The Closure of Pixelle Paper Mill in Chillicothe: A Blow to Ohio’s Economy and Community

Economic Shifts and Local Impact in a Changing Industry

On April 15, 2025, Pixelle Specialty Solutions LLC announced the closure of its historic paper mill in Chillicothe, Ohio, a decision that marks the end of an era for the Scioto Valley and delivers a significant blow to the local economy. This closure, affecting approximately 800 workers, is part of Pixelle’s strategic effort to align its operational footprint with long-term business objectives, focusing on specialty paper markets. The move reflects broader trends in the paper industry, where declining demand for traditional paper products and economic pressures are forcing companies to rethink their operations, often at the expense of communities like Chillicothe.

The Chillicothe mill, a cornerstone of the region since its establishment in 1817, has faced challenges for years. In 2008, global demand for traditional paper began to decline, leading to ownership changes—first to Verso Corporation, then to Pixelle in 2019. Under Pixelle, the mill produced specialty papers for packaging, labels, and commercial printing, but consistent financial losses over the past few years prompted the private equity firm Lindsey Goldberg, which owns Pixelle, to shut down the facility. The closure process has already begun, with Pixelle committing to support its employees through the transition and work with union leaders to address impacts under collective bargaining agreements.

This closure adds to Ohio’s ongoing economic challenges in 2025. While exact numbers for business closures in Ohio since January 2025 are unavailable, the state has seen significant retail shutdowns in recent years, including 35 Family Dollar stores and nine Red Lobster locations in 2024. Nationally, Coresight Research projected up to 15,000 business closures in 2025, driven by inflation and a shift to online shopping, suggesting Ohio could see hundreds more closures this year. The Pixelle shutdown, however, stands out due to its scale and impact on a smaller community, with local sentiment on X noting that the loss of 800 jobs will “devastate the entire south central Ohio area.”

The ripple effects of the Chillicothe closure extend beyond job losses. The mill’s economic contributions supported local businesses, schools, and infrastructure, and its absence will likely strain the region’s social fabric. Pixelle plans to bolster its remaining facilities in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, and Fremont, Ohio, to maintain its leadership in the specialty paper market, but this offers little solace to Chillicothe workers facing an uncertain future. Local leaders, including Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney, are working with state officials and workforce development partners to respond immediately and seek new opportunities for the displaced workers.

The Pixelle paper mill closure is a stark reminder of the fragility of local economies in the face of global market shifts. For Chillicothe, the path forward will require resilience and innovation—perhaps through community-led initiatives or state support to attract new industries. As Ohio navigates a challenging economic landscape in 2025, the story of Chillicothe serves as a call to prioritize sustainable development and protect the livelihoods of those who keep small towns alive.

Chillicothe Paper Mill 

Vivek’s Great Ohio Exit: Strive Ditches the Buckeye State While Yost Keeps Striving for Ohioans

Ramaswamy’s Promises Can’t Match Yost’s Proven Record. Ohio Needs a Leader, Not a Leaver.

In a move that screams “I’m outta here,” Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech billionaire turned political wannabe, yanked his company, Strive Enterprises, out of Columbus, Ohio, faster than you can say “Buckeye betrayal.” On November 1, 2024, Strive announced its relocation to Dallas, Texas, chasing what Ramaswamy called a more “business-friendly” environment. Meanwhile, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a public servant with over three decades of experience, continues to fight for Ohioans, racking up wins against corruption, corporate polluters, and protecting Ohioans predatory telemarketers, robocalls and scam. As Ramaswamy campaigns to be Ohio’s next governor in 2026 with zero years in public office, his company’s exit raises a snarky but serious question: Why should Ohioans trust a guy who ditched the state for Texas glitz when Yost’s track record screams loyalty, results, and relentless service? Ohio needs proven, not promising—and Yost is the gold standard.

