Columns

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Festival of Lights opening ceremony was held Saturday after a day filled with holiday events in Chillicothe. Santa Claus finished his busy day of appearances at the park. there was also hot choloclate, music and horse drawn carriage rides, This popular drive-through community attraction continues to grow and attract more visitors every year since its beginning in 2005. It highlights the efforts of community volunteers working with Chillicothe Parks staff to create a Christmas wonderland from late November through Jan. 1. Festival of Lights is funded by the donations of individuals, businesses, and local foundations. Contributions in the form of money, time, equipment, and expertise by so many in the community have made this event possible through the years. The Festival of Lights Committee includes Barb Burton, Janet Barnhart, Marsha Beetsma, Mary Lou Wilhoit, Kathy Gilliland and Kim Crowe. BUTCH SHAFFER
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Are dentists introducing teens to opioids?

When parents warn their children about drug exposure, they tell them tales of the danger of peer pressure from teenagers in murky basements or from the dark corners of the bleachers during a high school football game. Coming-of-age movies portray swimming pools full of teens drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana while the protagonist dodges bad influences like a spy weaving through radioactive laser beams. The reality for many American teenagers, however, doesn’t align with popular narratives. First-time drug use often begins somewhere far more fluorescent: the dentist’s chair.
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Breaking even against American vigilantism

The subtext of two prominent trials in recent weeks is vigilantism, the questionable notion that the institutions that we depend on – the police, especially – have declined into such impotence that ordinary citizens are called upon to maintain peace and order on their own.
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Festival of Lights

Dear Editor- I would like to thank everyone involved with our beautiful Festival of Lights. Thanks to the Festival of Lights Committee which includes Barb Burton, Janet Barnhart, Marsha Beetsma, Mary Lou Wilhoit, Kathy Gilliland, Kim Crowe and to the many other community volunteers who have helped and who have contributed to the effort.
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