Ed Puskas

Ed Puskas: Why is everyone so angry?

I’m not sure this qualifies as breaking news on any particular level, but a lot of people seem to have anger-management issues these days. A week ago, maybe a mile or two from where I live, two angry motorcyclists — it was that rare Saturday in April…

Puskas: Browns gave up a lot in controversial trade

My Sunday afternoons in the fall — pretty much booked long ahead of time since 1980 — just became wide open. You could always find me near a television tuned to a Cleveland Browns game. When I wasn’t watching, I was listening to Nev Chandler on a car…

Ed Puskas: This isn't what we were told to expect

The main selling point of a Joe Biden presidency was that he wasn’t Donald Trump. Biden was nice. He was thoughtful. He was predictable and competent. He had four-plus decades of foreign policy experience as a U.S. Representative and Senator from…

Ed Puskas: A stinging rebuke on the golf course

My entire life can be summed up in the “good news and bad news” mantra. Or is it an axiom? Who the heck knows? I’m a word guy, but I prefer words I actually like. Of course, if you’ve ever played golf with me — or say “nearby” — you’understand that…

Ed Puskas: I've had my Phil of golf bashing

A good friend and former newsroom colleague hates golf. That is no crime. The game is not for everyone. It can be addictive and maddening. Even a beginner can hit miraculous shots occasionally, but even a professional can sometimes look like a…

Ed Puskas: No more putting off the inevitable

This column sometimes comes easy. An idea forms in my mind and I run with it. Occasionally, it works and I’m pleased with the results. Much more often — as my own worst critic — I think about the efforts that could have been better. And every now and…

Ed Puskas: Leave Mr. Potato Head alone

Hasbro’s announcement this week about Mr. Potato Head was quickly sliced and diced. Days later, the toymaker is still getting mashed and roasted on social media. Why is everyone fried? Hasbro announced that it plans to drop “Mister” from Mr. Potato…

Ed Puskas: It's too cold and I'm too old

The Blizzard of 1978 spoiled me. Two weeks of below-zero temperatures, arctic wind and somewhere between a buttload and a metric ton of snow was a dream for northeastern Ohio kids. The result was an extra two weeks off from school. Snow drifts in…

Ed Puskas: In defense of free speech

“I may disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” The quote above is often — and erroneously — attributed to François-Marie Arouet, better known by his pen name of Voltaire, and American patriot Patrick…

Ed Puskas: On anonymous calls and emails

A guy called the newsroom recently to complain. (Yeah, I know. That never happens.) He had two beefs. The first was that we aren’t backing President Donald Trump’s claims of election fraud. The second was a personal swipe at columnist Shelley Terry,…

Ed Puskas: Goodbye, Saad ... we're going to miss you

The reader wanted to know why his letter to the editor had not yet appeared in the newspaper. The answer was one of two possibilities. Either his faxed letter didn’t make it to the newsroom as intended or he was a prolific writer and we were holding…

Ed Puskas: One restaurant door closes and another opens ... we hope

I’m going to guess it was 10 or 15 years ago, but my timeline could be off by a little. What I know for sure is that Caruso’s was still open, because I ended up there with my daughter Erin and my friend Dan Ciolek. We met for dinner on a wintry…

Ed Puskas: Rolling Stone's list had some glaring omissions

Once again, Rolling Stone has come out with its updated list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Some of you are probably wondering, “What’s an album?” Or perhaps: “It’s not Rolling Stone. It’s the Rolling STONES. Mick Jagger had bandmates.…

Ed Puskas: Get medical advice from a trusted source

I am not a doctor. Nor do I play one on TV. So you’ll have to get your medical advice elsewhere. Try a 24-hour cable television network, a radio show or maybe some random Twitter account. Or maybe seek it out from an old-fashioned source. Say, a…

Ed Puskas: Keeping it in the fairway

There is no arena more parochial than high school sports. If you’re from East Podunk, you can be sure most of your neighbors are convinced the local paper favors West Podunk. The West Podunk folks doubtlessly feel the same way about coverage of East…

Ed Puskas: Will we ever get together again?

“And you never did think That it ever would happen again (In America, did you) You never did think That we’d ever get together again” — “In America” by The Charlie Daniels Band The country-rock anthem was written and recorded in a different time in…

Ed Puskas: I don't live in my car, but I often escape in it

There are currently a couple of commercials for a luxury vehicle in which a woman arrives home — ostensibly after a tough day — only to confront some form of chaos happening there. In one version, it appears to be her aging and hip — but annoying —…

Metroparks grateful for voters' support

There are just two things to remember about Election Night in a newsroom. Pizza and results. And they’re listed in order of importance. Just kidding. Sort of, anyway. I’ve long been familiar with the Election Night spread, but until now, I’ve always…

Patterson-sponsored bill to prevent amusement park tragedies signed into law

In the two years since 18-year-old Tyler Jarrell died in a ride accident at the Ohio State Fair, Ohio Rep. John Patterson (D-Jefferson) has worked to create legislation he hopes will give state officials the tools to prevent similar…

PV golf team has arrived early this season, Compan reaches milestone

ANDOVER — The Pymatuning Valley boys golf team has arrived. Lakers head coach Jeff Compan knew it was going to happen, but the Lakers (15-1, 12-0 Northeastern Athletic Conference) were a little early. “We were 9-10 last year and we had no seniors, so…