Strive’s Ohio Exodus: Ramaswamy’s Business Bolts for “Y’all Street”

Let’s start with Vivek’s big Ohio oopsie. Strive Enterprises, the anti-“woke” asset management firm Ramaswamy co-founded in 2022, was supposed to be a Columbus success story. With $1.7 billion in assets under management, it could’ve been a job-creating boon for Ohio. But nope—Ramaswamy packed up and shipped out to Dallas, lured by Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s promise of a “Y’all Street” paradise. At an Ohio chamber event in November 2024, Ramaswamy’s CEO, Matt Cole, claimed Texas was more “business-friendly” than Ohio, a state that’s been bending over backward to attract investment. Translation? Lower taxes and fewer regulations were too tempting for Vivek’s wallet to resist. By Q1 2025, most of Strive’s Columbus staff were expected to relocate or be left behind, a gut punch to Ohio workers who thought Ramaswamy was one of their own.

This wasn’t just a business move—it was a signal. Ramaswamy, who announced his gubernatorial bid on February 24, 2025, in Cincinnati, wants Ohioans to believe he’s all-in for the Buckeye State. Yet his actions tell a different story: when the going gets tough, Vivek gets going—straight to Texas. His campaign rallies, packed with Trumpian flair and promises to slash taxes and regulations, conveniently gloss over the fact that he already voted with his feet against Ohio’s economic future. If Strive’s departure is any clue, Ramaswamy’s loyalty seems as fleeting as his brief stint co-leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which he quit on Inauguration Day 2025 to chase his governor dreams. Ohioans deserve better than a guy who treats their state like a pit stop.

Dave Yost: Ohio’s Battle-Tested Champion

Now, let’s talk about the man who’s been striving for Ohio while Ramaswamy was scheming for greener pastures. Dave Yost, Ohio’s Attorney General since 2019, is a titan of public service with over 30 years of experience—four statewide election wins, zero losses, and a resume that reads like a love letter to the Buckeye State. Born in Delaware County, Yost cut his teeth as a journalist before becoming a prosecutor, county auditor, and state auditor, exposing corruption and saving taxpayers millions. As Attorney General, he’s been a one-man wrecking crew against Ohio’s enemies, from corrupt politicians to corporate polluters.

Yost’s highlight reel is jaw-dropping. In 2020, he spearheaded the investigation into the $1 billion House Bill 6 scandal, the largest corruption case in Ohio history, nailing former House Speaker Larry Householder and FirstEnergy executives for a pay-to-play scheme that fleeced ratepayers. He’s locked up over 170 corrupt public officials, proving he’s nobody’s puppet. When Norfolk Southern’s train derailment poisoned East Palestine in 2023, Yost sued the company, securing cleanup funds and accountability for Ohioans left choking on toxic fumes. He’s taken on Big Tech, filing lawsuits against Google and Meta for censorship and privacy violations, and fought for Ohio’s strict abortion laws, winning a 21-point landslide in 2022. His campaign coffers? A cool $2.5 million, built on grassroots trust, not self-funded millions like Vivek’s war chest.

Yost’s vision for Ohio is as grounded as his record. He wants to shift from “problem-based” to “goal-based” policies, boosting manufacturing, cutting red tape, and ensuring public funds for projects like sports franchises come from user taxes, not Ohioans’ pockets. Unlike Ramaswamy, who’s never faced a voter, Yost knows Ohio’s heartbeat—its steel towns, its farms, its suburbs—because he’s served them all. He’s an outsider to Columbus’s cozy political machine, clashing with moderates like Governor Mike DeWine and never bowing to insiders. When asked about Ramaswamy’s endorsements from state officials like Frank LaRose and Robert Sprague, Yost quipped, “It says more about their part in the Columbus machine than it does about me.” That’s the kind of straight-talking grit Ohioans respect.

Vivek vs. Yost: Promises vs. Proof

Ramaswamy’s campaign is all flash and no substance. At 39, he’s a Cincinnati-born biotech mogul with a $1.1 billion net worth, a Harvard-Yale pedigree, and a knack for TV soundbites. His 2024 presidential run fizzled in Iowa’s fourth-place ashes, but he’s leveraged Trump’s endorsement—nabbed hours after his February 24, 2025, campaign launch—to paint himself as Ohio’s “America First” savior. He’s promised to zero out income and property taxes, ban classroom cell phones, and make Ohio a hub for semiconductors and bitcoin. Sounds great, Vivek, but where’s the plan? His only political “experience” was a month co-leading DOGE, which he ditched faster than Strive ditched Columbus. Polls show him leading Yost—46% to 18% in one February 2025 survey—but Yost’s support climbs to 30% when voters learn his record, proving name recognition isn’t loyalty.

