Author
Facebook comments are where my faith in humanity goes to die
Toxic environments crush the spirit, and few environments thrive on toxicity like Facebook comments sections. Less an American agora for public debate, Facebook comments sections exist mainly as a forum for misinformation, spam, childish name-calling, petty trolling, and the occasional thoughtful point or useful fact-check. As the editor of the Ohio Capital Journal, my least […]
The Confederate flag is an insult to Ohio’s heritage
One of the most tired, loathsome bromides made in favor of flying the battle flag of slavers and traitors is the exaltation of heritage, as though passing down symbols of racism and sedition in behalf of states’ “rights” to slavery is a tradition worthy of honor. In Ohio, the heritage argument, as it were, is […]
Ohio lost another 42,000 jobs last week; total now more than 1.2 million
Ohio saw another 42,082 in jobless claims last week, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services in a news release Thursday. This brings the total number of jobless claims filed in Ohio over the last 10 weeks to 1,257,838, more than the combined total of unemployment claims filed during the last three […]
Four of top five cities with budgets most vulnerable to pandemic located in Ohio
An analysis from the national think tank Brookings shows four out of five cities in the U.S. with the most immediate fiscal impacts from COVID-19 are located in Ohio, including Columbus and Cincinnati and Nos. 1 and 2, and Toledo and Cleveland at Nos. 4 and 5. “To understand when cities can anticipate the brunt […]
Memorial Day, ICU beds, billionaires, and coronavirus in Africa: Catching Our Eye
Each day in our newsletter, we are highlighting stories and commentary from other media big and small throughout Ohio and the nation. If you’d like to get this feature directly to your inbox, please sign up for our newsletter here. Catching Our Eye: Memorial Day This Memorial Day, as we pay tribute to those who gave […]
Ex-OSU prez Gordon Gee wants to ‘dance with the pandemic’ in college athletics
Former Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee, who is now president of West Virginia University, wants to “dance with the pandemic rather than be fearful of it,” when it comes to college athletics, CBS News is reporting. The comments came as the NCAA Council was slated to vote Wednesday whether to allow on-campus, voluntary […]
Some simple personal habits for practical safety in a world of COVID-19
Ohio is reopening more or less fully over the coming weeks, but the coronavirus pandemic is far from gone, leaving Ohioans to navigate their own personal safety in a state reopened with a far higher incidence of COVID-19 than it had when it shut down in March. What can we all do personally to remain as safe […]
Ohio House Dem wants to eliminate cannabis prohibitions
State Representative Juanita Brent, D-Cleveland, announced legislation Friday that would repeal criminal prohibitions for possession and trafficking of cannabis, and vacate cannabis possession criminal sentences, expunging such offenses from the record. “It is about time we stop criminalizing a plant (Cannabis),” Brent said. “Our police should be focusing their time and resources on more serious […]
Another 51,000 Ohioans filed jobless claims last week
Another 51,125 Ohioans filed jobless claims last week, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) announced in a news release Thursday. That brings the total initial jobless claims filed in Ohio over the last eight weeks to 1,169,694, more that the combined total of those filed in the last three years. ODJFS reported […]
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance now available in Ohio
Ohioans can now apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), a new federal program that covers many more categories of workers than the traditional unemployment program, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) announced in a news release Wednesday. The release said those who believe they may be eligible should visit pua.unemployment.ohio.gov and click […]
Ohio jobless claims over last seven weeks more than the past three years combined
Ohio has seen more jobless claims filed over the last seven weeks than for the last three years combined, according to a release from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) Thursday. The department reported 61,083 initial jobless claims this past week to the U.S. Department of Labor, a news release said. The […]
Nearly $1 million in grants going to 48 domestic violence shelters across state
Nearly $1 million in grant funding is being distributed to domestic violence shelters and groups across the state of Ohio, Attorney General Dave Yost announced Tuesday. “While we have been asked to stay at home, sometimes home isn’t the safest place,” Yost said in a news release. “Thanks to the General Assembly, this money will […]