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What’s the rush? High speed not worth the risk

I’ve pondered this question before: Why is everyone in such a hurry all the time? More and more it seems that there are no speed limits on local roadways. Interstate 70, in particular, seems more like a racetrack that a highway. Every day as I drive to and from the office, people pass me as if I am sitting still. Make no mistake about it — I am not a slowpoke driver. In fact, I rely on cruise control to keep my speed down. I use it on the interstates as well as on Ohio 7, where the speed limit is 50 mph going from Bridgeport into Martins Ferry. I even set my cruise control on ...

A delicious way to explore Italian heritage

As far as I know, I don’t have one bit of Italian heritage, but after my experience last weekend I am prepared to be adopted by someone who does. My husband, Mike, and I had the pleasure of attending the Italian Cooking School offered at the Sons and Daughters of Italy lodge in Bellaire on April 8. We had both visited the club on its pasta nights in the past and I had been there to report on various lodge activities, but we didn’t really know what to expect from the class. We were in for a very pleasant surprise! The club’s Cultural Committee worked long and hard planning the ...

Working together like Baptists and bootleggers for planet Earth

In my corporate life, I transferred to Elkview becoming manager of a large district. On my first trip ever to Paintsville, Kentucky, I had dinner with my facility manager, Bub Butcher (Loretta Lynn’s cousin). It was a nice restaurant. I ordered a beer. Bub quickly interrupted. “Greg, you can’t get a beer in Paintsville. Johnson County is dry (alcohol sales are illegal).” It was an enjoyable dinner. Bub told me about the Baptists and Bootleggers. A bootlegger is someone who sells illegal goods. In this case alcohol. “Greg, we have been dry for some time. Most folks would like ...

Connecting with people and sharing some love

Only once in my life have my wife and I had a beautiful experience of being foster parents to a beautiful 9-year-old girl. I did not know how old I had gotten until I tried to stay up with a 9-year-old. Our kids are in their 40s down to their 20s. I have gotten comfortable with grandparent duty, a few fun hours, then turn them back over to the real parents. I had forgotten the 24-hour care from the early morning rush to catch the school bus, to the change in the middle of the afternoon to pick someone up off of the bus. God bless the bus drivers, teachers, school workers and all ...

The Rubberneck Tour is proof every mile tells a story

The open road awaits! Buckle up and get ready to explore Belmont County. Join us on Saturday, April 27th from 11a.m. to 4 p.m. and spend the day enjoying stunning views, historical sites and Belmont County heritage while driving along our scenic byways during the Belmont County Heritage Trail/Rubberneck Tour. Every mile tells a story, and along this route you will discover the heritage that built Belmont County through the importance of transportation, agriculture, and industry, and the history that helped shape the region. Explore the buckeye backroads while driving along parts of ...

Faith can be a bridge to key parts of our lives

If there is anything we know about in the Ohio Valley area it is bridges. We just celebrated the opening of a new bridge in the Wellsburg area, connecting parts of West Virginia with parts of Ohio. Trips that used to take 30 to 45 minutes are now taking 5 to 10 minutes. Hopefully, businesses on both sides of the river are benefiting from the bridge. I remember being there the day they floated the bridge down the river to its present location. It was amazing to watch. You cannot go to Pittsburgh without encountering a number of bridges. We are still recovering from some of the local ...