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Broke
Wife, Big City… My
husband is my wingman, By Aprill Brandon
Of all the changes that happen when you have a baby (and there are A
LOT, like the never-ending stream of mysterious wet spots that
regularly appear on you, your baby and your home that you quickly learn
to stop questioning in order to preserve your sanity), perhaps one of
the biggest is the way it changes your relationship to your partner.
Some of these are good changes…
read
more.
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Obamacare and the Culture of Death,
By Kate Burch
A recently-developed, highly accurate, blood test that screens for the
presence of Down syndrome in the fetus is becoming more widely
used. It has great potential for good, in that it can help
women
avoid more invasive and dangerous procedures such as amniocentesis and
chorionic villus sampling when there are risk factors for Down syndrome
present. It is also a good thing for…
read
more.
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Representative Buchy… The
State
Budget Accomplishes Major Goals in Education
As school begins again across the state, I can say with confidence that
the state legislature has taken a positive step with House Bill 64.
With its passage in June, the state operating budget in Ohio achieved
some major goals in Ohio’s pathway to eliminating the Common Core
standards and improving education for Ohio’s students. The state budget
included a…
read
more.
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When
bullying
is based on race, Dr. Melissa Martin, Ph.D.,
LPCC-S
Bullying is a form of aggression used to gain power and targeting peers
based on racial differences is another misuse of power. Biracial and
multiracial youth are more likely to be bullied than youth who identify
with a single race, according to the National Voices for Equality
Education and Enlightenment. Twice as many ethnic minority youth in…
read
more.
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Tri-County Board Adopts Position
Opposing
Marijuana Legalization in Ohio
At its September 16 meeting, the Tri-County Board formally adopted a
position statement opposing efforts to legalize marijuana in Ohio. In
doing so, the Board joins an expanding list of public and private
organizations, including business owners, healthcare and behavioral
health professionals and law enforcement groups to oppose efforts to
legalize marijuana in Ohio. The full text of the position statement is…
read
more.
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Broke Wife, Big City… When
stuff
turns into a whole, like, thing, By Aprill
Brandon
I should have known better. As soon as I walked in, I had a bad
feeling. This was going to turn into a THING. It always does. “Hi. I
just need to get new eyeglasses. I have my old prescription right
here.” “OK, when was your last eye exam?” “Honestly, I just need new
glasses. No need for an exam.” “Ma’am, I need to know the date of your
last eye exam.” “Um…sigh…five years ago, I think.”…
read
more.
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What
Week Coming Up, Potentially,
By Susan
Olling
Those of us in the greater D.C. environs have been hearing that there
will be traffic chaos with what appears to be a perfect storm of
activity occurring in a week or so. First, the Pope’s
visiting.
Then, there’s a concert. Finally (yawn) the local MLB
franchise
is playing what’s being called the Beltway Series against the Baltimore
Orioles. At National’s Park. Please note,
the locals
are already looking…
read
more.
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The White House… Ahmed:
We Stand with You
Yesterday, a 14-year-old student named Ahmed Mohamed was arrested for
bringing his engineering project (an electronic clock) to his high
school. Officials mistook it for a bomb. When I was growing up, my
friends and I were fortunate to know how to use soldiering irons,
circuit boards, and even a bit of duct tape when nothing else worked…
read
more.
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The White House… I
went to community college (now I work at
the White House)
I spent more than half of 2005 in Iraq. I was four years into my
service in the Marine Corps, and as is the case with most of our young
enlisted military members, I had enormous responsibilities for a
twenty-two year-old. Grateful for the opportunity to serve, and
thankful for the experiences the Marine Corps gave to me, I left active
duty in 2006, excited at the prospect of new cities…
read
more.
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U.S. Senator Sherrod
Brown… Legislation
increases
opportunities for people with felonies
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced the Fair
Chance Act – bipartisan legislation to expand job opportunities and
reduce recidivism by requiring federal contractors and federal agencies
to “ban the box” on job applications. Reforming hiring practices has
widespread support from both public and private institutions. Eighteen…
read
more.
