I can hardly believe it’s November already, but this year I am feeling happy that the holiday season is approaching. Actually, in many ways, it’s already here. I’ve heard a couple of friends complain that they already have heard Christmas carols playing in stores and restaurants. I’ve ...
After showing off his swastika tattoo, Randy Metcalf became involved in a barroom brawl. One of his opponents was an African American, who he and his friends knocked unconscious. Metcalf repeatedly kicked him in the head and, according to a witness, said, “Die, [N-word], die.” Metcalf was ...
Leadership expert John Maxwell said, “If there is hope in the future, there is power in the present.” I saw a lot of power this week at the Belpre (Ohio) Annual Chamber Dinner and Awards Banquet last week at Grand Pointe Conference Center in Vienna, W.Va. Belpre had a good year and is ...
Hope. It’s something that hasn’t always been easy to come by here in the Upper Ohio Valley. It appears to me, though, that is no longer the case. Merriam-Webster defines hope as the feeling of wanting something to happen or be the case. It is an expectation, a desire — anticipation. ...
Since the late 1990s when school shootings first rose to the forefront of national concern in the United States, school districts have struggled to find effective ways to keep students and staff safe while on school property. More recent events, such as the shooting in Parkland, Florida and ...
DETROIT (AP) — Former President Barack Obama criticized President Donald Trump’s tenure in office Friday in fiery speeches in Milwaukee and Detroit that took aim at him and other Republicans for “making stuff up.” The speeches were among Obama’s sharpest and most direct takedowns of ...
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The outcome of one of the nation’s most critical Senate races could come down to an unrelated question: how North Dakota residents feel about blocking noncitizens from voting — even though such voting is already illegal. Conservatives have placed the issue on the ...
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. For some people, they wonder why we need to have such a month; others feel it is a very important time in which the spotlight is on the victims needing help with this issue and celebrating the survivors. I fit into the latter group — I ...
This is the tale of Mr. White. Well, at least it is a story about my little friend’s journey so far. A few months ago, I mentioned in this column that my neighbor, Jess Lucas, had passed away. Jess was well known in the Belmont community and the surrounding area. Many knew him as “the ...
Last week I was the guest on the student run radio station at the University of Colorado. They wanted to know about energy in general and oil and natural gas in particular. They are very concerned with the environment because they live in it. The show was focused on rock climbing. They know ...
Autumn has officially arrived in Eastern Ohio, and the weather changed right on queue with a cloudy sky and cooler temperatures. I have noticed, though, that more than just the season is changing. It seems activity related to the natural gas and oil industry is picking up again. The first ...
What talents do you have? Really think about that for a moment. Can you draw beautiful pictures? Are you able to write moving poetry or flowing prose? Maybe you can juggle or do complicated math problems in your head. Or, perhaps you have a special knack for calming little children or for ...
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs and activities. All public and private elementary and high schools, school districts, colleges and universities that receive any ...
Nerves of one kind or another control literally every part of your body. Every function of your entire body is under control of the nervous system. Every organ, tissue, cell is controlled by nerve impulses traveling from the brain to every part of the body. Nerves make possible all ...
I don’t want to accept that summer is winding down, but with children all across Eastern Ohio headed back to school this week it is undeniable. Sure, temperatures and humidity will remain high for a few more weeks. IN fact, students who attend classes in older buildings without air ...
We have all heard that we should determine our strengths and weaknesses. Some people might tell you to focus on your weaknesses and try to fix them. The crowd that I run with says just the opposite. As a leader work on your strengths to make them stronger. Find someone whose strengths are your ...
In many ways, the greatest strength of Appalachian Ohio has also been our greatest cross to bear. Our beautiful rolling hills are blessed with an abundance of natural resources, which have formed our economic and cultural identity. Over the past 150 years, we have seen our ore quarried, our ...
Every time we sign our name -- on a restaurant bill or on a check -- it can be easy to take for granted the skill that allows us to apply this unique stamp of approval. In today’s fast-paced world of technological advancement, the skill of cursive handwriting has been slowly removed from our ...
I finally got a real taste of summer this past week - it came in the form of the first homegrown tomato picked from my garden. I generally am not one to eat tomatoes. I don't ask for tomato slices on sandwiches; in fact, when they come as part of my order I often pick them off of my food ...
This spring I learned a couple of things that taught even this older lady a lesson or two. Last summer I remember knocking down a bird's nest from the corner of our house. I did not notice it being built, but I did notice the bird droppings on our siding. The bird had built its nest between ...