Today's Opinions

As I write this, about an hour and a half ago I dropped my son off for his first day of fifth grade. Where has the time gone and what happened to summer? It is kind of bittersweet because while I hate to see my son growing up, I do look forward to a daily routine and some sense of normalcy in our house. I also know how important it is that he gets back into the swing of things and grasps the opportunity to learn more and be with his friends.

School starts next week. Social media will be flooded with first day of school pictures, and parents are split on whether the first day of school is an unofficial holiday they look forward to or a day they dread, maybe as much as their children.

I think the first day of school creates a little buzz around our community. Things look just a little bit different: more traffic in the morning, fewer bikes riding around town, an empty County Pool, days start getting shorter and evenings begin to fill up with football, soccer, volleyball and homework. The library is no different.

Along the Ohio River, good news rarely comes in the form of waters rising to the edge of its banks or beyond. But, to tweak a figurative phrase, rising waters do lift all boats. We are celebrating the rising of the waters of knowledge and opportunity that will lift the economic success of our region.