I Photographed an Appalachian Family for 15 Years; The New York Times, November 6, 2025

Photographs by Maddie McGarvey

Text by Emi Nietfeld

, The New York Times; I Photographed an Appalachian Family for 15 Years

[Kip Currier: This is a remarkable photographic essay shedding light on individual lived experiences in Appalachian Ohio, but also shared human connections and universal emotions of fear, longing, uncertainty, desperation, hope, and resilience.

I came away from the piece, probably like many other readers, wondering in what ways we as individuals and societies can provide more infrastructure and services -- not less -- to help fellow humans to break out of cycles of poverty and need.

The piece is even more poignant in light of the current government shutdown and disruptions in SNAP food assistance benefits for more than 40 million Americans.]

[Excerpt]

"Today, the toddler who ran playfully through Ms. McGarvey’s photographs is a high school graduate facing an uncertain future. Through her childhood and adolescence, Paige raised herself and took care of her younger brothers while her family moved frequently between small coal towns, without a stable place to land.

When I saw Ms. McGarvey’s project, I felt an immediate connection to Paige. As a teen I spent time in foster care and bounced between sleeping on friends’ sofas, in my car or in a shelter. The details in the photographs transported me back to that turbulent period: the detritus piled on the broken stovetop; the hours hanging out at McDonald’s; the world dissolving into weariness before you’re even old enough to drive.

Most of all, I recognized Ms. McGarvey’s project as an act of witnessing, documenting one family’s life in its daily tenderness, ordinary suffering and full complexity."

1.5M people in Ohio rely on SNAP: Map shows which towns will be hardest hit by shutdown; WLWT5, October 31, 2025

Emily Sanderson, WLWT5;  1.5M people in Ohio rely on SNAP: Map shows which towns will be hardest hit by shutdown

"More than 1 million Ohio residents will lose federal food support on Saturday when SNAP benefits expire because of the government shutdown.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as Food Stamps, helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries.

Cincinnati families are facing uncertainty as the SNAP food assistance program has been suspended due to the government shutdown, affecting nearly 100,000 residents in Hamilton County who rely on federal food benefits...

Governor DeWine has indicated that there is no mechanism for Ohio to directly fund SNAP payments, regardless of the source of the money."

DeWine vetoes library material restriction in Ohio budget; WFMJ, July 1, 2025

 

WFMJ; DeWine vetoes library material restriction in Ohio budget

"Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on Monday vetoed a controversial provision in the state's new budget that would have imposed restrictions on public libraries regarding the placement of materials related to sexual orientation or gender identity.

The veto came as DeWine signed the state budget bill. In his statement, the Republican governor expressed concerns about what he described as the "vague restrictions" proposed for libraries.

"No child should have access to inappropriate materials or to materials that their parents or guardians deem inappropriate," DeWine said. "In Ohio, we have strong laws on obscenity and material harmful to juveniles, and the DeWine-Tressel Administration expects those laws to be enforced. Therefore, a veto of this item is in the public interest."

The provision, which had drawn strong opposition from library systems across the state, including the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County, would have required libraries to segregate such materials so they were not visible to patrons under 18.

Library advocates, including the Ohio Library Council (OLC), argued that the language was "overly vague and broad" and "ultimately unworkable." Aimee Fifarek, CEO and director of the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County, previously warned that complying with the mandate could force libraries to "close down" to review and re-code materials, potentially leading to "unconstitutional censorship."

Artificial Intelligence Resources Compiled for Legal Community; Court News Ohio, May 13, 2025

Staff Report , Court News Ohio; Artificial Intelligence Resources Compiled for Legal Community

"Artificial intelligence and generative artificial intelligence (AI, collectively) are rapidly evolving technologies that impact many, if not most, facets of human life. AI’s potential impact on judicial systems is no exception – from how judges and magistrates write opinions, to the briefs and motions prepared by attorneys, to the evidenceprovided by plaintiffs and defendants.

To assist the legal community, an array of resources is now available on the Supreme Court of Ohio website about AI and its use in the courts and legal profession.

The new “Artificial Intelligence Resource Library” offers:

• AI ethics guidelines for judicial officers and attorneys.
• AI practices in state courts.
• Legal association reports and statements.
• Journal and scholarly articles.
• Useful courses on the topic.

The library content is organized for three groups: courts; attorneys; and the public (particularly nonlawyers who represent themselves in court)."

Faith leaders denounce US book burning as hate-fuelled intimidation; The Guardian, May 15, 2025

José Olivares , The Guardian; Faith leaders denounce US book burning as hate-fuelled intimidation

"A group of faith leaders in Ohio denounced a recent alleged hate crime in the state, in which a man burned books belonging to a public library. The destroyed books were on Jewish, African American and LGBTQ+ history."

From ethics to outsmarting Chat GPT, state unveils resource for AI in Ohio education; Cleveland.com, February 15, 2024

Laura Hancock, cleveland.com ; From ethics to outsmarting Chat GPT, state unveils resource for AI in Ohio education

"The state released a guide Thursday to help schools and parents navigate generative artificial intelligence in an ethical manner.

“When you use the term AI, I know in some people’s minds, it can sound scary,” said Lt. Jon Husted, whose InnovateOhio office worked with private sector organizations to develop the guide...

Every technology that’s come into society has been like that.”...

But AI is the wave of the future, and Husted said it’s important that students are exposed to it.

The AI toolkit is not mandatory but can be used as a resource for educators and families.

It doesn’t include many prescriptive actions for how to begin teaching and using AI. Rather, it contains sections for parents, teachers and school districts where they can find dozens of sample lessons and discussions about ethics, how to develop policies to keep students safe, and other topics.

For instance, teachers can find a template letter that they can send to school district officials to communicate how they’re using AI...

“Before you use AI in the classroom you will need a plan for a student with privacy, data security, ethics and many other things,” Husted said. “More is needed than just a fun tool in the classroom.”"

Why haven’t Ohio lawmakers passed any ethics reforms since Larry Householder’s arrest?; Cleveland.com, July 1, 2023

Jeremy Pelzer, cleveland.com; Why haven’t Ohio lawmakers passed any ethics reforms since Larry Householder’s arrest?

"Nearly three years after ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder was arrested for overseeing the largest bribery scheme in state history, Ohio lawmakers haven’t passed a single piece of legislation to change state ethics or campaign-finance law."