Values improve a community

May 20, 2013

At the last Warren City Council meeting, officials discussed the two ''shield details'' from the prior weekend where as the result of saturation patrols by law enforcement, many arrests were made, including 21 that were drug-related. The talk turned to the topic of ''how did things get this bad?'' and ''how can we fix this?''Some council members blamed the economy for the crime in Warren. I agree that the economy is a problem not just in Warren, but in all of Trumbull County.My last column urged that we take advantage of the opportunities that oil and gas will bring to our area, but ...

Shale industry proving beneficial

May 17, 2013

In my last column, I discussed the environmental risks of hydraulic fracturing and stated that I felt the benefits outweigh the risks. What exactly are those benefits?First, our country's dependence on foreign oil will be lessened by increased domestic energy production, and we will see lower energy costs. Natural gas burns cleaner than other forms of fossil fuels and can also be used to produce electricity more cheaply and with fewer emissions than coal.For those of us who live in the areas where drilling is occurring, there are other economic benefits. Through 2012, almost 39,000 jobs ...

Primary election turnout pitiful

May 14, 2013

Last Tuesday in Trumbull County, out of 95,608 registered people, only 15,053 went to the polls to cast their votes. Only 16 percent chose to participate in democracy. Granted, there were not any ''hot button'' issues at stake, and far too many offices were not even contested, but that is a sad turnout.You can usually be in and out of the polling place in 15 or 20 minutes, so why don't more people vote? Is it a good or a bad thing that people seem content to let 16 percent of the population decide the issues and candidates that will have a direct effect on them?Ironically, it wasn't too ...

Good works abound at Oblate

May 10, 2013

The dictionary defines the word oasis as a pleasant or peaceful area or period in the midst of a difficult, troubled or hectic place or situation. There is such an oasis tucked away in a corner of Hubbard Township.Built in the grand manner of an English country house in 1910, it once belonged to the Strouss family of the Strouss-Hershberg department store chain. Now it houses the Order of the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart.The estate is now called Villa Maria Teresa, named for the memory of Mother Maria Teresa Casini, who founded the order in Italy in 1894.The Oblates, as they are ...

Fracking, all it’s cracked up to be

May 7, 2013

I often hear folks say that we are sacrificing the environment in our area for land leases, royalty checks and jobs. While I agree that we must be responsible and cautious, I'm not at all convinced that fracking is the evil environmental apocalypse that some seem to think it is.First, a little lesson in what fracking is: Hydraulic fracturing is the injection of a combination of water, sand and chemicals into the shale rock formations or plays located deep beneath the earth's surface to extract deposits of natural gas or oil. In Ohio, the drilling is being done into the Utica and ...

Folks can be (and feed) somebody

May 3, 2013

In a previous column, I cited a person who exemplifies what is wrong with Trumbull County. Project Be Somebody and its founder Lisa Booze demonstrate what is right with Trumbull County.The Leavittsburg organization, founded in 2008, has as its mission to serve those in need in the community. Over the years, they've done just that.They've raised funds and volunteered to renovate the ball fields and build a handicapped accessible playground at the LaBrae Athletic Club complex. Additionally, they've held fundraisers for people in the community in need due to illness or death in the family. ...