You can’t always blame the media

November 7, 2021

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, in recent weeks, claimed that the Democrats’ “Build Back Better” bill was overwhelmingly popular with Americans, and then simultaneously also claimed most Americans had no idea what’s in it. Upset that the package stalled, he questioned how polling could be so wrong. Really? Has presidential candidate Hillary Clinton taught him nothing? Sanders pointed out how challenging it is to ask people to have faith in government when they have little understanding of what their government is trying to do. He went on to indicate that ...

We’ll keep shooting for the perfect paper

October 31, 2021

Ohio debuted its new license plate this month. It depicted the Wright Brothers’ first airplane pulling a banner that reads “Birthplace of Aviation” draped across the horizon. It would have been beautiful, except that instead of the odd-shaped original aircraft pulling the banner, it was pushing it. The person who designed the plate attached the banner to the wrong end of the plane. Everyone had a good laugh over the mistake. The Associated Press moved a story with the headline “Ohio mangles license plate.” Ohio isn’t the only one who has made this “flighty ...

Distrust so huge that even proof is disbelieved

October 24, 2021

What I can describe only as irresponsible reporting by a national cable news network spiraled so far out of control last week that even after two of my most experienced reporters spent days chasing and eventually debunking a Mahoning Valley connection, many readers remain unconvinced. It all started Monday when Fox News aggregated a story initiated by The New York Post about migrants being flown on charter flights from Texas to Florida to New York. The Post staked out and photographed airplanes overnight at a suburban New York airport. “The charter flights originate in Texas, where ...

Creativity of artists surrounds me every day

October 17, 2021

I’m surrounded every day by artists. Granted, most of them aren’t “artists” in the sense that commonly comes to mind. Still, they produce and share creative works to be consumed and enjoyed by the masses each day. So, yeah, by my definition, they are artists. Take, for example, page designer Laura McDonough. She routinely turns out beautifully composed page designs like last week’s Sunday Life cover depicting Warren native Dave Grohl, the internationally acclaimed rocker who recently published a book, “The Storyteller.” And then there are wordsmiths like ...

It is already time to start Giving Thanks

October 10, 2021

Can you believe it? The leaves will soon be turning colors, the nights are getting more brisk, Halloween is only a few weeks away, and Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. Just a couple days ago my son mentioned to me that he is starting to prepare mentally for the Thanksgiving spread I usually cook for my family. He tells me each year that this is his favorite holiday. His comment served as a sudden reminder of our longtime newspaper tradition in which we invite local folks to submit to us a brief commentary on what they are most thankful for. We then share those thoughts — ...

Weekly McKinley column winds to an end

October 3, 2021

History buffs, especially those who read the Tribune Chronicle, know that recent weeks marked the 120th anniversary of the assassination and funeral of President William McKinley, a Mahoning Valley native. McKinley was gunned down Sept. 6, 1901, by Leon Czolgosz, on the grounds of the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y. He died eight days later on Sept. 14, 1901, and was laid to rest about another week later, as the nation mourned. McKinley was born in 1843 in Niles, where he had lived until 1852, when his family moved to Poland in Mahoning County. He graduated from Poland ...