Feel lucky?The holiday season has come and gone. As we put away the Christmas decorations, send the kids back to school and head back to full work weeks once again, one glowing holiday sight promises to linger long after the end of the season like a forgotten campaign sign in the snow.We all ...

UNDOUBTEDLY, more East Ohioans will be eating sauerkraut and pork today and Saturday than any other time of the year as they prepare for a new beginning in a new year.Considering the varied nationalities that make up the melting pot in this area, black-eyed peas, lentils and pickled herring ...

THIS YEAR will soon come to an end, and with it comes the close of a decade - the first decade of the 21st Century.Once Friday leads to midnight, we not only turn a page in our history for the year, but also open a new chapter in our continuing journey into the future.When Y2K came to pass, it ...

"DON'T break your arm when you're patting yourself on the back" is a comment dating many decades ago, but it applies to an up-to-date situation - the naming of the two divisions in the Big Ten.Criticism has arisen since the announcement that the two divisions would be known as the Legends and ...

THE OHIO State University football program received an early Christmas present last week. Unfortunately it was five helmets full of coal.The Buckeye Nation was stunned when it learned that five of its players -- including star quarterback Terrelle Pryor -- had been sanctioned by the NCAA for ...

MANKIND ALWAYS has looked to the night sky with awe and wonder. The beauty and the tranquility have held important symbolic meaning throughout time.And that's true in this Christmas season, as well.Tonight, millions of Christians will gather in special services to celebrate the birth of Jesus ...

AS WE gather this week with our families and friends amidst a spirit of peace, love and reconciliation -- far removed from the realities that have plagued us -- we marvel at the miracles of the season -- people helping people they overlook during the rest of the year.Certainly the Christmas ...

TEAMWORK AND belt tightening can go a long way in producing positive results.Case in point: Martins Ferry's financial situation.Early on in 2010, Ferry officials were staring at a major budget headache. Layoffs and the elimination of dispatching services were a distinct possibility.But much to ...

Belmont County officials took action last week to get the ball rolling on the renovation of the old sheriff's residence, located in the front part of the former Belmont County Jail.The issue has been a source of debate for over a decade now. Some people want to see it renovated. Some want to ...

FACEBOOK and other electronic message systems sometimes receive criticism because of their misuse.A case in Alaska, however, points out they can be very valuable, and this instance involved a teenage girl who received a text message and is credited with probably saving a boy's life when he had ...

THE JEFFERSON-Belmont Regional Solid Waste Authority wasn't nuts when it decided this week to have a squirrel as a mascot and also reached a decision about a new name.Henceforth, the authority whose proper name was too long and too stolid-sounding now is becoming the JB Green Team with the JB ...

BELLAIRE SCHOOL District officials are taking their case straight to the public. It is an approach that we endorse as it may be a last-ditch effort to save the school district as we currently know it.Superintendent Tony Scott announced at Monday's regular board of education meeting that a ...

It's that time of year when traveling from place to place becomes a little more difficult. What's worse is that even when roads are clear in the winter, getting into a vehicle that's been sitting out in the frigid elements for hours is nothing to look forward to. Sub-freezing temperatures are ...

THE RELOCATION of Belmont County offices is continuing, and we view that as a very good move.The old Thoburn church in St. Clairsville, located behind the county courthouse, has housed several public agencies, such as the St. Clairsville Senior Center and The Ohio State Extension Office as well ...

IT IS better to give than receive. That time-preserved adage rings home louder and more clearly during the holiday season.With Christmas just a little more than two weeks in the offing, now is the perfect time to open our hearts and cupboards to those less fortunate in the Ohio Valley.The Times ...

John Lennon would be 70 years old if he was living today. But 30 years ago on this date, he was shot in front of his New York apartment and died at the age of 40.During his short life, Lennon became one of the most influential people of the 20th century. As a member of The Beatles, his career ...

THE FINAL chapter has been written on the feel-good story of the local high school football season. And although we would have scripted the 15th and final chapter to have a different ending, the fairy tale season of the Shadyside Tigers is a best seller.The Tigers captured the hearts and ...

AND THEN there were two.The OHSAA football playoffs commenced more than a month ago. The Division VI field featured 32 teams. After four rounds of spirited play, just two squads remain in search of the coveted state championship trophy.We are proud that one of those two are our own Shadyside ...

President Barack Obama this week proposed a pay freeze for federal employees in line to receive an automatic raise at the beginning of the year.Skeptics maintain that the freeze is simply a political move in light of the incoming Republican Congress' looming threat to whack big government next ...

CHRISTMAS HAS come early to hundreds of workers in the Ohio Valley.The holiday cheer came in the form of a resurgence at the Ormet Corp. in Monroe County. The aluminum plant announced last week that it will soon be restarting two potlines.Such a move means that 100 more jobs will be added to ...