Air Quality Alert issued July 17 at 12:43AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has issued a statewide Air Quality Advisory for the entire state of Ohio as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to adversely impact air quality.
Pollutants across the state are expected to range from the 'Unhealthy For Sensitive Groups' category in the southwest part of the state to the 'Unhealthy' category in the rest of the state. Hourly concentrations at times may reach the 'Very Unhealthy' to 'Hazardous' categories.
It is recommended, when possible, to avoid strenuous outdoor activities, especially those with heart disease and respiratory conditions like asthma. Watch for symptoms including wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, dizziness, or burning in the nose, throat, and eyes.
For additional information, please visit the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's website at epa.ohio.gov.
72° 72° chance Sat 88° Sat 88° chance 66° 66° Sun 80° Sun 80°
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard

Karen Platfoot, program manager for the area's Workforce Investment Act agency, helps an unemployed client fill out necessary paperwork. The county program has seen a dramatic increase of clients seeking help finding jobs. Although local unemployment rates remain about 2 percent below state and national levels, the number of jobless people and those affected by wage and hour cuts continues to rise.

Related online story:
Local unemployment numbers went up in December and are predicted to go even higher in January.
But those numbers alone may not accurately reflect t [More]
Additional pictures on this date