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 ...
Decreasing numbers of children receiving important vaccinations before entering public school have become such a problem the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is trying to get a handle on the numbers. That is proving difficult, as there is no real mechanism for tracking vaccinations ...
No federal program protecting natural areas and assisting local and state recreation projects has had the reach and the importance of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Thousands of individual initiatives— some probably affecting you and your family directly — have been assisted by the ...
Bullies, whether they are young people or adults, are cowards at heart. That is why their victims often are those they perceive to have few friends. When there’s no one to stand up for you, you are an easy target. Fourteen high school students from our area have been recognized for having ...
“Spent time behind bars” does not look very good on a job resume. “Certified landscaper with experience” does. Like most villages and cities in our area, St. Clairsville sometimes can use help with community improvement projects. The city got some recently, from the Belmont ...
If they can escape justice for 20 years after sexually assaulting someone, rapists in Ohio are home free. Their victims are not. A statute of limitations in the Buckeye State bars prosecutions for rape more than 20 years after the offense was committed. Even if police and prosecutors know with ...
We all like to think, “It can’t happen here” -- but we’d better think again. I have heard about several recent incidents in local parking lots and on neighborhood streets that are somewhat scary. Vehicles that were accidentally left unlocked have been rifled through, and one of my ...
Spring is a wonderful time in Ohio — but it can change from beautiful to deadly before you know it. Buckeye State residents were fortunate last week. At least 18 tornadoes touched down in western Ohio on Monday, the National Weather Service confirmed, but no fatalities were reported. That ...