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Honoring our veterans in Belmont County

Veterans Day is a time for us to pay our respects to those who have served, and on this day, we remember, honor, and stand united in respect for our veterans. Belmont County is home to many local heroes, and we are patriotic and proud of our veterans. You can see that patriotism as you drive down Main Street in St. Clairsville when the veteran banners are hung on the light poles and flags displayed in many storefronts. A visit to the Tri-State Military Veterans Museum in Belmont will leave you in awe of the impact our veterans have made in history. The Tri-State Military Veterans ...

Recognizing the look of leadership

Lynnda and I thank everyone for their prayers and well wishes for her recovery. We know prayer is powerful. Pain from the 6-inch incision on her breast where the mass was removed has been minimal. She describes it as discomfort not pain. At home after the surgery, a wasp stung her in the house. Lynnda claims the wasp sting is more painful than the incision. The oncologist is waiting for biopsy results to determine if chemotherapy or radiation is required. Lynnda will be on hormone pills for the next five years since her type of cancer is ER Positive (Estrogen Receptor Positive), ...

Hearing — and serving — all of the people

How does a governing body serve its constituents without hearing what they have to say? That is question that has been on my mind — and I suspect on the minds of many St. Clairsville residents — ever since Councilwoman Beth Oprisch proposed that city council loosen its restrictions on public participation in its regular meetings. In most local communities, when our reporters attend a meeting of a county commission, a school board, a board of trustees or a municipal council, it is common practice for members of the audience to address the body during its meeting. Of course, ...

Choices you make when cancer comes home

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This has never changed my life or activities much. Typically, I run a 5K for Breast Cancer and donate to Susan G. Komen. This year is different. Lynnda, my wife, has breast cancer. She is allowing me to share her story because it may help other women. Lynnda gets an annual mammogram. She found a lump before her scheduled mammogram and decided to have it checked out rather than wait months. A biopsy (using a small tool to get a sample of the mass) was done. The doctor herself called Lynnda with the result. It was cancer. It wasn’t what we ...

Service above self for 100 years in Barnesville

I had the distinct pleasure of helping to celebrate a major milestone this past week. The Rotary Club of Barnesville is marking 100 years of service to the community and the world in 2023. Officially chartered on July 21, 1923, the club is a large one for our region, and its members remain very active even after all these decades have passed. On Tuesday, the organization hosted a dinner filled with dignitaries from the across the region and representing various levels of Rotary International. The dinner itself — catered by The Home Towner Cafe of Quaker City — was delicious. ...

Many of our habits change with the seasons

It’s mid-October. How have your habits changed with the seasons and the weather? I can certainly see some changes in my day-to-day practices. Even though daytime temperatures are still quite comfortable for the most part, evenings have become cool and nights downright chilly. While 30 days ago my bed was topped with only a flat sheet or lightweight blanket, now a comforter has become a fixture for bedtime. Many mornings now, I wake up and turn on a space heater for at least a few minutes to take the chill out of the air. I haven’t broken down and turned up the thermostat to ...