The statewide signature petition drive does not change anything in Ohio. If successful, it simply gives Ohio voters a voice if they prefer a different direction. It reminds me of the many times I covered county commission meetings in Highland and other counties. Almost without fail, when a county agency such as Children Services or another office approached commissioners for their "blessing" to place a levy or levy renewal on the ballot, commissioners acquiesced.

As I've long written in four decades of newspaper work: All politics would be a lot cleaner if each party would police its own house. If that were to ever happen – instead of each party playing whataboutism – we'd have better public servants. For some reason, it reminds me of the Ohio General Assembly Code of Ethics.

As a dear and departed legal friend and adviser liked to ask me about such arrangements: Does it pass the smell test? It does not. Local taxpayers with good memories may recall similar arrangements with public officials and public contracts. We already plowed that ground, so I won't go over it again.

While a majority of Americans – including Democrats, Republicans and Independents – support a photo ID as proof of citizenship, the House Democrats overwhelmingly rejected the idea. Why? It's either because of their severe anti-Trump affliction or they realize an awful lot of noncitizens are likely to vote for the party that promises open borders and more freebies for illegals. (Probably both.)

Former Democrat President Barack Hussein Obama was often called the "Deporter-in-Chief," as the Obama administration removed more than 3 million illegal aliens over eight years, the highest number in U.S. history. I cannot recall much of anything even discussed about Obama's millions and millions of deportations of illegal aliens. No protests. No riots against law enforcement.

The crux of matter remains: How to ensure adequate funding for local schools, fire, police, EMS, libraries and developmental disabilities, should Ohio’s property taxes be abolished.

For the record, I have been in printing and publishing for 46 consecutive years; and in each and every one of those years, at least someone has said to me, "Print is dead." Somehow, I've made it for almost five decades. But today, in 2026, I almost – almost – believe print really is dead. OK. Close the casket, already. Let's make it a happy wake. Otherwise, prove me wrong.

One of the telltale signs of a bad meeting is food. If you walk into a conference room and there are donuts or bagels, coffee, juices and soft drinks, you're in for a long meeting. It's even worse when the dimwit who demanded the meeting orders sandwiches around noon. You can kiss productivity goodbye for that entire day.

We owe our most sincere thanks to you – everyone who reads and supports our newspaper and our website. Without our readers and advertisers, we could not possibly provide this essential community service. 

Since it's been a few years since his most-recent call, I had assumed that Ratchethead Ledbottom had passed away and we simply did not receive his obituary. Alas, the old curmudgeon remains upright, and his remains will be a future embalming endeavor (if necessary).

To those – from so-called educators to mainstream media hacks to paid public officials – who have cheered the man's assassination in the last few days, may your sickness soon be healed. It is beyond repulsive, but it is surely not contagious as Charlie Kirk so wisely proved.

I would suggest that those law enforcement reports submitted to the media ought to include citations for using a cell phone while driving; and it might, perhaps, discourage that all-too-common practice in Ohio and elsewhere.

Regardless of any corporate spin, local service means local service, whether it is in private-sector business, law enforcement, health care, education or anything else. To spin it otherwise, is just the obscuring or embellishing of the truth of a disconnected situation with misleading or irrelevant information.

Ryan Matthews of Leesburg has been named director of communications and media relations for Ohio Farm Bureau. 

Many conservatives (and certainly many Republicans, not all of whom are conservatives) have lost trust in the accuracy of news reporting – and with good reason.