Your Morning Matters: COVID-19 and our obituaries

Good morning and welcome to your Morning Matters.

It's Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, and I've noticed a recent trend in our obituaries — and it made me wonder about another trend.

You may have seen lines like this appearing more frequently in obituaries: "The family requests that family and friends coming to pay their respects either at the funeral home or at church to please wear a facial covering."

I can imagine the last thing a family wants to deal with at such a time is having to play mask police among loved ones. Let's just appreciate that we can gather to pay respects, unlike what many families went through in 2020, in the pre-vaccination days. The inability to complete the grieving process is indeed cruelty heaped upon cruelty.

But then I started to wonder about an obituary trend from 2017 during the height of the heroin overdose epidemic. Many brave families who wanted to demonstrate that addiction can happen to anyone began to include addiction information in the obituaries of loved ones who succumbed to an overdose. I didn't know what to think of the idea, until I had a chance to talk to parents whose son had overdosed. They felt if they were honest about their son's death, they could help end the stigma and perhaps make recovery services more accessible.

It was a brave decision. And I wonder, in the COVID-19 era, whether any families have considered doing the same about those they have lost to the coronavirus. Especially now, when there is so much misinformation being spread about COVID-19 and as the state looks at 4,600 new cases per day — despite more than half the population being vaccinated. Would including that fact instead of some generic "died after a sudden illness" make any difference to those who continue to deny the reality of the global pandemic and who refuse to take protective measures?

Send me your thoughts! And have a great weekend. The great Jess Hardin has the honors here tomorrow, and I'll see you back here Monday!

Here's what you need to know about the Mahoning Valley today:

This year's general election on Nov. 2 includes several dozen contested races and issues at the city, village and township levels. Reporter Justin Dennis has compiled a list of all the candidates, levies and liquor options that will be on the ballot this fall in Mahoning County. We'll add Trumbull County on Friday and Columbiana County on Saturday.

As election season gets underway, expect Mahoning Matters to have in-depth interviews with those vying for major seats — including for Youngstown mayor — and analysis of the myriad tax issues coming up for voters' approval. If there's a down-ballot race or issue you want to know more about, let us know at news@mahoningmatters.com.

Pandemic facts

• In the U.S.: 38,214,015 confirmed cases; 632,213 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine at 8 p.m. Aug. 25.
• In Ohio: 1,192,478 confirmed or suspected cases; 20,729 deaths.
• In Pennsylvania: 1,281,199 confirmed cases; 28,131 deaths.
• In the Mahoning Valley: 23,871 confirmed or suspected cases in Mahoning County; 17,672 in Trumbull; and 9,897 in Columbiana.
• Dow Jones Industrial Average: Closed at 35,405.50, up 39.24 points, or 0.11%.

Other matters

Ohio on Wednesday reported a seven-month record of new COVID-19 cases in a single day. Statewide, 4,600 new cases were reported Wednesday, the most new cases in one day since late January and the second day in a row the new case count has been over 4,000. Mahoning Matters

People who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine would benefit from a second shot, or booster, of the same vaccine about eight months later to strengthen protection against the virus, according to new data the company released Wednesday. Mahoning Matters

A Trumbull County duo who met at Youngstown State University teamed up in July to launch Inspire Unity, a crowdfunding website that focuses on one project and beneficiary at a time. Mahoning Matters

Warren is experiencing severe flooding due to excess rainfall. Edward Haller, director of Warren Water Pollution Control, said when the city gets an inch of rain in a short period, storm drains can't keep up. WFMJ

Power continues to go out in the city of Hubbard, and many residents are unhappy and are looking for answers. WKBN

Penguin City Brewing Co. kicked off its renovations of its new downtown location with a nontraditional celebration Wednesday. The Business Journal [May encounter paywall.]

Youngstown CityScape plans to reopen a West Side greenhouse and use it for a variety of purposes, from growing flowers and plants to beautifying the city to job training for women at Community Corrections Association. The Vindicator [May encounter paywall.]

In case you missed it

Which Mahoning Valley Schools are requiring masks? Reporter Jess Hardin has put together a list of the starting dates and masking policies as Valley schools prepare for the 2021-22 school year. Mahoning Matters

Your comments matter

"Oh no. They were great at Covelli when I saw them, but the lovely environment of the Amphitheatre would have been even better!"

— Peggy Palma, on the Little Big Town concert scheduled for Friday at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre being canceled.

Registered readers can comment on a selection of our stories, and all readers can comment on stories on our Facebook page. Opinions published here do not reflect the views of Mahoning Matters.

Event of the day

The Women's Equality Day Committee of Warren will celebrate the 101st anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in 1920. The celebration will take place at Women's Park in Warren, adjacent to City Hall on Mahoning Avenue. Women are invited to meet at 11:45 a.m. to parade from City Hall to Women's Park, where the program will begin at noon, followed by refreshments at the Upton House, 380 Mahoning Ave.

To see what else is going on around the Mahoning Valley, check out Mahoning Matters' event calendar here, or click the Events tab on the top menu at mahoningmatters.com.

Story tips

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This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 6:55 AM with the headline "Your Morning Matters: COVID-19 and our obituaries."