deserving our commentary. Within a day after the editorial was published, I received a few calls from grieving readers seeking more information. So, in response, I’ve been in contact with FEMA, and here are some more ...

China’s growing power brings challenges

April 11, 2021

Nearly every day we hear or read of increasing concerns over communist China’s economic and military growth. Recent data published in the Washington Post indicates China logged 2.3 percent growth for 2020, making it the only major economy to grow last year despite crippling effects of the global pandemic. In a sign of how quickly China managed a turnaround, the National Statistics Bureau said its gross domestic product rose 6.5 percent during 2020’s fourth quarter, even exceeding its pace before the pandemic. China’s GDP surpassed a milestone in 2020, topping about $15 ...

How quickly things change — and stay same

April 4, 2021

Didn’t we just do this? Things circle around increasingly fast these days, but this year’s Easter celebration should be quite a bit different than the one we experienced last year. That was when most of us probably either watched our priests or ministers deliver their messages via Facebook Live or even celebrated Christ’s resurrection in our cars facing a drive-up pulpit. If you’re like my family, you probably ate your ham and scalloped potatoes in a small family gathering, away from the usual hub-bub of big springtime get-togethers. I recall the utter shock when we found ...

Democracy suffers when information is blocked

March 28, 2021

News coverage of recent arrests, detention or threats of charges, sadly, appear to be just the latest attempts to silence media and the free flow of information that journalists provide around the world. Here are a few of the latest frightening examples — including one in America that seems suspiciously like an attempt to send a message to journalists. The LA Times reported this month that when the Dodgers won the World Series last October, celebrations in that city devolved into vandalism, theft and tense standoffs between revelers and police. Los Angeles Police ordered fans to ...

Johnstown Flood Museum well worth the trip

March 21, 2021

If you have never visited the Johnstown, Pa., Flood Museum, it’s well worth the one-tank trip. Housed in the former public library building in downtown Johnstown, the museum tells the story of the devastating loss of life and property in the 1889 flood, known as one of the greatest natural disasters in American history. On May 31, 1889, a neglected earthen dam located on the mountain several miles upstream from Johnstown burst during a phenomenal storm, sending 20 million gallons in a wall of water roaring into the Conemaugh Valley below. It killed 2,209 people. The library ...