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Candidates interview for jobs; some of them anyway

We’re less than a month from Election Day and if you’re like me, Nov. 5 can’t get here fast enough. That’s mostly because of the rancor surrounding the presidential election. Former President Donald Trump or current Vice President Kamala Harris? Are these two really the best we ...

A few bad apples can be a kick in the pants

There used to be a television show called, “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” Adult contestants were quizzed on information from elementary school textbooks. As you might suspect, the adults sometimes did not prove to be smarter than the average fifth grader. But guess what? ...

Mix in some decaf and don’t shoot the messenger

You can tell a big election is approaching because some people are becoming more squirrelly by the day. The last few weeks have featured a flurry of calls, emails and letters to the editor — most of which are about the upcoming presidential election. It’s the Donald Trump-J.D. Vance Republican ticket vs. the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz Democratic ticket, and people on both sides are not shy about telling us where they stand. And, of course, how they believe everyone else should vote on Nov. 5. That’s nothing new. Election season always brings out the political commercials, yard ...

Food for thought on a much shorter commute

The nice thing about having a 10-minute commute to work is that my ability to eat poorly is way down. Driving 45 minutes one way — as I did for about five years — gave me lots of time for audiobooks and podcasts, but when you spend that much time in a car, it almost becomes a home away from home. Think of it as a moving couch. No, you don’t stream your favorite shows (if you’re smart), but you can hit a drive-thru and graze on whatever you want and be in a food coma when you finally get to work or return home. Guilty as charged. I don’t even want to think about how many ...

Householder’s bid to overturn conviction is a joke

Maybe I should have become a politician instead of an ink-stained wretch. That is the thought that popped into my head when I first heard about the Larry Householder bribery case. But then I think about the downside of spending two decades in prison and I realize I’m not nearly as arrogant ...

Trumbull County needs more than one hospital

A popular meme suggests that you should enjoy your 20s, 30s and 40s because once you hit your 50s, your body’s “check engine” light is sure to come on when you least expect it. I can confirm that. I managed to enter my sixth decade on this rock without ever spending a night in the hospital … at least not as a patient. But in January 2020, I found myself in the emergency room at Mercy Health-St. Joseph Warren Hospital with a raging case of double pneumonia. The saga began one Thursday at the word factory where I worked at the time. I began to feel lousy that morning and kept ...