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And
the stories keep coming,
By Susan Olling
Some of my contributions have been a bit, well, tongue-in-cheek about
tourists. I’m stepping back from that to share some of my
early
volunteer experiences where I learned how much fun tourists can
provide. My first volunteer experience started almost thirty years
ago. The Washington National Cathedral (AKA the Big Church),
the
seat of…
read
more.
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Broke Wife, Big
City… This is
why we don’t stick
our hand in the toaster, By Aprill Brandon
The pitter-patter of little feet. This is what is promised to you when
you become a parent. The sound that will fill your house, night and
day. And it truly is one of the greatest sounds in the world.
Unfortunately, this sound is accompanied by a whole orchestra of other
sounds that are much less talked about, let alone celebrated. And in
our house right now, that pitter-patter is followed by much…
read
more.
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The Dark Night of the Animas,
By Kate
Burch
Around 1988, my husband and I took a road trip to the West.
In
Colorado, we had the delightful experience of riding on the
narrow-gauge railway from Durango to Silverton, an old mining
town.
The train tracks for quite a while hugged a vertiginous cliff
overlooking the Animas River, and we could, scarily, look down and
watch kayakers on the rapidly moving waters. It struck me at
the
time…
read
more.
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State Representative
Buchy… Raising
Awareness of
Krabbe Disease
Krabbe disease is an often fatal degenerative disease that destroys the
protective coating on nerve cells in the brain and the nervous
system. This rare disease has effected several families
locally
including that of Madison Layton who passed away after battling the
disease from birth to her second birthday. It is in Madison’s memory
that the second week in…
read
more.
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The White House… Lessons
to learn from Iraq War
This week, critics of the Iran deal -- including Former Vice President
Dick Cheney -- are gathering in Washington. It's a safe bet that they
will call for abandoning our diplomatic deal with Iran and the world,
and call for a dangerously simplistic vision of American "leadership"
based on unilateral action that would ultimately leave us…
read
more.
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Help
kids manage emotions,
By Dr. Melissa
Martin
Television commercials shown during annual sports events are meant to
evoke emotions. Feelings help fuel our decisions to buy. Babies and
puppies promote warm and fuzzy feelings. Humorous commercials stir up
laughter. Brave soldier commercials move us to tears. Emotions are
powerful motivators for children, adolescents, and adults. An essential
life lesson is learning to manage…
read
more.
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U.S. Senator Sherrod
Brown… On
Labor Day, Renewing
our Commitment to Ohio Workers
Labor Day is more than just a last hurrah of summer, a day for picnics
and barbeques for many families. It’s also an important time for us to
reflect on the labor movement’s proud history in Ohio, and to honor the
workers who paved the way for the worker protections we too often take
for granted. These workers built our strong middle class, and built our
country. They laid down the railroad tracks…
read
more.
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U.S. Senator Brown… Ensuring
Taxpayer Dollars are Spent on
Education,
Not Corporate PR
As the summer comes to a close, students across Ohio are crisscrossing
the state, heading back to campuses and settling into dorms. Set foot
on any college quad, and the excitement is palpable — young people
excited for their futures, which they hope will be even brighter thanks
to higher education. We know that education is one of the surest paths
to economic success. It’s one…
read
more.
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Broke
Wife, Big City… My
dad is in
the cheese business,
By Aprill Brandon
There I was. Just minding my own business. Looking like a hungover
Cruella de Ville with my gallon-sized black coffee and my big dark
sunglasses and my resting bitch face. Sitting at an outdoor table
quietly attempting to write a beautiful and heartfelt rant on why I
thought Blake Lively was the devil. When suddenly, the three of them
plopped down at the next table. A blur of bobbing…
read
more.
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Attorney
General Mike
DeWine… DeWine
Announces Support
for Child Credit Freeze Bill
HB 317 Would Help Parents Protect Children from Identity Theft
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced
support for Ohio House Bill 317, which would allow parents or guardians
to “freeze” a child’s credit record to help stop identity thieves from
opening accounts in the child’s name. The bill was introduced today by
Representative Ron Maag (R-Lebanon)…
read
more.
