The world is an uncertain place and, although we here in Eastern Ohio generally feel safe as we go about our daily lives, anything can happen at any time. That is why sessions such as the one held Wednesday at the Belmont County Emergency Management Agency headquarters are so important. ...
Bethesda lost a “ray” of sunshine last week with the death of a longtime resident and business owner. James William “Bill” Ray died Oct. 20 following a long battle against cancer. Bill was in Cartersville, Georgia, at the time of his passing, because his daughter, Marsha Massing, had ...
The Trump administration’s proposed methane rollbacks will cut essential safeguards to control volatile organic compounds and methane pollution from the oil and gas industry. These rollbacks would leave some infrastructure sites, including compressor stations and storage tanks located along ...
I remember one of the Sunday evening phone calls I had with my mother in Pittsburgh after “fracking” became a hot topic. Her comment was, “My gas bill is down $100 a month.” To a 90-year-old woman on a fixed income, that was a lot of money. In addition, her air and water were the ...
Why is it that so many government officials cannot seem to get it through their heads that the public’s business ought to be done in public if at all possible? Retreating behind a closed door - officials prefer the euphemism “executive session” - is never desirable. When closed meetings ...
It was good to hear last week that collection of child support payments in Ohio is better than in the past — up to nearly 70% of what is owed. But 70% is, well, nothing to brag about in Belmont County. There, the county Child Support Enforcement Agency has a 79.59% collection ...
The idea that if we just throw enough taxpayers’ money at a problem, it will go away was discredited years ago. Yet we continue to try that approach, probably wasting billions of dollars nationwide that could be put to better use. Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague’s office may be trying ...
Some local volunteers are about to embark on a life-saving effort - and everyone who has the chance should take advantage of the opportunity. The Wolfhurst Volunteer Fire Department is working with the American Red Cross to help ensure area residents are protected from the hazard of ...
It will be interesting to see how Steubenville water Superintendent Jim Jenkins’ experiment works out. His approach to it gives him a good chance of succeeding. Steubenville’s water system is a train wreck that occurred years ago. As we have pointed out, municipal officials in the past ...
Things have gone from bad to worse in recent months for the city of St. Clairsville. It’s high time residents and city leaders started taking steps to mend the damage. Debate over whether to privatize the municipal water and wastewater treatment and distribution systems has divided the ...
Earlier this month, the Ohio State Highway Patrol conducted a special enforcement operation on a portion of Interstate 70 in the center of Belmont County. The speed limit in that area ranges from 65-70 mph, but troopers found that the average speed of motorists was 88 mph! Fortunately, no ...
Finally, some good news about local health care was announced on Wednesday. In the wake of three Ohio Valley hospitals closing their doors within the past six months, Trinity Health System of Steubenville revealed that it is taking steps to stabilize the future of health care in Belmont ...
Our family became a little bit bigger on Saturday with the arrival of Tessa Ann Compston. The second daughter of my nephew, Jim Compston, and his wife, Jordan, Tessa arrived in the wee hours of Saturday morning. She weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and she appears to be healthy and perfect in ...
Last week I was working on a Shale Crescent USA project out of my home office when my doorbell rang. It was Bradley, my 7-year-old neighbor from across the street. He asked, “Mr. Kozera, will you catch football with me?” Bradley is a good kid. His mother is deployed with the military, so ...
Recently, I brought together a diverse group of Ohio faith leaders to discuss ways to better protect our houses of worship in the face of a troubling trend — rising numbers of hate-fueled attacks in our country and around the world. Here in America, our Jewish neighbors often bear the worst ...
When was the last time you received a letter in the mail? I’m not talking about a utility bill or a mass mailing generated by a computer. I’m talking about a genuine letter from someone who actually knows you — maybe even one that was written by hand. I cannot recall the last time I ...
The mighty Ohio River is a great asset to our region and the nation, but it also is a potentially dangerous waterway that should be respected by those who live, work and play on and around it. Last week, local health officials warned of a new danger on the river. Belmont County Health ...
I am really looking forward to Wednesday night. That evening, I plan to stroll the streets of Barnesville while waiting for a king to be crowned. It’s become an annual tradition at The Times Leader for me to cover the King Pumpkin Weigh-In on Wednesday during the week of the Barnesville ...
As St. Clairsville officials near a decision on whether to sell the municipal water system to a private company, it is becoming more and more clear that the city's H2O infrastructure is, well, a wreck. City council members recently were told the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is ...
Surely there is a way Steubenville-area residents with special needs can enjoy a recreation field that also serves those who do not have to cope with physical limits. The idea of a “miracle field” does not have to be an either-or proposition. An organization called Urban Frontier has ...