In the News

WASHINGTON, D.C.-  More good news for the restoration of Lake Erie. Right on the heels of Thursday's announcement that the House of Representatives had agreed to restore 2012 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding to the same $300 million level from this fiscal year, a public-private partnership announced a $1 million grant for... Read More

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - If the country goes into default, what will that mean for local governments and the people who live in the Valley? 21 News posed the question to people who attended a special GM Lordstown open house Thursday. Some retirees say they fear their incomes would decrease dramatically if the ongoing debt debate in Washington is not... Read More

WASHINGTON -- If Sen. Sherrod Brown had his way, there would be one thing that never should bear a "Made in China" tag: the American flag. Under current law, 50 percent of each American flag bought by the federal government must be made from American-made materials. A bill from Brown, D-Ohio, that unanimously passed the Senate late Wednesday,... Read More

Many Ohio manufacturers should benefit as 14 bio-based product categories are now eligible for federal procurement preference. The move expands business opportunities for Ohio-manufactured products made with agricultural products. Biobased products are composed wholly or significantly of biological ingredients — renewable plant, animal,... Read More

YOUNGSTOWN The deadline for the U.S. to raise its debt ceiling is nearing, and that worries U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown. Brown, a Democrat from Avon, said a potential “unnecessary” default would be devastating to Ohioans, who receive billions of dollars in federal aid for programs like Social Security. The Senate has less than a week before the U.S.... Read More

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is encouraging Ohioans to seek nomination from his office to U.S. military service academies for 2011 admission. Each year, Brown, D-Avon, nominates up to 10 students for each service academy: the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the Merchant Marine... Read More

One of the frustrations of the current economy involves the skills gap. Employers report that even with unemployment at 9.2 percent nationally, they have difficulty finding qualified applicants for job openings in their companies. Part of the evidence is anecdotal, say, machine shops citing positions going unfilled. Others offer a broader... Read More

Memorial Day at the end of May and Veterans Day on Nov. 11 are fine holidays, but sometimes it seems as if the nation’s veterans of present and long-ago wars are out of sight and out of mind the other 363 days of the year. And so, reading three stories in two editions of The Vindicator earlier this week was bittersweet. Sweet... Read More

A bill, which is being introduced on the U.S. Senate floor by a legislator from Ohio, is aimed at helping the unemployed receive the training desired by high growth industries. The Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success (SECTORS) Act attempts to address the disparity between the nation’s high unemployment rate and... Read More

Tobacco company rep David Howard waxes enthusiastic when he talks about a new product his employer, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., has developed: a pellet of finely cured tobacco, binders and flavoring that dissolves in the mouth in 10 minutes. Under test market in two U.S. cities — Denver and Charlotte, N.C. — Camel... Read More

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Returning veterans should be able to apply the skills they acquired while serving their country to find work when they come back home, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown says.  That's the rationale behind the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, legislation that recently cleared the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, on which Brown serves,... Read More

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown told members of the Fraternal Order of Police union that a “pretty small group of radicals” is attacking the collective bargaining abilities of public employees in Ohio and other parts of the country. Brown, speaking Monday morning at the FOP’s annual statewide meeting at the Memorial Civic Center, said... Read More

LORAIN — “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Budget cuts, however, are a different story. Faced with a crippling requirement to pre-fund $5.5 billion in employee health benefits annually, declining mail volume due to the Internet and... Read More

With Ohio's economy still limping along, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown last week announced a proposed law that he said could help Ohio companies avoid mass layoffs, by sharing the available work among the employees they have, and topping up their workers' reduced paychecks with federal dollars. Brown, D-Ohio, admitted during a telephonic news conference... Read More

 WASHINGTON - When the plant where he worked in Washington Court House laid off 300 employees in 2009, Tom Payton could've been sunk. The jobs had gone to Mexico. But Payton relied on two federal programs to offset his lost wages and train for a new career. Now, he's a mental-health and career counselor at Southern State Community College in... Read More

The Obama administration is releasing a national drug control strategy in Columbus today that includes $10 billion for education and treatment of drug addicts. Gil Kerlikowske, director of National Drug Control Policy, will discuss the strategy this afternoon with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, at Amethyst Family Treatment Residence, 50 Jefferson... Read More

CHILLICOTHE -- Southern Ohio farmers told U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown they'd like more support for small, family farms during a listening tour Friday at the Hirsch Fruit Farm. Brown is visiting locations throughout the state to get farmers' input as the Senate considers the 2012 Farm Bill. "The whole idea is for you to tell me what you're doing and how... Read More

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, announced Thursday that $251,772 has been awarded to the Community Action Organization of Scioto County (CAO) to expand dental services for lower-income families. Awarded by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), the funds will help improve the quality and accessibility of health services in Scioto County... Read More

AVON — Buderer Drug Co., an Ohio compounding pharmacy, cut the ribbon for its third location on Chester Road on Thursday, bringing in support from as far as Washington, D.C. The opening of the pharmacy, specializing in the preparation of customized medications for individual patients, brought in the deputy state director of U.S. Sen. Sherrod... Read More

STEUBENVILLE - An extension of trade adjustment assistance and enforcement of existing trade laws, as well as dealing with currency manipulation should be secured before consideration is given to extending free trade agreements with Korea, Columbia and Panama, according to Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. Brown was joined by Richard Trumka, president of... Read More