“To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.” -- Mahatma Gandhi, Indian activist That concept rings true to me. Throughout my entire life, I have been interested in growing things - a trait that seems to run in both sides of my family. Anyone who has read ...
The situation regarding Ohio Valley Medical Center is no longer just an emergency. It is a looming crisis. News that acute care and emergency medical services at OVMC were being suspended Wednesday came as quite a shock. It’s owner, California-based Alecto Healthcare, had projected OVMC ...
Most people take it for granted that products and services available on the open market are safe. But only vigilance by local, as well as state and federal, regulatory agencies makes that feeling of protection possible. Good for the Jefferson County Health Department, as well as local law ...
“Somebody might need that someday.” That’s a phrase I came to dread as a kid. It was my dad’s philosophy on life. He was a child of the Depression and the oldest of seven boys growing up in Jackson County, Ohio, so he was well acquainted with making every little thing count. The fact ...
It’s no secret that the 2020 Democrat candidates have been sprinting further to the left in their embrace of big-government policies. But, their recent debates in Detroit should set off alarm bells throughout Ohio, West Virginia, and the entire Midwest that they will stop at nothing to crush ...
It’s hard to believe that the students are back in school and summer is quickly winding down. I’m sure many parents are sighing a big relief right now. Not necessarily because their little ones are back in school, but because getting them on a set schedule is usually most helpful to the ...
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is on a mission — an important one designed to help keep us all safe. This Labor Day weekend marks the conclusion of a two-week period o enforcement focused squarely on impaired driving. The name of the initiative is “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” but ...
Voters in every state, including ours, ought to be outraged at what is going on in Maine. There, massive outside intervention in an election is occurring — and the Russians have nothing to do with it. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, made headlines last year when she announced she would ...
More than 10 years ago, a representative for a drug distributor wrote of the opioid products his company was receiving, “Keep ’em comin’! Flyin’ out of here. It’s like people are addicted to these things or something. Oh, wait, people are...” In reply, a sales representative for ...
St. Clairsville, the seat of government for Belmont County, is a divided city right now. The big point of contention is whether or not to privatize the municipal water and wastewater treatment systems. Some city leaders seem to strongly favor privatization — specifically, they want to sell ...
In the words of Henry Grantland Rice, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.” The early 20th century sportswriter knew a lot about sportsmanship. Born in 1880 in Tennessee, he wrote about sports for southern newspapers and traveled the region working as a ...
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 ...
You’re all somewhat familiar with the tale of Peter Rabbit. Well, I’m here to tell you, it is based in reality. The story by British author Beatrix Potter begins with young Peter Rabbit and his sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail, passing their days with mischievous behavior. Peter ...
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. ...
Monte Miller simply had a way about him. Whether it was the athletes he coached, the students he taught or even some of the less fortunate that he mentored, Miller had an uncanny way to get the most out of everyone he crossed paths with. It was a gift. It’s a gift that left this world far ...
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 ...