editorials

OK, the headline for this editorial is a little misleading. Nobody — including the newspaper's editorial board — believes that local governments should go around year after year, raising taxes willy-nilly on businesses and families that are already struggling to make ends...

Here's an easy way to help protect our lakes: Ease up on the salt when clearing snow and ice from pavement. With freezing drizzle in this week's forecast, now is the time to start being more conscious about what you're putting on your sidewalk, steps and driveway. Stay away from using...

Fort celebration ups and downs

If you think you're shopping habits don't really matter, that buying items online instead of locally doesn't have an impact, think again. Local stores depend heavily on support from local residents, and every time you decide to order something online from Amazon or shop out of town,...

To any educator who has inappropriately interacted with a student, or to anyone headed down that path: Think about what you're doing. Think about the lives you're ruining — your own as well as that of the victim. And we say "victim" because that's what the young person is. The...

Talk to your children about ice – now. The ice is slowly building on some Douglas County area lakes, making them look like a winter wonderland of fun. But they also invite danger, especially for young children who don’t realize just how risky it is to venture out on thin ice....

Timely advice

We started something at our Echo Press office a couple of weeks ago that's very fitting for Thanksgiving. Maybe some other businesses in the area can pick up on the idea. On a big piece of whiteboard in our conference room, we posed a simple question to all our employees: "What makes...

The recent cold snap should serve as a wake-up call about the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. When people turn up the heat to stay warm, they also increase the risk of becoming a victim of CO if they have faulty heating systems. The threat is real. About 500 people die...

Voter involvement/apathy

Getting a driver's license is a major milestone for teens. But it's also one that can lead to tragedy. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2,082 teen drivers were involved in fatal motor...

Throughout the year, the Echo Press Opinion page includes editorials written by the newspaper's Editorial Board on a wide range of issues. If the county commissioners, for example, make a decision that we don't agree with, we'll write an editorial explaining why. If we see a problem...