It’s a terrible shame that a disagreement over whether to accept a wonderful art collection has now spiraled into a decision to sever a relationship that has worked so well for many years. In recent weeks, the nonprofit foundation that provided the land and most of the funding for the ...

Ohio legislators are on the clock this week, as they try to find common ground on a two-year state budget. It must be on Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk by Sunday. Buckeye State residents will get a tax break under the new $69 billion budget. The only question is: How much? State senators have ...

What would happen if, as a utility user, you suddenly received a bill in the mail for increased rates on the utilities you used and paid for three years ago? Odds are you either would laugh at the absurdity and toss the bill in the trash, or you would go on a rampage, calling on the utility ...

It’s not unusual for criminal defendants — especially those facing the death penalty — to claim they were suffering from a mental deficiency when they committed a serious crime. Sadly, we’ve heard it over and over again in different forms of appeal from well-known Trumbull County ...

• ORCHID: To the Ohio Supreme Court for its 4-3 decision that PUCO regulators erred in granting FirstEnergy permission to charge customers additional fees, supposedly for electric grid modernization, without imposing restrictions on specific use of the funds. As a regulatory agency, PUCO’s ...

Trumbull County commissioners Mauro Cantalamessa and Frank Fuda dropped the ball this week when they rushed to approve the temporary re-hiring of former Trumbull Transit Administrator Mark Hess at $50 per hour. While it’s believed Hess’ assistance will be needed for only about a day, the ...

Lawmakers who have introduced legislation to reduce the seriousness of drug possession crimes should rethink their plan, largely because it takes away often needed options for prosecutors and judges. Senate Bill 3, a criminal justice reform bill introduced in February by Ohio Senators Sean ...

New holidays and special observances are a dime a dozen. Sometimes, it seems we have too many. But one gaining popularity is well worth noting — and celebrating — by every American. It is Juneteenth, often observed today, June 19. It is a celebration of the end of slavery in the United ...

Things are picking up for state government in Ohio and, fortunately, legislators of both parties seem to agree some of the wealth ought to be shared with Buckeye State taxpayers. State House of Representatives members already have approved a budget calling for a 6.6 percent tax cut. Now, ...

Mexico’s still relatively new leader, who took office only in December, had seemed even before this month to attempt to do more to keep illegal immigrants from crossing the border into the United States. But U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on some imports from Mexico ...

If indeed Iran is behind recent attacks on several tanker ships carrying petroleum products, action by the world community — not just the United States — may be necessary. But as of late last week, only circumstantial evidence of Iranian complicity had been provided. On that day two oil ...

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced last week his philanthropic foundation will spend $500 million to close as many coal-fired power plants as possible. He also wants Americans to stop building new gas-fired power plants. Period. Bloomberg claims the move is needed to ...

We never would condone the use of tobacco products — but more than that, we don’t condone increasing government restrictions on a society that already is overrun with regulations. That’s particularly true for local governments considering new laws and limitations with reach beyond ...

• ORCHID: To Trumbull County commissioners for keeping pressure on consulting company GeoStar to ensure it makes good on its promise to find at least $62,000 worth of savings by auditing county spending. So far, those savings have fallen short, and now the company is agreeing to pay back ...

Leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. gathered in Baltimore this week with a discussion of sex abuse scandals on the agenda. They should be asking questions about a related skeleton that came out of the church’s closet in ours and neighboring states including West ...

Warren Township Trustee Ed Anthony described outgoing township police Chief Don Bishop as “dedicated to the profession,” and he called Bishop’s recent retirement “well-deserved.” Anthony should know. He worked for many years as a Warren Township police sergeant alongside and under ...

The recent mass murder in Virginia Beach, Virginia, was more bloody proof that we Americans need to do more to curb such violence. It also indicated both why more gun control laws are attractive to some politicians but still futile in achieving the desired result. On May 31, hours after ...

What a difference a year makes. In 2017, an Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction report found few problems at the Cuyahoga County jail. A year later, U.S. marshals terms conditions there “inhumane.” In 2018, eight inmates died at the jail. Last week, Gov. Mike DeWine ordered ...

People with low incomes sometimes succumb to substance abuse simply because they feel hopeless, it has been said and written. It turns out that if they do become addicts, it may be tougher for them to get the help they need. Lower-income people often cannot afford the same level of health ...

Warren city worker Celestino DiVieste, who was caught driving a city truck during work hours last month to a restaurant where he remained for nearly two hours, now is challenging his punishment. DiVieste argues that his 40-day unpaid suspension is too severe. A grievance hearing will be ...