The mighty Ohio River is a great asset to our region and the nation, but it also is a potentially dangerous waterway that should be respected by those who live, work and play on and around it. Last week, local health officials warned of a new danger on the river. Belmont County Health ...
I am really looking forward to Wednesday night. That evening, I plan to stroll the streets of Barnesville while waiting for a king to be crowned. It’s become an annual tradition at The Times Leader for me to cover the King Pumpkin Weigh-In on Wednesday during the week of the Barnesville ...
As St. Clairsville officials near a decision on whether to sell the municipal water system to a private company, it is becoming more and more clear that the city's H2O infrastructure is, well, a wreck. City council members recently were told the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is ...
Surely there is a way Steubenville-area residents with special needs can enjoy a recreation field that also serves those who do not have to cope with physical limits. The idea of a “miracle field” does not have to be an either-or proposition. An organization called Urban Frontier has ...
“To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.” -- Mahatma Gandhi, Indian activist That concept rings true to me. Throughout my entire life, I have been interested in growing things - a trait that seems to run in both sides of my family. Anyone who has read ...
The situation regarding Ohio Valley Medical Center is no longer just an emergency. It is a looming crisis. News that acute care and emergency medical services at OVMC were being suspended Wednesday came as quite a shock. It’s owner, California-based Alecto Healthcare, had projected OVMC ...
Most people take it for granted that products and services available on the open market are safe. But only vigilance by local, as well as state and federal, regulatory agencies makes that feeling of protection possible. Good for the Jefferson County Health Department, as well as local law ...
“Somebody might need that someday.” That’s a phrase I came to dread as a kid. It was my dad’s philosophy on life. He was a child of the Depression and the oldest of seven boys growing up in Jackson County, Ohio, so he was well acquainted with making every little thing count. The fact ...
It’s no secret that the 2020 Democrat candidates have been sprinting further to the left in their embrace of big-government policies. But, their recent debates in Detroit should set off alarm bells throughout Ohio, West Virginia, and the entire Midwest that they will stop at nothing to crush ...
It’s hard to believe that the students are back in school and summer is quickly winding down. I’m sure many parents are sighing a big relief right now. Not necessarily because their little ones are back in school, but because getting them on a set schedule is usually most helpful to the ...
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is on a mission — an important one designed to help keep us all safe. This Labor Day weekend marks the conclusion of a two-week period o enforcement focused squarely on impaired driving. The name of the initiative is “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” but ...
Voters in every state, including ours, ought to be outraged at what is going on in Maine. There, massive outside intervention in an election is occurring — and the Russians have nothing to do with it. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, made headlines last year when she announced she would ...
More than 10 years ago, a representative for a drug distributor wrote of the opioid products his company was receiving, “Keep ’em comin’! Flyin’ out of here. It’s like people are addicted to these things or something. Oh, wait, people are...” In reply, a sales representative for ...
St. Clairsville, the seat of government for Belmont County, is a divided city right now. The big point of contention is whether or not to privatize the municipal water and wastewater treatment systems. Some city leaders seem to strongly favor privatization — specifically, they want to sell ...
In the words of Henry Grantland Rice, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.” The early 20th century sportswriter knew a lot about sportsmanship. Born in 1880 in Tennessee, he wrote about sports for southern newspapers and traveled the region working as a ...
Officials of the Jefferson-Belmont Regional Solid Waste Authority, popularly known as the JB Green Team, probably can get the required percentage of local government entities to approve their spending plans without worrying about Barnesville. Still, they should. Formed several years ago as ...
Many taxpayers would love to have access to details — check by check — on how local officials are spending their money. If you live in Jefferson County, congratulations — the information is at your fingertips, literally. In 2014, the Ohio treasurer’s office launched an online ...
Residents of the Ohio Valley are still reeling from the news that two hospitals we have relied on for more than a century will close in a matter of weeks. But, in true local fashion, many area leaders have pledged to do all they can to save the institutions — or at least some of the most ...
You’re all somewhat familiar with the tale of Peter Rabbit. Well, I’m here to tell you, it is based in reality. The story by British author Beatrix Potter begins with young Peter Rabbit and his sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail, passing their days with mischievous behavior. Peter ...
When public officials buy something, they ought to pay the lowest price possible. When they sell something, they should strive to get the most money they can. Most taxpayers would agree with both ideas, we feel certain. It is their money, after all. Monroe County commissioners are facing a ...