As the holiday season’s hustle and bustle fades into cherished memories, we turn our focus to the promise of a new year—a time to reflect, recharge, and look ahead with anticipation. Belmont County is brimming with excitement for another year of memorable experiences, beloved traditions, ...

It isn’t often that I get involved in online trends, games or groups, but when a former neighbor invited me to participate in his Facebook-based “Whamageddon” challenge, I decided to give it a try. Here’s how it worked: The object of the game was to avoid hearing the song “Last ...

Pre-pandemic when I had a gym membership I hated January. The place was packed with strangers working on their New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, get fit, etc., causing me to wait for the equipment I needed for my workout. Workouts took longer. The first time it happened a friend ...

Here we are again, looking in the rearview mirror at another year gone by. 2024 provided quite a ride for people in Eastern Ohio and all around the world. We shared some of those experiences with some of our global neighbors, but some of those experiences were unique to our region. Locally, ...

Over Christmas I think we saw the classic movie “A Christmas Story” three times. It was playing in the background Christmas Day. I can relate to the entire movie, except growing up we had a natural gas and not a coal furnace. Dad was a master at changing fuses in the basement after we ...

I am an animal lover — a fact evidenced by the numerous pets that have passed through my life — and dogs, in particular, seem to respond to me and me to them. A week ago, I had the chance to help a couple of pups in what seemed to be an oddly coincidental series of events. First, I ...