Plans take off to aid regional airport

June 22, 2023

If the Mahoning Valley is going to progress, it needs a strong transportation system. That is why the development of the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport is important. The airport hasn’t had a commercial airline since Allegiant Airlines left in January 2018. While better than nothing, Allegiant had a history of delays and limited service. It offered flights only on certain days and even at its height, it flew to four Southern airports. Before Allegiant arrived in 2006, the last airline at Youngstown-Warren was the former Northwest Airlines, which flew to Detroit until it left in ...

Issue 1 foes score a victory

June 15, 2023

Opponents of a proposal to make it harder to pass constitutional amendments scored a partial victory when the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that some language in the proposal was misleading. The Ohio Ballot Board, which has a Republican majority, wrote the language for state Issue 1 on the ...

Rail safety bill faces political obstacles

June 8, 2023

The rail safety bill, sponsored by U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance in response to the East Palestine train derailment disaster, is having some issues in the Senate and likely faces a roadblock in the House of Representatives. Regarding the lack of movement, Brown, D-Cleveland, told me: “I never promised you, David, or promised anybody in East Palestine that this was going to be easy. That’s certain. But I’m optimistic because so far, we’ve done it right.” The legislation was introduced March 1 by Brown and Vance, R-Cincinnati, and was approved 16-11 May 10 by the ...

Don’t expect big August turnout

June 2, 2023

Turnout for nonpresidential elections is usually poor, but those who come out for August special elections take that percentage to a new level of bad. Last year’s August special primary election for state legislative seats became necessary after the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the Ohio Redistricting Commission violated the state constitution by drawing gerrymandered General Assembly maps. Statewide turnout was 8 percent. The Republican-controlled Legislature voted in December to eliminate all August elections except if a local government or school district in fiscal emergency wanted ...

Vance backing Moreno won’t scare others

May 26, 2023

As a U.S. senator for less than five months, Republican J.D. Vance is hardly in a position to be a kingmaker. But he's giving it a try, endorsing Westlake businessman Bernie Moreno in next year's Republican primary for Ohio's other Senate seat held by Democrat Sherrod Brown. In his Moreno endorsement, Vance said: "It's time to turn the tides on the establishment insiders who sell out our country to special interests and elect more political outsiders like Bernie, who will always put America first in Washington, D.C." Like Vance, Moreno made his fortune in the private sector before ...

Dutton was a driving force in Valley

May 19, 2023

Paul Dutton was one of the first people who helped me better understand the Mahoning Valley when I moved here in 1995. Sadly, Dutton died May 7 at the age of 76. It was hard to not be impressed by Dutton, though he was a humble and modest person who never bragged about his many ...