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More DC fodder… including an
elevator
exorcism, By Susan
Olling
While tourists unwittingly provide lots of stories, they didn’t provide
the only fodder for this installment. Metro, our little subway system,
has had something newsworthy on a number of occasions this
year.
The most recent something newsworthy occurred in early
August. A
train derailed in a tunnel between two stations in the middle of
downtown D.C. Fortunately, the train was empty.
Unfortunately…
read
more.
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The White House… One
veteran's
perspective on the Iran deal
I was in the first company of Marines to enter Baghdad in 2003. As a
combat veteran, I know the cost of war. It is something I still carry
with me today in the U.S. House of Representatives, where I have the
privilege of representing the people of northeast Massachusetts. And I
am reminded of it every time the questions of war…
read
more.
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Commissioner’s Corner… Construction
has begun at South Industrial Park Drive
August has certainly been friendly to Darke County. It seems we have
had perfect weather most of the time, only a couple of really warm
days, and rain when needed. The Great Darke County Fair could not have
had any better weather! The Days were cool and mild, and the nights
were perfect. With High School football starting…
read
more.
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State Representative Jim Buchy… Birth/Death
Certificates-Removing Red tape
A constituent brought to my attention the need to make access to Ohio’s
birth and death certificates easier and more affordable. In the past
the local County Boards of Health and the State Health Department have
had different policies on how to access these documents. Although
allowing local Boards to operate as they see fit is an optimal way to
govern, this…
read
more.
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Revolt
or
revert? By Jim Surber
Six months ago, if someone had offered a wager that in late August the
two leading presidential candidates would be Donald Trump and Bernie
Sanders; I would have probably borrowed heavily to bet against it. Yes,
the breakout stars of 2015 are two old white guys from the outer
boroughs of New York. In the summer of America’s discontent, Sanders…
read
more.
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Broke Wife,
Big City… What
I Did On My
Summer Vacation, By Aprill Brandon
We didn’t really have the money. Or it might be more accurate to say we
had the money but we knew we should probably save it like real
grown-ups do to put toward buying a house, or purchasing bookshelves
that aren’t held together with duct tape or funneling it into an
account to pay for our toddler son’s future therapy bills. But instead,
we said screw it and blew it all on a spur-of-the-moment…
read
more.
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Tourists,
tourists,
By
Susan Olling
The National Mall and Memorial Parks provide excellent examples of
tourists behaving, well, like tourists. Give them lots of room if you
can. I won’t even go into the indescribably bad fashion
statements that are seen down there. Some of the events below
may
have involved locals, but it doesn’t matter. Comments from
“regular” visitors about the disrespectful behavior of school groups
were…
read
more.
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New
Newspeak,
By Kate
Burch
“1984,” George Orwell’s dystopian novel about a totalitarian state,
Oceania, described the language of this country, “Newspeak,”
which was devised as a means of limiting freedom of thought, and
squelching ideas that posed a threat to the regime, such as freedom,
self-expression, and individuality. This new language served
to
shape the thinking of the populace and create a political orthodoxy…
read
more.
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U.S.
Senator Sherrod Brown… Ohioans
Shouldn’t be Left in the Dark on Trade
Ohioans have seen first-hand what so-called free trade agreements have
done to our state and our economy. Bad deals have closed factories,
torn apart families, and devastated communities. Americans have every
right to be skeptical of new trade deals, particularly the
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) — the largest trade deal ever
negotiated. We have heard “just trust me” from politicians too many…
read
more.
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State
Senator Bill Beagle… Fire
Safety
for Off-Campus Housing
This week I joined State Senator Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering) and State
Representative Rick Perales (R-Beavercreek) to reintroduce legislation
aimed at protecting renters in the event of a fire. The bill requires a
separate means of egress for all dwelling areas above the second story
of a residential rental property. When a fire breaks out, you have only
moments to make a decision on how you will escape…
read
more.
