Editorial

Americans have more media options than ever. We are inundated with stories, memes, videos and promotions 24 hours a day. Most of us are on social media, which is built to provide an endless feed of content to keep us glued to our screens. And unfortunately, misinformation is prevalent and much of that content isn’t fact-checked, verified or professionally produced. The result is that we’re not always shown what we need to know, or the information that is most likely to impact our lives. That’s where local newspapers come in. Your local newspaper takes a different approach.

The Inflation Reduction Act, passed last year, gave Medicare the authority to negotiate drug prices for the first time. The government will start with 10 medications, which were announced last month. Now it just needs to figure out how much they should cost.

During the first week of December, lawyers representing Anne Arundel County are set to square off against their counterparts employed by the gun rights group, Maryland Shall Issue Inc., in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit to argue over a matter that, frankly, boggles the mind.

Social scientists believe they know why America has become so divided along political lines. “The human brain in many circumstances is more suited to tribalism and conflict than to civility and reasoned debate,” The Wall Street Journal reported last month in a piece headlined “Why Tribalism Took Over Our Politics.”

How many of us have seen a school bus come to a stop and activate its warning lights and stop arm, and yet a driver proceeds to pass the bus anyway? Imagine the fear that the bus driver must feel, as he or she is tasked with the responsibility of transporting children to and from school every day.

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Republicans have been repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to grappling with the highly charged issue of abortion. They did it again in Ohio this month.

Spencer Cox, the new chairman of the National Governors Association, is promoting the idea of “healthy conflict.” The Utah governor has become concerned about the growing problem of toxic arguments in society. As the Washington Post reports, Cox wants people to learn how to “disagree better.”

One of the best things about childhood is getting to go to the library. Oh, sure, public libraries are for adults too — but for kids, they’re often magical. It’s not just all the thousands of books, but the stories within those books that spark the imagination. Getting a first library card is a rite of passage, a step into a wider world, a claiming of one’s own emerging identity.

A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey found that nearly half of the drinking water in the United States is contaminated with “forever chemicals,” the per- and polyfluoroakyl substances known as PFAS that can cause cancer and other health complications. And Southern California is among a handful of regions nationwide with a higher probability of tap water contaminated with PFAS.

You may have heard that Ohio has an issue on the ballot on Aug. 8.