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Give generously to support our volunteer fire departments

Editorials

We are deep into the season of ice cream social fundraisers, many of which benefit our volunteer fire departments. It can be easy to overlook how important these annual efforts are in supporting those who keep so many of us safe. More than 90% of fire departments in West Virginia are considered volunteer. Approximately 70% in Ohio are volunteer departments. Locally, Mahoning and Trumbull counties feature a mix of fire departments made up of paid firefighters and volunteer personnel. Most often, the volunteer outfits are in smaller townships and villages. Those who work as volunteers ...

New York mayor’s rant on US should fall on deaf ears

Editorials

Zohran Mamdani, New York’s self-described socialist mayor, could not resist using the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration to trash the very country that he and his parents voluntarily sought out. As is his custom, Mamdani speaks in stereotypes and generalities, offering few if any examples, all laced with his accustomed unctuous hypocrisy. Let’s deconstruct his incoherent July 4 riff: “America, they will tell you, belongs only to those with the right accent or the right shade of skin. The rest of us, they insist, should be grateful for merely being allowed to visit. How ...

Keep Ohio No. 1 for business

Editorials

Ohio has officially been named CNBC’s No. 1 state for business, a recognition that reflects years of deliberate policymaking and the hard work of our employers, workers, educators and communities. This ranking isn’t about bragging rights. It’s proof that Ohio is creating an environment where businesses can invest with confidence, manufacturers can expand, entrepreneurs can innovate, and families can build their futures. We’ve earned this distinction by focusing on the fundamentals: maintaining fiscal responsibility, improving our infrastructure, investing in workforce ...

Savor nice slice of American pie at Trumbull fair

Editorials

Few events in this great nation of ours are rooted so deeply in good old-fashioned American pride than the county fair. County fairs are considered a quintessential slice of Americana because they preserve the agricultural, community, and entrepreneurial heritage of our republic. As our nation and our Valley continue to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States throughout the year, mark this week’s 180th Trumbull County Fair, which opens Tuesday, as a must-visit attraction. Like its counterparts throughout Ohio and the nation, the Trumbull fair originated in the 1800s and ...

Only one revolution ended in liberty

Editorials

Two hundred and fifty years ago, men in powdered hair did what no colony had ever done successfully. They broke away from the most powerful empire on earth. They were not bloodthirsty radicals. They had petitioned again and again to remain loyal subjects of the Crown. They fought for what was already theirs. Now look at the revolutions. Ours in 1776. France in 1789. Russia in 1917. China in 1949. Four attempts to tear down an old order and build something new. Only one ended in liberty. Only one. The French stormed the Bastille shouting about the rights of man, and within five years ...

Orchids & onions

Editorials

ORCHID: To longtime Champion High School softball coach Cheryl Weaver for her 27 years of outstanding and hypersuccessful years leading one of the winningest scholastic athletic teams in Ohio history. Weaver, who recently announced her retirement to the sadness of many, was honored last week by Champion Township trustees. The officials acted to rename the road leading to the school’s softball field “Weaver Way” in honor of Champion’s champion coach. Over her long career, her squad made eight appearances at state championship play and won six of them. We join her players, school ...