DEAR EDITOR: Youngstown and Ohio face a persistent literacy challenge, with only 35% of fourth graders reading at grade level, and worse results among eighth graders. While new mandates focus on the “Science of Reading,” we should also consider proven methods from the past — ...

DEAR EDITOR: Donald Trump’s economic vision echoes that of Cosimo de’ Medici, the 15th-century Florentine banker who used wealth and commerce not just to build an empire, but to stabilize and empower the middle class. Like Cosimo, Trump promotes a policy of national mercantilism — ...

DEAR EDITOR: My name is Madelyn Fetty and I am a second grader at Mathews Elementary School. This is the first year kindergarten through fifth grade all go to the same building. At Currie, which was closed last summer, we had a wooden jungle gym to climb with monkey bars, a fireman pole, ...

DEAR EDITOR: It was toward the end of Barack Obama’s time in the Oval Office and a rabble of Obama’s White House staff was having a gabfest on “The Charlie Rose Snow,” a PBS program of exalted reputation. It was about the eight years of a scandal-free presidency. A chorus of laughter ...

DEAR EDITOR: I was appalled to recently learn that the Portage County Sheriff has taken to helping himself to free copies of a local Portage County newspaper (The Portager) and burning them in a fire pit for enjoyment. To make matters worse, he has encouraged his supporters to engage in the ...

DEAR EDITOR: At some point in time, someone is going to have to pay for the repair/replacement of the Leavittsburg dam. The choice is very clear. You have a dam that serves no useful purpose anymore. It is 116 years old with a useful life of 100 years. Eventually It will need major repair ...