WE BELIEVE education is priceless, but we also believe it should fall in the parameters of fiscal responsibility.Such is not the case with the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools. The Los Angeles-based learning center is an educational template for spending irresponsibility.The school, ticketed ...

This week, students from grade school to college are headed back to class for the 2010-11 school year.It may be hard to believe that summer break has come to an end already. With some hot August days still ahead, the calendar says summer doesn't officially end for several weeks.But the school ...

THE SEVENTH Annual Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Hall of Fame Banquet will be staged Saturday night, ushering in 17 more individuals who have distinguished themselves within the conference.THE OVAC is the largest functioning conference in the nation. It is also one of the finest. The Hall of ...

SCHOOL BELLS will be ringing in the very near future for Eastern Ohio students, some as early as this week. The resumption of classes signals the end of the summer season.That being the case, an ideal family oriented way to wind down the season unfolds in Martins Ferry this week. The annual ...

THESE ARE exciting times for the Belmont County Fair.The annual September extravaganza will be moving into new digs when it unfolds Tuesday, Sept. 7. The move is one that offers boundless opportunities to the Belmont County Fair Board.Gone are the days of cramped quarters at the old ...

THE FEAR of Friday the 13th has an official name -- friggatriskaidekaphobia.An organization based in Amherst, N.Y., the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, encourages people to open umbrellas indoors and violate other superstitions today to remind us that ...

SHADYSIDE VILLAGE Council has done its homework -- and then some.Council members have for months grappled with crafting a vicious dog ordinance. Council went as far as to form a special committee to deal with the issue.After many meetings and weeks of gathering input, the vicious dog ordinance ...

IT'S ONE time when three's not a crowd.The old saying of "Two's company; three's a crowd" actually doesn't apply to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the addition of Elena Kagan to the high court marks the first time in history that three women will be justices. They're still not a crowd as only one ...

Last week's severe storms hit the Ohio Valley hard, leaving literally tens of thousands of area residents and businesses without power for days.In many areas of the valley, brutal winds ripped trees out from the roots and snapped others like twigs, causing trees and limbs to fall on power ...

ST. CLAIRSVILLE is the exception to the rule when it comes to taxation.The scenic Belmont County Seat does not impose a city income tax. St. Clairsville is the lone city in Ohio which can make that claim.That may be changing, however, in the coming months.St. C. residents will be the deciding ...

DEBATE CONTINUES concerning the fate of the U.S. Postal Service and the possible ways to stop its ever-deepening budget deficit.At the forefront of such revenue-saving dialogue is the elimination of Saturday mail delivery. We view that as not the correct postal route to go.If such a plan is ...

A NEW law which takes effect in September may prove a lethal blow to many bingo-game operators in Ohio.Once the legislation is up and running, bingo halls will be permitted to increase their total payouts to $6,000 per session, that representing a $2,500 hike from the current levels.The ...

THE HARRISON Hills School District has weathered stormy financial waters.Thanks to several moves recently enacted by the board of education, the district has moved off the state's list for fiscal caution.It comes as welcome relief to all those associated with Harrison Hills schools. Fiscal ...

GREAT NEWS came to Belmont County Friday when Gov. Ted Strickland announced that the Eastern Ohio Industrial Park will receive $750,000 for installation of water service.The 200-plus acre site near Barnesville is being developed as an industrial park. Although development of the site is still ...

REGARDLESS of the heat or the humidity, there are a couple of real cool football players in Columbus this week.Chinedum Ndukwe of the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Thomas of the Cleveland Browns, are represented in the butter sculptures in a 45-degree display case at the Ohio State Fair, which ...

IT IS said that football is king in the Ohio Valley. That being the case, his royal gridness ascends his throne tonight at the 65th annual Rudy Mumley OVAC?All-Star Charity Football?Classic.Prep stars from Ohio and West Virginia will vie at Wheeling Island Stadium, climaxing a week of pageantry ...

NATIONAL Compliment Day, according to at least one Web site, was created in 1998 by two women from New Hampshire.Although a special day set aside for compliments draws attention to the need for such comments, everyone knows compliments shouldn't be limited to one day. A sincere compliment not ...

THE UNION Local Board of Education had a tough decision on its hands. Much like surrounding school districts, Union Local is dealing with financial shortcomings.As often is the case, schools districts seek levies to remedy the situation. However, passing local levies these days is not an easy ...

THE Belmont County Commissioners last week submitted the road map for the next fiscal year's county budget.The budget has been one of the biggest concerns county leaders have faced in recent years. With the economy slumping, officials have been forced to make cuts this year and last year. In ...

JAMBOREE IN The Hills means the world to thousands and thousands of country music fans and revelers.It also means a great deal to the Belmont County economy. The Belmont County Commissioners took their weekly show on the road Wednesday, setting up shop at the site of the 34th annual Jamboree to ...