Congratulations to coach Michael Haywood and the Miami University football team for the RedHawks' exciting comeback win over Northern Illinois to capture the Mid-American Conference championship on Dec. 3 — followed by an invitation Dec. 5 to take on Middle Tennessee State at the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 6. The RedHawks are on a roll — winning their last five games en route to a 9-4 season — and will be making their first bowl appearance since 2004, according to staff writer Pete Conrad. If you can't make it to Mobile, don't worry — ESPN has the game covered. Good luck, RedHawks.
Thumbs up to remarks made by West Chester-based AK Steel's James Wainscott at a speech Tuesday in Columbus to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Ohio Manufacturers Association. Wainscott challenged the nation to nearly double the percentage of manufacturing — from 12 to 20 percent — that accounts for the United States' Gross Domestic Product in the next 10 years. The key to Ohio's future prosperity is continued growth in manufacturing, Wainscott said. He called for an "industrial renaissance" in America — which "would do wonders for our jobs, for Ohio and our country." We believe that most Americans would agree that we've allowed too many jobs and too many products to be done overseas, hurting our economy, our towns and our families. We hope we haven't heard the last of the "20 percent by 2020" campaign from Wainscott.
Thumbs up to the individuals and companies that have helped the Butler County United Way get this far — more than $1.92 million toward its overall goal of $2.1 million — in its annual fundraising campaign. United Way officials gave a campaign update Thursday, and the final total will be determined when the campaign officially ends in February. If you haven't made a donation yet, we would remind you of the important work that United Way supports in our community and ask you to consider helping the organization reach its goal. Contributions can be sent to or dropped off at: Butler County United Way, 323 N. Third St., Hamilton, OH 45011. Or visit www.bc-unitedway.org to make a donation online.