Local Columns

Marshall Memo: Queen of Queens; ‘Curtain Up;’ and History Bowl

Ten John Marshall High School girls will be competing in the school’s Queen of Queen’s Pageant to be held on Feb. 22 in the school’s Center for Performing Arts. The contestants are: Sydney Barnhart, Annadra Dudley, Grace Gatts, Victoria Henry, Amelia Kaste, Hailey McFarland, Lauren Rice, Marra Tharp, Rozzalin Wallace, and Reese Ward. Each contestant will be scored in three categories which include interview, talent, and poise/presentation. Tony Summers will be the Master of Ceremonies, and the Pageant Coordinator is Tracey Filben. Attendees showing their personalized Marshall ...

Feeling Nostalgic This 43rd Ohio Valley Toughman Weekend

It is the Original Toughman weekend. The 43rd annual Toughman/woman contest at WesBanco Arena will see new champions crowned on Saturday following two nights of fisticuffs. My thoughts turn nostalgia traveling back in time to 1980. I was just a few days past my 23rd birthday when I was asked to be the “cut man” at the first Ohio Valley Night of Toughman Contest, helping the late Richard “Dick” Wallace Sr. I grew up in a world of smoke-filled pool halls with chalk-covered floors, learning the fight game from the men who once boxed on the cards of Art “Pop” Rooney in the ...

Recapping The First Gubernatorial Debate

Last week, I had the pleasure of being invited by the Raleigh County Republican Executive Committee to come cover their debate, featuring the top four GOP candidates for governor of West Virginia at the beautiful Resort at Glade Springs. The event was interesting for several reasons. For one, it was a paid event, meaning one had to pay to be there unless specifically invited (such as media). Despite this, the ballroom we were in was packed and it was filled with people from all across the state who made the trek to Daniels right outside Beckley. The level of interest in the debate ...

Marshall Memo: New School; Counselors; Jay Jacobs; and Updates

Another step toward a new Benwood-McMechen school took place when Gov. Jim Justice arrived this past Thursday with $9.2 million. It was in June 2021 that Marshall County Schools purchased the land for $1.2 million with hopes of building on the property. The field that was purchased was for many years called Ice House Field. That name was from a former owner, the B&O Railroad. It previously served as a baseball field and the home team was the Bud Roys. One of the major reason that the school system wanted to build on this lot was that students wouldn’t have to cross Marshall Street in ...

Reflecting on the Road Taken

Despite all the culture war bills getting most of the attention over the last several weeks, the 2024 session has been very slow. That’s given me time to be nostalgic, thinking about the path that led me to this career in journalism. I’ve been listening to a podcast called “Finding Matt Drudge,” talking about Drudge’s impact on news reporting since breaking the story about the investigation into former President Bill Clinton’s relationship with a White House intern. The Drudge Report was revolutionary in the mid-to-late 1990s. Drudge showed that one person — not a news ...

Addressing the Death Penalty in West Virginia

When I address the death penalty, I am no stranger to the issue. On June 8, 2000, a priest and friend, who had welcomed me on my first day in the seminary years earlier, was brutally murdered by a drunken young man who broke into his rectory in Germantown, Maryland, looking for money. The state prosecutor wanted to seek the death penalty but the priest’s family urged him not to, citing the priest’s opposition to capital punishment. After the murderer’s conviction, the judge imposed a 42½ year sentence on him. I agree with the priest’s family: a long prison sentence but not ...