Columns

Take The Picture Already!

When I was a child, we were taught that it was not polite to stare at someone. As kids, we developed a saying to handle such incidents. You probably said it, too. We would look at the person who was staring at us and say, “Why don’t you take a picture. It lasts longer!” That usually did the trick, and the staring dissipated. Today, everyone who owns a smartphone or digital camera takes photos of everything from the food they are eating to their pets in various costumes. The sky’s the limit for online posting of such photos. As a longtime news reporter, I would take ...

Enjoying The Simple Pleasures

As an experienced grandparent, I have learned that there are so many simple pleasures that can only be enjoyed with grandchildren. I have learned that as grandparents, our expectations are so distant from that which we required of our children. It’s probably not fair. It’s just the way it is. So this past week we had a one-on-one with grandson Deacon. As it turned out, the timing of our visit together was also the week of the Marshall County Fair. Deacon was thrilled with the thought of seeing the oversized pigs and other animals on display. We kind of were, too. Nothing brings ...

The Speed Limits Of Our Lives

The other day I found myself driving south from Ohio County to Marshall County where I would visit a longtime newsroom friend. More on that in a minute. First let me tell you that driving in the Ohio Valley can be a challenge on the best day. It’s not the summer road construction season or Wheeling’s streetscaping project that are the main culprits. Let me explain. Have you ever really paid attention to the speed limits as you drive through various neighborhoods or towns? Well, I made it a point to take notice of just that as I headed to Moundsville. I counted nearly a dozen ...

Where Did 50 Years Go?

Fifty years ago, in the summer of 1973, I donned a graduation cap and gown and joined my fellow Wheeling Central High classmates as we gathered at Oglebay Park’s outdoor amphitheater. Walking down those steep steps in platform sandals was just one of the challenges that we would face in years to come. We would be the first graduating class in decades to graduate without the Vietnam War hanging over our futures. The United States began its pullout of troops in 1973, although it would take until 1975 for the full effect of the peace treaty to be realized. Inflation was rearing its ...

Not Yet

Okay, so July Fourth has come and gone. The fireworks have been put away until Labor Day. But don’t pack up those picnic baskets and lawn chairs just yet. Despite what my dad used to say that summer was over as the July Fourth barbecue cooled off, the season has hardly begun. Yes, I know kids go back to school in August (never liked that). I understand the stores are promoting back-to-school sales. I also know that the summers as we once knew them in the Ohio Valley got a late start. The weather up until now has been cooler with little need for the air conditioner. Open windows ...

Not Music To My Ears

I’m no prude. I have heard foul language since I was old enough to know what a cuss word was. Only these days, cuss words are the least of our social ills. Case in point: We were stopped at a local gas station the other day when a young man pulled up behind us at the pumps. We heard his arrival before he even pulled into the lot. His four door something or other was bouncing into the lot. The music emanating from that car was so loud it made the car vibrate and not in a good way. That’s not the only problem. It was the kind of so-called music he was playing. It was obviously ...