COVID-19 has impacted and disrupted almost every element of daily life. It has induced massive structural change throughout society. Communities have rapidly adapted to new ways to meet, work, socialize and shop. Health systems have responded to exceptional strains, modified the way health care workforces operate in times of crisis, and expanded opportunities for virtualized access to health care. People around the world have adopted a new, working parlance of virology and vaccinology. The impacts of COVID-19 on health and community have been inarguable, yet society has been resourceful when it needed to be and where it needed to be to keep both health and community as intact as possible.
Doug Stout
Guest Columnist
NEWARK - In the spring of 1878, the “Soldiers and Sailors Society of Licking County” was busy planning for the reunion of the soldiers and sailors of Ohio on July 22, 1878.
The date had a special significance to the Ohio troops that fought in the Western Theater of the Civil War. It would be the 14th anniversary of the death of the beloved General James McPherson, who was killed at the Battle of Atlanta.
The reunion was advertised in newspapers across the state and personal invitations were sent out to a virtual who’s who of government officials and former commanders of the army inviting them to come and say a few words. Major Charles Dana Miller, as secretary of the society, wrote some of the letters. An invitation was mailed to former Lieutenant General and former President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant. Miller wrote to Grant, who was touring Europe, on April 12, 1878.
Jay Hottinger
Guest Columnist
NEWARK - We are now over a month into the 134th General Assembly and I wanted to share a few of the bills that I am sponsoring that would greatly benefit Ohio. If enacted, these bills would help families save for college, protect homeowners, and increase penalties for violence against pets.
In 2018, I was successful at increasing the tax deduction for contributions to 529 College Savings Plans from $2,000 to $4,000. However, this tax deduction only applies to families investing in Ohio’s plan. Senate Bill 33 would extend the same tax benefit to all Ohio families whether they invest in Ohio’s plan or another state’s plan. While Ohio’s plan ranks among one of the best in the country, this bill would allow families to focus on the important aspects of the plans and shop the market to decide which plan is best for them and their risk preferences, rather than solely considering the state tax deduction. In fact, Kansas and Montana, which enacted