Columns

Finding Our Way

It’s no secret the state of Wheeling’s downtown and what is left of its streets. I say that because at a glance it’s hard to tell where the streets start and the large holes end. Now before you tell me how great it’s going to look in another year or so, that doesn’t ease the discomfort now of trying to navigate downtown Wheeling. Social media posts tell of frayed nerves and frustration of the businesses that have managed to keep their doors open during the road work. It’s not easy to find parking near your destination yet the shows must go on. Then there is the issue of ...

What’s With The Birds?

It started with a growing flock of crows. They began amassing in the trees behind our house. Hundreds of crows flew onto the trees before briefly landing on our roof. It was only for a brief moment as my angry spouse went out and frightened them off. That only discouraged their roosting on the roof as they then gathered in the wide expanse of empty fields in front of our place. Their dark feathers against the dried out grass looked like someone dropped lumps of coal throughout the pasture. Later they moved on to a neighbor’s property and then they were gone. I’m not sure ...

Oh That Fudge

Thanksgiving 2023 is in the rear view mirror. So now the rush is on for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa observances and all the frantic shopping and plans that go along with the preparations. As I look back on my own childhood, I can’t understand how my parents got us through those days leading up to Christmas. Kids didn’t need any sugary treats to get wound up. All it took was the Sears and Penney’s catalogs to show up in the mailbox. We called them dream books since that was mostly what we did as we dog-eared the pages for Santa. Advent was a time of many plans and happenings ...

How Soon We Forget

Last Saturday dawned partly sunny with frozen fog. At least that’s what it looked like as I made my way along W.Va. 88 through Oglebay Park to my destination in South Wheeling. The date was Nov. 11, Veterans Day. As an invited guest to the annual P.A.P. Club’s Veterans Day breakfast, I ...

Jewish Roots Run Deep Here

Like many teens of my youth, part-time after-school jobs were an essential and expected part of our upbringing. From the time I was old enough to “work,” I held various jobs that began with neighborhood babysitting jobs. Then in junior high, many of us worked at Oglebay or Wheeling parks doing odd jobs from checking clothes baskets at the swimming pools to cleaning cages at the outdoor nature areas at Oglebay. My brothers spent time tending the snakes in the snake pit at the park. They even brought some of the big snakes home over the winter months much to the angst of their ...

Of Whom Should We Be Afraid?

One of my greatest joys as a kid was swinging on the swing set in our backyard. It was the old metal type that was sunk in the ground to prevent tip overs. From as far back as I can remember I would pump my legs until I was swinging as high as possible — with no fear. The same goes for climbing to the top of the monkey bars and hanging upside down by my knees. Or when I rode my bicycle down Hogan’s Hill at the speed of light. Again no fear. If our parents only knew how many times I and other neighborhood kids entered the Peterson Hospital construction site as it was being built ...