Ohio
East Palestine derailment damaged my farm, open my eyes. Ohio needs solar programs
White House unveils $7B in solar grants
The White House has announced $7 billion in solar power grants, but it comes as some states are experiencing a surplus of this energy.
Straight Arrow News
Steve Mondak is an Ohio family farmer and youth facilitator at the Mahoning and Columbiana Training Association.
When a freight train derailed last year, spilling hazardous materials into the atmosphere, it damaged my farm, and it opened my mind.
As an Ohio farmer, I have always been a conservationist. But the environmental devastation from an incident that took place five miles from my farm taught me the importance of taking better care of our planet — and made me appreciate the value of clean energy.
That’s why I support House Bill 197. Sponsored by James Hoops, R-Napoleon, and Sharon Ray, R-Wadsworth, HB 197 is a bipartisan legislative proposal to establish a pilot program for community solar. It would benefit family farmers like me and represent a meaningful step toward a healthier environment.
My family resides on a 101-acre general use farm near East Palestine. We maximize yield on timber and firewood, we have hayfields for livestock feed production, and we keep a flock of chickens for eggs.
I used to maintain an apiary to produce honey, beeswax and propolis, but after the derailment in February of 2023, my bees were killed off and I can no longer sell honey.
Property values have plummeted, and we worry about the potential health effects that we may suffer as a result of the disaster. There is no data to predict the long-term human effects of a catastrophe of this magnitude as a result of drinking the well water or breathing the air.
So, while we monitor our own health, I want to play a part in creating a healthier environment.
I am reminded of a family trip taken down Route 23 through the coalfields of eastern Kentucky several years ago. We stopped the truck on top of a mountain road. I was shocked to see that from horizon to horizon was an absolute wasteland, devoid of even a blade of grass. It looked like a nuclear bomb had been dropped, when in fact, it was just the result of mountaintop removal coal mining.
When I recall that, and when I think about what happened in my own community, finding a cleaner form of energy production just makes good sense.
A bit larger than the solar systems you put on your roof, and a lot smaller than the giant industrial solar farms many utilities are contracting with, community solar facilities are local, and bring lots of local benefits as well.
These solar projects are shared by multiple community subscribers who receive credit on their electricity bills for their share of the renewable power produced. The business model builds a more resilient electric grid and expands access to energy choice for all, including low-to-moderate-income customers and those who don’t have the means or the freedom to place panels on their homes or businesses.
As a rural landowner, I canhost a community solar farm, and if the General Assembly passes HB 197, I would be encouraged to do so.
Other farmers will, too. It can be a struggle to make ends meet on a small family farm when seed and fertilizer need to be purchased and when equipment needs to be repaired or replaced. By hosting a community solar farm, Ohio farmers can secure new sources of income to ensure their continued vitality while providing much-needed relief to our rural economy.
Community solar doesn’t just offer a financial opportunity to harvest a new solar crop. It will also bring exciting and rewarding jobs, economic development and new tax revenue to my small rural community.
HB 197 supports energy independence by encouraging the development of new homegrown energy sources for Ohioans. It would create a pilot project offering subscribers help and support to obtain benefits from new renewable, less expensive energy sources. It would also enable Ohio businesses to access the benefits of renewable energy generated in Ohio, instead of leaving them to purchase energy from neighboring states.
As my community deals with the aftermath of the train derailment, environmental protection has taken on a new meaning. If Ohio can empower consumers with the choice for low-cost energy from nonpolluting solar farms, why wouldn’t we?
Steve Mondak is an Ohio family farmer and youth facilitator at the Mahoning and Columbiana Training Association.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — As concerns have grown over the impact of social media on young people, lawmakers are pushing to keep protections in tact to keep children safe online.
This week the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Ohio’s law, the Social Media Parental Notification Act, requiring parental consent for children under the age of 16 to use social media must be restored. Gov. Mike DeWine signed the act into law in July 2023.
Netchoice, the trade group that represents Tik Tok, Snapchat, Meta and other tech companies contested Ohio’s law in 2024, arguing that it was overly broad, vague and represented an unconstitutional impediment to free speech.
“An unconstitutional law protects no one, and we remain focused on ensuring the First Amendment rights of Ohioans are protected,” Paul Taske, NetChoice Litigation Center Director said.
Cincinnati-based Sixth Circuit’s panel does not agree with this view point, determined that the law is not unconstitutional and had the block on the law’s enforcement vacated.
“At bottom, the Act imposes a parental consent requirement,” Judge Eric Clay wrote. “That requirement constitutes a marginal burden that precisely targets the multi-faceted problem that Ohio has identified: Children’s unsupervised assent to terms and conditions for use of platforms that take advantage of and harm them.”
The Social Media Parental Notification Act is a way to protect children’s mental health against the “intentionally addictive” nature of social media, according to U.S. senator Jon Husted.
The law requires companies to get parental permission for social media and gaming apps and to provide their privacy guidelines so families know what content would be censored or moderated on their child’s profile.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson says the ruling is “a win for Ohio families.”
“The court agreed that parents –- not social media companies –- should get a say in what kids see online,” he said in a statement. “We have an obligation to keep our children safe, and today, the most dangerous place for our kids is the internet. This decision gives parents the tools to be involved and provide oversight.”
LICKING COUNTY, Ohio (WCMH) — When you think of wild animals in central Ohio, a black bear likely isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. That’s why one Licking County family said they couldn’t believe their eyes.
It was an average afternoon drive home for father and son, Justin and Aaron Rhodes, when something walked into the road in front of them.
“I didn’t even think it was real at first, so that’s why I had to do the double take,” Justin said.
Aaron said he thought it was “just a weird looking dog”.
To their disbelief, it was a bear. The sighting comes just one year after the animal was spotted in Licking County for the first time in more than two decades.
“It’s kind of hard to believe that they’re even around this area,” Justin said. “I’ve lived in this area for about 24 years now, so it’s been quite a while, and I’ve never seen one before.”
These sightings are becoming more common. The Ohio Division of Wildlife said the black bear population is growing in the state, and they expect those trends to continue. Ohio saw a record number of confirmed sightings in 2025.
Lindsey Krusling, a wildlife communications specialist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said they are seeing more breeding females establish homes in the state, signaling the species is returning. Experts said the work restoring natural forest land is a big reason why.
“We’re starting to get some black bears coming in from neighboring states like Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky,” Krusling said. “They’re naturally crossing those state borders and coming back to Ohio because we have more of that habitat available to them, especially those forested areas.”
As the black bear population grows, the Division of Wildlife is expanding its research. They are putting radio collars on some bears they find in the state to help track data, such as if the bears are staying here, how far they’ve traveled and if they’re successfully having cubs.
“We’re trying to get quite a bit of data from these bears, and we’re super excited to see where this takes us,” Krusling said.
The research is in the beginning stages, but they expect population growth to continue, Krusling said.
Sighting reports can be submitted here to help the Division of Wildlife track black bear populations throughout the state.
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