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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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