Ramaswamy’s Strive move to Texas is the ultimate red flag. Ohio’s been fighting to keep businesses, and Vivek’s exit cost jobs and trust. He claims he’ll make Ohio “business-friendly,” but if he thought Columbus was too tough for Strive, why should voters believe he’ll stick around as governor? His anti-ESG crusade and bitcoin bets might thrill Wall Street, but Ohioans need schools funded, roads fixed, and communities safe—not a governor moonlighting as a crypto bro. Yost, meanwhile, has never quit on Ohio. He’s won cases for Secretary of State Frank LaRose, even when LaRose endorsed Ramaswamy, showing Yost puts duty over grudges. When Trump endorsed Vivek, Yost didn’t sulk—he doubled down, saying, “I support President Trump and hope to earn his support.” That’s a leader who fights, not flees.

Ohio Needs Proven, Not Promising

Ohio’s governor race isn’t a reality show—it’s a job for someone who’s earned the state’s trust. Ramaswamy’s a smooth talker, but his Strive exit proves he’s more about self-interest than Ohio’s interest. Why trust a guy with zero public office experience, who moved his company to Texas, to lead a state he’s barely served? Dave Yost, with 30-plus years of victories, is Ohio’s proven warrior. He’s exposed billion-dollar scams, protected communities, and stood up to corporate giants—all while Vivek was writing books about “woke” boogeymen and chasing Fox News hits. Yost’s still striving for Ohio, winning sheriff endorsements (30 counties to Vivek’s 21 as of March 2025) and building a campaign on results, not rhetoric.

Ohioans know the difference between a leader and a leaver. Yost’s got the scars and the wins to prove he’s in it for the long haul. Ramaswamy? He’s already got one foot out the door, probably dreaming of Dallas penthouses while Ohioans grind. The Buckeye State deserves a governor who’s all-in, not all-out. Dave Yost is that governor—tested, trusted, and tougher than a Cleveland winter. Vivek, take your promises and your bitcoin elsewhere. Ohio’s got Yost, and that’s all we need.

Modernizing National Security: The Urgent Need to Revamp EO 13549 in 2025

 

Adapting Classified Information Sharing for a New Era of Threats and Technology

In 2010, Executive Order 13549, signed by President Obama and published in the Federal Register on August 23, 2010 (source), established a framework for sharing classified national security information with state, local, tribal, and private sector (SLTPS) entities. Designed to unify policies under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), it aimed to strengthen post-9/11 collaboration against terrorism and other threats. As of April 10, 2025, however, the landscape of national security has shifted dramatically—from quantum computing breakthroughs to state-sponsored cyberattacks—rendering this framework outdated. This article argues that EO 13549 requires a comprehensive overhaul to align with contemporary technological advancements, evolving threats, and new legal mandates, ensuring SLTPS entities can effectively safeguard classified information. Below, I outline key reasons for this necessity, supported by credible sources, with proper citations to acknowledge the foundational work of others.

