The Critical Reader

06/24/2026

Remembering a Youngstown icon

A bakery takes its final bow, recalling memories of a once-vibrant city.

06/17/2026

Voter ID for me but not for thee seems a tad unfair.

House Bill 472 requires Ohioans to provide a photo ID when voting by mail next year. The bill leaves many unanswered questions.

05/30/2026

Is your city newspaper also creating AI-generated podcasts?

AI podcastslers are as horrifying as the monsters in Poltergeist.

05/21/2026

https://open.substack.com/pub/dianedipierorodio/p/fake-news?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5vs4

AI-generated reporters are the latest dystopian thing.

05/18/2026

Should these news stories have gotten more attention?

Three major news stories you might have missed.

05/11/2026

Companies waited way too long to enforce in-office work following the pandemic. If you've been working from home for 2-3 years, why would you feel compelled to go back to the office?

https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2026/05/our-regions-heart-is-downtown-cleveland-thats-why-downtowns-troubles-matter-brent-larkin.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcARu1DFjbGNrBG7QNmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHuocDdH2GDF_a_5iBnnb-9FiCVZPsL7_zyi0XaejB2y66CEZR_zYbb_WGksi_aem_xN2BMvGOhp6t34oFwloSGg

Of course, steep declines in property valuations for downtown office buildings result in property tax cuts, which result in far less money for Cleveland's troubled school system. The dilemma here is that fixing the problem results in choosing from a list of bad options, writes Brent Larkin in his co...

05/10/2026

Sorry to get a little sappy on Mother's Day!

They tell you this will happen but it still can't prepare you.

05/06/2026

Am I the only person who thought Ted Turner died several years ago?

Ted Turner, the media maverick and philanthropist who founded CNN, a pioneering 24-hour network that revolutionized television news, died peacefully Wednesday, surrounded by his family, according to a news release from Turner Enterprises. He was 87.

05/02/2026

You think The Devil Wears Prada is fiction? Oh no, I lived it. Here's why I'll never see the movies.

04/29/2026

https://open.substack.com/pub/dianedipierorodio/p/yes-theres-a-morality-problem-in?r=5vs4&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true