Safety must never cost us our freedoms

May 17, 2020

Scotch-taped to the computer monitor in my very messy newsroom office are a few things critical to my daily routine that I have collected through the years. There’s a list of the telephone extension numbers for members of my staff. There is a photocopy of the AP Stylebook page delineating the difference between “lay” and “lie” — because I have been known to confuse the two. There is a Bible verse, Matthew 19:26, that gives me strength. And there are a few typed quotes from people in history — Einstein, MLK, Jefferson and Franklin, in which, as a journalist and an ...

All roads still lead to the Mahoning Valley

May 10, 2020

For as long as I can remember, we’ve had a light-hearted saying in our newsroom: “All roads lead to the Mahoning Valley.” It originated because reporters and editors here always have marveled at how every big national news story seems to have some amazing connection to our Valley. When the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated Feb. 1, 2003, as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, on board was an experiment involving internet communications equipment prepared by Warren native and Western Reserve High School graduate astronaut Ron Parise. Remember the LPGA’s tour that used to ...

Debate, dissent are essential in society

May 3, 2020

I noticed on Facebook last week a longtime friend’s post linking to a national news story discussing censorship in America. According to the Fox News report and host Tucker Carlson, YouTube, a worldwide online video sharing site owned by Google, recently removed a video posted by two California doctors that was gaining heavy traction with more than 5 million views. The video apparently outlined some statistics about novel coronavirus and then raised questions about the manner in which the government is reacting to the virus. They argued, apparently, that the number of U.S. and ...

Third-World memories create perspective

April 26, 2020

Undoubtedly, the most used buzzword today is “social distancing.” Until about two months ago, I can’t say that I ever had heard the term. And if I had heard it mentioned out of context, I might have assumed it referred to people like my mom who has never once engaged in any form of social media. Now, though, we’ve all become way too acquainted with the term. Most of us probably wish that we weren’t. But here in Ohio, social distancing truly isn’t so hard to achieve. We live in homes surrounded by decent-sized grassy yards. Most of us drive to work or the store alone ...

Knowledge of nursing home cases is vital

April 19, 2020

Family members of loved ones who live in Ohio nursing homes and assisted living facilities absolutely have a right to know the extent of COVID-19’s effects on the nursing home, particularly these days of strict limitations on access and visitation. At this point in my life, I have no relatives residing in long-term care facilities, but I know many readers who do. Visitation restrictions have been imposed logically to help stop the spread of COVID-19; still, it is adding new stress to those who are unable to visit and check first-hand on family members who live there and are unable to ...

Child abuse continues even in pandemic

April 12, 2020

Each April, gardens of hundreds of twirling blue pinwheels are planted in different areas of the Mahoning Valley. They aren’t there as a source of entertainment or to mark the onset of spring. Rather, they exist to draw attention to a dark truth that many of us don’t regularly think about. Each pinwheel is placed to represent a local case of reported child abuse and neglect. Known as “Pinwheels for Prevention,” they spin in the sunlight to send a critical message during Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month. Understandably, some communities felt obliged this year to pass ...