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Orchids & onions

ORCHID: To leaders of the National Packard Museum in Warren for announcing plans for a 62-foot-by-81.5-foot addition to be built on the south end of the educational and expansive museum. The addition results from the growing national popularity of the museum as well as a need for more space to accommodate the growing number of Packard vehicles being donated to the facility. It stands as the latest physical signs of the museum’s growth and maturity and its mission of telling the world about the history of the Packard family, the Packard Motor Car and other Packard enterprises that have ...

Go blue Sunday to join the war on human trafficking

On your travels Sunday to worship, to dine, to shop or to view the latest action thriller, do not be surprised if you find yourself surrounded in a sea of blue. Be proud. That’s because Sunday, as designated by state, national and international bodies, is Human Trafficking Awareness Day. People from Warren, Ohio, to Warsaw, Poland, are asked on that day to dress in blue to display a united international front against that despicable, demeaning and exploitative crime. The hue of blue is deeply associated with Human Trafficking Awareness Day because it symbolizes the sadness of ...

An old and a new year

“What’s past is prologue” wrote William Shakespeare in “The Tempest,” a thought profound enough to be engraved on the National Archives building in Washington. As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, a blip on history’s ledger compared to many other nations, we would do well to revisit even the recent past as a guide to what can provide us a better future. That’s because even though technology changes, other things do not. At the end of each year, I enjoy exploring the events of a century ago, a period in which my parents and grandparents lived. When ...

There are times to put down cellphones

The year opened with what could be one of the most horrifying videos of 2026. At 1:30 a.m. in a basement bar at a Swiss ski resort, flames started dancing on the ceiling. Instead of rushing upstairs to flee the room, many celebrants lifted their cellphones toward the blaze, eager to record the thrilling moment to share with friends worldwide. And their videos show other raised arms holding phones to capture a scene that quickly turned horrific. At least 40 people died as the initially small fire exploded to quickly engulf the entire room — a terrifying event bearing the hallmarks of ...

The office pool for the new year

1. On Jan. 1, 2027, Joe Biden will be a. A criminal defendant in a case brought by the Trump DOJ. b. Generally regarded as smarter than he appears to be today. c. Gone from this vail of tears. d. In hospice. 2. On Jan. 1, 2027, Donald Trump will still be a. Blaming JD Vance for something. b. Appealing the civil judgments against him. c. Defending the wars he started in Venezuela and Iran. d. Sick and tired of giving Bibi Netanyahu everything he wants and getting nothing in return. 3. In January 2026, JD Vance will a. Be getting the Mike Pence treatment from the ...

It was the most shameful day in American history

Five years ago last Tuesday was the most shameful day in American history. We must not allow Trump to persuade America that it did not happen or that he was innocent, or let him deflect the nation’s attention from the fifth anniversary of what occurred that day. Less than three weeks ago, Jack Smith, the former special counsel to the Justice Department, appeared before the House Judiciary Committee and testified under oath: “Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election ...