Dog ban ‘Spot’ on

It is a shame that negligent dog owners led to Groveport to ban dogs and other pets from its popular Independence Day celebration, KidsFest and Apple Butter Day .

But honestly, city officials might have done the dogs a favor. Crowded events, especially ones with fireworks and loud noises, aren’t the best place for a dog. Unlike on restaurant patios, where dogs can be segregated, people in public spaces can’t help being exposed to allergens, and they don’t have a choice of whether to avoid Fido or Spot. Critics should heel.

Amonth from now, our neighborhoods will illuminate with the glow of bottle rockets and Roman candles. Booms and bangs will echo across the land as we celebrate Independence Day.

But state law prohibits Ohioans from using most “consumer” fireworks. You can buy them here, but they must be taken out of the state within 48 hours. Only “trick or novelty” fireworks — those that pop and fizz — are allowed to be set off. If you’re not laughing, you should be. It’s probably one of the least enforced laws on the books.

Perhaps that’s why state lawmakers continue to wrestle with the issue.

An Ohio House bill introduced last month would make commercial fireworks legal by 2020. As Cleveland.com reported, the bill “is piggybacking off of” legislation approved by the Ohio Senate in December 2014. The latter bill “preserved local control over the discharging of fireworks (and) stepped up safety requirements.” It also would have required new rules for retail sales of fireworks to be developed by the State Fire Marshal. That bill was pushed by the fireworks lobby.

The House bill would establish a study group to research the issue and make recommendations to the General Assembly.

Before acting, lawmakers should heed the advice of health professionals about how the bill might lead to more injuries, and even deaths, if it is approved.