Officials of the Jefferson-Belmont Regional Solid Waste Authority, popularly known as the JB Green Team, probably can get the required percentage of local government entities to approve their spending plans without worrying about Barnesville. Still, they should. Formed several years ago as ...
Many taxpayers would love to have access to details — check by check — on how local officials are spending their money. If you live in Jefferson County, congratulations — the information is at your fingertips, literally. In 2014, the Ohio treasurer’s office launched an online ...
Residents of the Ohio Valley are still reeling from the news that two hospitals we have relied on for more than a century will close in a matter of weeks. But, in true local fashion, many area leaders have pledged to do all they can to save the institutions — or at least some of the most ...
When public officials buy something, they ought to pay the lowest price possible. When they sell something, they should strive to get the most money they can. Most taxpayers would agree with both ideas, we feel certain. It is their money, after all. Monroe County commissioners are facing a ...
When pieces of your municipal building begin falling off, you have a problem. No doubt Martins Ferry officials realize that. The question now is what to do about it. A piece of metal window framing fell from the structure’s exterior last week. It landed in the city building parking lot. ...
The most effective protectors of children are off duty now. They are the school teachers who so often alert the authorities about abused and neglected youngsters. That places a special burden on the rest of us to keep our eyes open and, if we see something, to say something to law enforcement ...
Few things are more important than ensuring that our children are leading safe and healthy lives. That is a big job, though, and sometimes it requires help from many sources. During the school year, parents can almost always count on local public and private schools to help make sure that ...
Belmont County Common Pleas Judge John Vavra clearly was troubled by a defendant he sentenced on Monday. He ordered the 40-year-old Barnesville man be imprisoned for the maximum term allowable, five years. The man had been found guilty of unlawful sexual contact with a minor, a third-degree ...
Apparently, some people cannot read the signs advising that large, heavy vehicles are banned on the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. Perhaps barriers they cannot pass — at least not without damaging their own trucks and buses — will do the trick. A large tour bus driven across the span on ...
Making improvements to the Steubenville Marina is an excellent idea, but also a costly proposition. Especially given the city’s current stressed finances, with millions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure repairs and improvements needed, even making a good start is beyond what local ...
The Upper Ohio Valley lost one of its great leaders last week with the death of John Mattox at age 84. And while those who knew Mattox are grieving his absence, they also know that the contributions he made to our region were so numerous and important that they will endure for generations. ...
Ohio’s fledgling medicinal marijuana industry is not yet fully up and running, but already, state officials are raising questions about the honesty of some of those involved. Two companies in the medicinal marijuana dispensary business are being accused by the state Board of Pharmacy of ...
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Sharon Kennedy has some excellent advice for Buckeye State voters: Learn about judicial candidates and their philosophies on the state constitution. Kennedy, who is up for reelection next year, made the comments during a presentation last week in St. Clairsville. As ...
On a hot, sunny July day such as this one is expected to be, it can be hard to imagine that water could overtake our homes or vehicles at any moment. Unfortunately, such is the case in Eastern Ohio. Just one week ago today, soaking rains caused streams in some parts of Belmont County to ...
Monroe County commissioners cannot continue pouring money into the Monroe Care Center. Their responsibility to taxpayers makes that clear. But for the very same reason, commissioners have a duty to obtain the most money they can through any arrangement to sell the facility. In order to keep ...
Despite nearly constant reports that the retail industry has been struggling for the years, the Cafaro Co. is investing a lot of time and money in the Ohio Valley Mall. Located just east of St. Clairsville along Interstate 70, the mall has been a hub of activity in Eastern Ohio for more than ...
For crying out loud. Social media is good for many things — but it isn’t the police department or the sheriff’s office. During last week’s Martins Ferry City Council meeting, Mayor Robert Krajnyak passed along a disturbing request from Police Chief John McFarland. The request was ...
It seems obvious that Steubenville residents would benefit in multiple ways from redevelopment of the riverfront marina. It would be a good thing for the city. But most of us have had opportunities to do good things for ourselves and our families — only to reflect that we would have to ...
Ohio legislators are on the clock this week, as they try to find common ground on a two-year state budget. It has to be on Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk by Sunday. Buckeye State residents will get a tax break under the new $69 billion budget. The only question is: How much? State senators ...
It has become obvious that unbending partisanship leads only to gridlock in Washington, D.C. Gaining a name for willingness to listen to those of the opposite party rather than dismiss them out of hand because of their formal political allegiance is the way to get things done in ...