June 2020

A large tan home is pictured.

There’s no doubt about it. Paint is one of the quickest and least expensive ways to punch up your home’s curb appeal. A fresh coat of paint transforms shutters from drab to fab, and if you want to give your house a totally new look, painting the outside a different color costs far less than removing and replacing siding or other exterior materials.

Since the Sherwin-Williams and Glidden® companies are leading paint producers, we asked their experts about using paint to make your home the belle of the block. Here are six of their top tips:

The Queen Anne home in Medina.

You only have one chance to make a good first impression. That old saying is true for you and for your home too. All too often, however, homeowners dwell on how a house looks and feels on the inside and neglect the outside. A new granite countertop may add sparkle to your kitchen, but maintaining your home’s exterior appearance — or curb appeal — also is important to your enjoyment of the place where you spend most of your time and have invested much of your money.

Marc Armstrong and Spencer Waugh talk on a staircase.

Keeping Ohio’s elected officials up-to-date on the concerns of electric co-op members is a year-round job for Marc Armstrong and Spencer Waugh. As director and manager, respectively, of the government affairs department of Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, they’re at the center of today’s biggest issues. They play a vital role in helping elected officials and regulators understand the impacts of proposed legislation and regulations on families and businesses in all parts of the state.

A picture of the HandiRack on a car.

Destination known or unknown, there’s an inherent feeling of freedom driving off into the big blue yonder. No long-term parking fees, airport security checks, or missed connecting flights. It’s all about you and your destination.

All too often, though, there’s a bump in the road, whether it’s your safety, comfort, or lack of organization. This year, plan wisely, keep your cool, and conquer the open road. These gadgets just might be a key element to a triumphant road trip.

A man rides a horse-drawn carriage.

While Holmes County historians have ascertained that the hamlet of Charm began in the 1840s when a blacksmith shop opened along an old Indian trail near Doughty Creek, no one knows for sure how Charm got its unusual name. Other businesses gradually joined the blacksmith shop, and by the 1860s, a community had evolved that locals called Stevenson, apparently because Stephen Yoder and his son farmed the land there. When Stevenson’s citizens applied for a post office in the 1880s, the postal department asked them to choose an official name. They picked Charm. Why?

A picture of OurSolar's logo.

While many people endorse the benefits of solar power, the idea of their actually installing and maintaining a costly rooftop grid might never see the light of day.

Through a community solar program called OurSolar, members of Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives will soon be able to plug into the sun without the drawbacks of doing it themselves. As part of OurSolar, Buckeye Power is beginning to build new solar panel arrays at several locations around the state, bringing more emission-free energy to Ohio’s electric cooperatives.