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State Representative Jim Buchy… Mitochondrial
Disease Awareness
September is Mitochondrial disease awareness month in memory of western
Ohio’s own Corynna Strawser. Corynna dedicated her life to raising
awareness for this rare and devastating disease and in her honor Senate
Bill 300 was passed to allow us to carry on her fight. Mitochondrial
disease, Mito for short, is an inherited chronic illness in which…
read
more.
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Bullying
in Ohio,
By Melissa Martin, Child Therapist
How do agencies and organizations in Ohio prevent and intervene with
bullying? Do they help or hinder? What is the bullying policy at your
child’s school? What is a definition of bullying? “Bullying is
unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves
a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has
the potential to be repeated, over time,” according…
read
more.
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Broke Wife,
Big City… “Slummering”
in Maine,
By Aprill Brandon
Guys, I don’t want to alienate any of my readers, but I can officially
say that I now “summer in Maine” like the rich people do. So please no
longer make direct eye contact when addressing me, peasants. Ok, ok,
busted. We’ll actually be slumming it in a small motel by the beach for
barely three days, so technically I guess you could say we’ll be
“slummering in Maine.” But you…
read
more.
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State
Representative Jim Buchy… Agritourism
is a Growing Trend in Ohio
When the Ohio winter ends and the warmer months come, you see many
people moving outdoors for entertainment. A growing trend in Ohio is
for Ohioans to take part in agritourism. Over the last 15 or so years,
this industry has really taken off and we in the state legislature are
doing our part to help it continue to be successful. Agritourism can be
defined as the crossroads between agriculture and tourism.…
read
more.
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Mr. History Wants…
By
Susan Olling
Some years ago, we went on a factory tour at the Harley-Davidson
assembly plant in York, PA. I thought that Mr.
History’s
interest in this type of hog would go no further. However,
one of
the toys on Mr. History’s wish list is a top-of-line
Harley. This list also includes a 1930s fire truck, among
other
internal-combustion contraptions. I always ask him where he
plans
to put all of these things…
read
more.
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Greenville
City Schools… Welcome
to the
2015-2016 School Year, GCSD Superintendent
Douglas Fries
Welcome to the 2015-2016 school year. Our administration and
staff are eager to begin another year with the students, parents,
grandparents, and community members throughout our district.
We
hope to have everyone work together to make this another successful
instructional and enjoyable year for all. I trust each of you have had
a relaxing and enjoyable summer with your family…
read
more.
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Ohio
Republican Party… ORP
Update
Focusing on jobs and the taxpayers. That's a major difference between
Ohio Republicans and Ohio Democrats. A little over 4 years
ago,
under Democrat Ted Strickland, our state faced massive job lost, tax
hikes, and an $8 billion budget hole. Now our Republican team has
delivered $5 billion in tax cuts, a $2 billion surplus and economic
growth. This week Ohio Republicans continued…
read
more.
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U.S.
Senator Sherrod Brown… Protecting
Ohio’s Drinking Water
Around this time last year, 500,000 Ohioans in the Toledo area were
forced to go without safe drinking water. They were warned they
couldn’t drink the tap water in their own homes. This is something no
family should have to go through, and that should not be happening in
our state. Cities and towns across Ohio need to have the best, most
up-to-date information on how to keep their drinking…
read
more.
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All
Is Not Lost,
By Kate Burch
At our house, we joke about morning prayers consisting, at least in
part, of sitting with our coffee and the daily newspapers, saying
repeatedly, “Oh, God!” Yesterday, especial fervency was provoked by
some disheartening news about Voice of America. Started in
1942
as a means of countering Nazi propaganda, VOA is a taxpayer-funded…
read
more.
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Broke Wife, Big City… The
Case
of the Missing Dino Nugget, By Aprill Brandon
It’s lunchtime. Again. I know. You can’t believe it’s lunchtime again.
Wasn’t it just lunchtime yesterday? And the day before that? How many
times does this kid need to eat? But so goes the life of the parent of
a toddler. Only, the thing is, this lunchtime is different. This
lunchtime, you’re already hour 16 into your new diet. That stupid,
stupid new diet you Googled and pledged an oath…
read
more.