Why EO 13549 Needs a Comprehensive Overhaul

• Technological Advancements Outstrip 2010 Protocols
  The digital world of 2010 pales in comparison to 2025’s ecosystem, where cloud computing, IoT devices, and quantum computing dominate. Statista reports over 15 billion IoT devices globally in 2025 (Statista, “IoT Connected Devices Worldwide,” 2025). EO 13549’s directive for DHS to enforce “uniform policies” lacks guidance on modern security measures like post-quantum cryptography or zero-trust architectures, detailed in NIST’s Special Publication 800-207 (National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2020). Without updates, SLTPS entities risk using obsolete encryption, exposing classified data to breaches, as highlighted by CISA’s 2024 quantum threat assessments (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, “Preparing for Post-Quantum Cryptography,” 2024).
• Sophisticated Cyber Threats Require Dynamic Sharing
  Threats have escalated since 2010, with state actors like Russia and China employing AI-driven cyberattacks—evidenced by CISA’s 2024 alerts on grid vulnerabilities (CISA, “2024 Threat Assessment,” 2024). EO 13549 prioritizes procedural consistency over real-time threat intelligence sharing. The 2021 Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, costing $4.4 million in ransom (U.S. Department of Justice, “Colonial Pipeline Recovery,” June 7, 2021), exposed federal-local coordination gaps. An overhaul could mandate instantaneous data exchange, drawing from CISA’s Automated Indicator Sharing model (CISA, “AIS Overview,” 2025), to counter threats more effectively.
• Misalignment with Contemporary Legal Frameworks
  The 2022 Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act (CIRCIA) mandates 72-hour cyber incident reporting to CISA (Public Law 117-103, March 15, 2022), overlapping with EO 13549’s DHS-centric structure. The 2018 Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act further elevated CISA’s role (Public Law 115-278, November 16, 2018), yet EO 13549 remains unchanged since 2010. This misalignment confuses SLTPS entities, as noted in a 2023 GAO report on overlapping federal directives (Government Accountability Office, “Cybersecurity Coordination Gaps,” 2023). An update could harmonize these frameworks, clarifying compliance and leveraging CISA’s authority.
• Globalized Security Demands Broader Coordination
  National security in 2025 is global, with attacks like SolarWinds (FireEye, “SolarWinds Supply Chain Attack,” December 13, 2020) showing international vulnerabilities. EO 13549’s domestic focus omits protocols for collaboration with allies, such as the EU’s NIS2 Directive, effective 2024 (European Union, “Directive 2022/2555,” October 27, 2022). Updating the order to align with global standards would bolster SLTPS defenses against cross-border threats, a gap unaddressed in its original text.
• Workforce and Training Gaps Hinder Implementation
  EO 13549 relies on DHS for uniform training, but a 2023 DHS report cites persistent cybersecurity skill shortages among local governments (DHS, “State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program Report,” 2023). Phishing attacks, up 30% since 2022 per Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report (Verizon, “2024 DBIR,” 2024), exploit these gaps. An updated order could mandate tailored training, integrating CISA resources and NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework (NIST, “Cybersecurity Framework 2.0,” 2024), to ensure SLTPS personnel can protect classified data.

The Case for Action in 2025

EO 13549 bridged federal-SLTPS collaboration in 2010, but its rigidity is now a vulnerability. Cybersecurity Ventures forecasts $10.5 trillion in global cybercrime losses for 2025 (Cybersecurity Ventures, “2025 Cybercrime Report,” 2025), and national security demands agility against threats unimaginable in 2010. SLTPS entities need modernized rules to handle classified data amid quantum risks and AI attacks. Recent federal actions, like Trump’s January 2025 EO rescissions, show willingness to adapt (White House, “Executive Actions,” January 20, 2025). An overhauled EO 13549 could unify CISA’s leadership, NIST’s standards, and breach lessons, creating a 2025-ready strategy. Ohio AG Dave Yost’s 2025 crypto scam recoveries (Ohio Attorney General, “Crypto Fraud Recovery,” April 10, 2025) exemplify state-level vigilance—imagine that amplified federally. Inaction isn’t an option; our nation’s security depends on it.

Sources

• CISA. “2024 Threat Assessment.” 2024.
• CISA. “Automated Indicator Sharing Overview.” 2025.
• CISA. “Preparing for Post-Quantum Cryptography.” 2024.
• Cybersecurity Ventures. “2025 Cybercrime Report.” 2025.
• DHS. “State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program Report.” 2023.
• European Union. “Directive 2022/2555 (NIS2).” October 27, 2022.
• FireEye. “SolarWinds Supply Chain Attack.” December 13, 2020.
• Government Accountability Office. “Cybersecurity Coordination Gaps.” 2023.
• National Institute of Standards and Technology. “SP 800-207: Zero Trust Architecture.” 2020.
• NIST. “Cybersecurity Framework 2.0.” 2024.
• Ohio Attorney General. “Crypto Fraud Recovery.” April 10, 2025. ohioattorneygeneral.gov.
• Public Law 115-278. “Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act.” November 16, 2018.
• Public Law 117-103. “Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act.” March 15, 2022.
• Statista. “IoT Connected Devices Worldwide.” 2025.
• U.S. Department of Justice. “Colonial Pipeline Recovery.” June 7, 2021.
• Verizon. “2024 Data Breach Investigations Report.” 2024.
• White House. “Executive Actions.” January 20, 2025.