I took a break from working on today’s newspaper Friday evening to walk around my yard in the dark. I wasn’t admiring the landscaping — instead I was checking to make sure nothing was on fire. You see, ever since Ohio’s fireworks law changed, the people of Belmont celebrate July 4 ...

Two hundred years ago this month, right here in Belmont County, history was made. On July 4, 1825, construction officially began on the National Road in Ohio. The groundbreaking took place in St. Clairsville — near the Courthouse — where people still walk, shop and celebrate our ...

Perception is your reality but not necessarily THE reality! Or, said differently, what we believe to be true isn’t always the truth. On June 19, 1865 (Juneteenth) the last of the slaves in the USA learned they were free two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was made. Slavery ...

Tuesday was a great day for Belmont County! I had the privilege of attending the ceremonial lantern lighting to kick off the renovation of the Black Horse Inn. That structure, first partially erected about 1807, will soon be the new home of the Underground Railroad Museum now in ...

A few years ago I did a radio interview for the University of Colorado student radio station. They wanted to know more about energy especially gas and oil. In the middle of the interview the host stops me and says, “Did you hear what he just said dear friends.” I’m thinking, Now what! The ...

My dream of raising supercharged hostas that will independently overpower all the grass and weeds around them has faded away, and reality has set in. Just about a year ago, I shared in this space what I thought was a brilliant landscaping scheme. I planned to use hostas alongside our old ...