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Replace smoke, CO2 alarm batteries

GOOD MORNING, Ohio Valley.

We should all feel well rested after that one hour of extra sleep we got last night, that is, if we remembered to turn back the clocks one hour. Daylight Saving Time ended a 2 a.m. We are now on Eastern Standard Time.

It won’t be long and it will be getting darker earlier in the evening, and hopefully the sun will appear earlier in the sky in the morning, at least for the next few weeks. Sorry to say, winter is lurking on the horizon. So, be prepared. Get the house and vehicle ready for the cold weather and change the batteries in the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Let us make our houses free from the danger of fires and take very seriously all the tips and advice offered by our local fire departments.

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TUESDAY is Election Day, a very important day in our country. There are a lot of candidates running for offices, not only in our cities, towns and townships, but also in our schools. There are also some important levies that are up for consideration. My advice is to study all the candidates and the issues. Involve the entire family in those discussions and then cast an intelligent ballot. If your candidate fails to win, at least you gave it your best effort and you still have the right to be critical.

Election Day is very important because it reminds us that we are free and as American citizens we have the right and awesome privilege to determine who will be leading our government at every level. We are not choosing a president this year, but there are several important issues and levies and there are candidates to choose at almost every level of government. Again, we urge everyone to study the candidates and the issues and then make intelligent choices.

Under no condition or circumstances should we take the right, duty and privilege to vote too lightly. Too many of us do that, and sad to say many of us don’t even bother to vote. And others, when they do vote, don’t know very much about the issues or the candidates. When the results are in and the ballots are counted, we wonder how someone got elected and someone else didn’t make it. It is very simple – the one who got elected got the most votes. And maybe it happened because too many of us stayed home and didn’t vote.

All of us must be responsible citizens and vote, study the issues the levies and the candidates, and then make that intelligent decision.

We urge parents and older brothers and sisters to show our young people by example the importance of voting. Involve them in the discussions and explain to them the reasons why you support or do not support a certain candidate. Remember that our youngsters are the future of our great nation, and they want and need to be informed.

I often think of the words of our great president, Abraham Lincoln. He made some very important comments and two of them are very appropriate as Election Day dawns.

He said, “No man is good enough to govern another man without that man’s consent.” He also said, “It is not the qualified voters, but the qualified voters who choose to vote, that constitute the political power of the state.”

We urge everyone to take advantage of that sacred responsibility and vote on Election Day.

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ALTHOUGH Christmas is still a few weeks away, some communities are announcing plans for their annual Christmas parades. The village of Bridgeport will hold its annual parade on Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. Trophies will be awarded in several categories, and every participant will receive a ribbon. For more information, call Dave Smith at 740-738-0199 or Norma Teasdale at 740-635-9255 or email bridgeportfiredepartment@ comcast.net.

The Barnesville Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its 2015 Christmas Craft Fair and Lighted Parade on Dec. 5. The Craft Fair will take place inside the Barnesville Elementary School gym from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. Following the fair, the Barnesville Lighted Christmas Parade will take place at 5:30 p.m. It will begin at the Barnesville High School, and the streets of the village will be lighted with beautiful holiday floats. There will also be other events including the arrival of Santa.

The Thomas Auto Centers Holidays on the Hilltop Parade and Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Belmont County Courthouse Plaza. Then the annual parade will follow.

The final 2015 St. Clairsville Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon will take place at noon Dec. 2. This will be a festive luncheon to celebrate the holiday season. We hope that you will spend this time celebrating and taking a break from the stresses of the holiday season.

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U.S. veterans will be honored at various events from now through Veterans Day at various places in our Ohio Valley.

The Fourth Annual Martins Ferry Veterans Day Parade and Celebration will take place Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. The ceremony will follow the parade at about 2:30 p.m. Speaker will be Congressman and retired Air Force Lt. Col. Bill Johnson.

The Bellaire Sons of Italy will welcome all veterans and their immediate family members to a complimentary spaghetti and meatball dinner at the lodge home on Belmont Street on Nov. 6 from 3-7 p.m.

The Belmont County Veterans Service Commission Office will kick off its celebrations with a free chili cook off on Nov 9. It will feature the culinary expertise of the office staff or in some cases the office staff’s spouse. Veterans are invited to stop in at the Bellaire office and get a belly full of tasty food. Some staff are planning on side dishes to meet the demands of our veteran population.

On Nov. 10, the American Red Cross and the BCVSO are teaming up to have a blood drive from noon to 5:30 p.m at the commission office.

On Nov. 12, the BCVSO will host the VA Outreach Center at 10 a.m. Representatives from the VA Outreach Center in Wheeling will be in the Bellaire office to talk about the free services they provide. There will be free doughnuts, coffee and fruit.

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AREA residents are invited to attend a Town Hall Meeting with Ohio Sen. Lou Gentile, D-Ohio, on Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the Belmont County District Library, 20 S. Fifth St., Martins Ferry.

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TREAT Mom to a smoked chicken luncheon today from 12:30-3:30 p.m. in St. Mary’s Marian Hall in St. Clairsville. There will also be a student art show. The meal includes one-half chicken, potato salad, baked beans, roll, butter, dessert and drink, and take-outs are available.

In a fundraiser, the ladies of St. Mary’s St. Clairsville will hold a book and bake sale in Marian Hall on Nov 6-7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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St. John Church, Bellaire, will hold its Annual Fall Card Party on Nov.8 in the church basement. Doors will open at noon, and the party will be held from 1-4 p.m.

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THE Bridgeport Rotary Club will hold a spaghetti dinner on Thursday at the Skyliner on Main Street from 11 a.m to 7 p.m. The menu includes spaghetti, meatballs, bread, salad and dessert. The proceeds will be used to benefit Rotary’s projects in the area.

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THE Bridgeport Women’s Club will hold a Bingo Bash on Wednesday at Bridgeport High School. Doors open at 5 p.m. and bingo starts at 6 p.m. Concessions will be available, and there will be raffles, door prizes, an auction and basket auctions. For information, call 740-359-6615.

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CONGRATULATIONS to the Sonny Boy Restaurant in Brookside on its 50th anniversary of being one of the area’s top-notch eating establishments. It was on Nov. 1, 1965, when Joe Banco and his wife Sherry opened the business. Today, it remains one of the best in the area, especially for its breakfast menu. “We have many customers who have remained with us all these years, and we attribute that to our top quality employees and menu, ” said Joe Banco. “When people keep coming back, it means we are doing things the right way.”

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CONSTRUCTION is still going on in Belmont County. According to Engineer Fred Bennett, roads are being paved, bridges and retaining walls are being built, roads are being patched, culverts installed and ditching is being done by contractors and the department’s road and bridge crews.

“Some weather forecasters are predicting a warmer and drier winter. The Farmer’s Almanac predicts a colder and wetter one. Let us hope for the first one. I’ll let you know next spring who’s right,” Bennett said.

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