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State
Rep. Jim Buchy… Making
Ohio More
Business Friendly and Improving Our Economy
Over the last 5 years the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC)
has made changes to help it evolve from a problem, to a leader in
economic development and job growth in Ohio. The growth is due to the
presence of all the ingredients of a strong economy including: sound
business decisions, a focus on safety and hard workers. In recent
years, the BWC has been responsible…
read
more.
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U.S. Congressman John Boehner… A
Commitment to Providing Excellent Constituent Services
- Washington, D.C. – Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) today
released the following column reminding Ohio’s 8th District of the many
services he provides to help constituents navigate federal agencies,
cut through red-tape, and get the answers they need: “This year, the
IRS dropped 8.8 million calls on taxpayers in the months…
read
more.
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New
interest in
Jamestown, By Susan Olling
The recent news stories about four sets of remains found on the site of
a church that dates to 1608 will probably bring even more visitors to
one of the most interesting parks in the National Park Service System:
Historic Jamestowne. None of the American History courses I
took,
back in the mists of time, mentioned Jamestown, Virginia, the…
read
more.
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Deliberate Harm,
By Kate Burch
A couple of weeks ago, one of my Facebook friends posted a photo of two
young children, one white, one black, walking in a wooded scene, with
hands clasped. The caption above the photo was, “This is
where we
need to be.” I commented, “Really, most of us are there
already.” No response received. A couple of my black friends
have
decried the recent and current worsening perceptions…
read
more.
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Broke Wife, Big City… I
just
want to pay my bill, By Aprill Brandon
I don’t know if you guys have been keeping up with the news lately, but
according to the headlines I’ve been skimming on Twitter, robots are
poised to take over all our jobs. Or something like that. I never
actually click on the links because as the mother of a toddler, all I
really have time to read are listicles about how to lose 10 pounds in
10 days. (Note to the editors of Huffington Post…
read
more.
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The White House… 50
Years Ago
Every year, I head back to the birthplace of a new America -- Selma,
Alabama -- where a determined struggle for voting rights transformed
our democracy 50 years ago. On March 7, 1965, Hosea Williams and I led
a band of silent witnesses, 600 nonviolent crusaders, intending to
march 50 miles to Montgomery -- Alabama's capital -- to demonstrate the
need for voting rights in America…
read
more.
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State
Representative Jim Buchy… Tax
Relief for Ohio’s Non-Profit Veterans and Fraternal Organizations
-- Two years ago we provided a property tax exemption in Ohio law for
veterans and fraternals but bureaucrats in the tax department failed to
recognize space used by such organizations for the not-for-profit
service of the organizational members. In this biennial budget which we
passed in June we included a provision that further outlines the
intention of the legislature to provide that exemption to the space…
read
more.
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Commissioners
Corner… Airport
news to come;
July notes
From wet and cool to hot and humid, July has certainly been a mixed bag
of weather. The first half of the month was a continuation of June with
rain and cool temperatures almost daily, and now the last week or so,
it has been more like a Darke County July, hot and humid. It really is
time for us to start getting summertime weather here, so I guess we
can’t complain…
read
more.
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U.S.
Senator Sherrod Brown… Fighting
to Reduce Prescription Drug Costs
Just like Medicare – which celebrated its 50th Anniversary last week –
prescription drugs have helped Americans live longer and healthier
lives. But for too many Americans, the high cost of prescription drugs
forces them to choose between taking their full dosage and putting food
on the table or keeping their lights on. And drug costs are on the
rise. A report released last month by the Medicare…
read
more.
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Death
By a Thousand Cuts,
By Kate Burch
Last week, our dishwasher went on the fritz and, before the repair was
accomplished, the water heater sprang a leak! There’s nothing
like washing dishes by hand in cold water and taking cold showers to
make one appreciate modern conveniences. When we went to look
at
water heaters, we were surprised at how much the prices had
increased. The salesman and the installer shook their heads…
read
more.
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