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The freedom to practice our faith

Americans of all faiths will gather Thursday to participate in the annual National Day of Prayer. Held on the first Thursday of May, the event has been set aside as a day to ask for God’s help for our communities, our states and our nation. The annual commemoration has been held nationally since 1952, with local events in our area being held for many decades. Local observances are set for several locations. They will begin at 8:30 a.m. in Wintersville, outside of the village’s Municipal Building at 200 Grove St. Then, at noon, Weirton residents will gather in front of the ...

A home run for youth baseball

Oftentimes, it takes a community to get things done. No better example of this was in the launch of this year’s season of the Wellsburg Baseball and Softball Association, which was in danger of not being able to have a season at all after the discovery of missing funds – allegedly the result of embezzlement by a former league official. When word got out, the community came together, with parents and coaches reaching out to area residents and business owners for support. Donations came in with the hope of refilling the league’s coffers before it was time for the youthful ...

Staying safe at work

While, these days, we’re all used to efforts to keep workers safe, no matter the environment, we also remember that it wasn’t always that way. Today, April 28, is observed as the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, and it would be good for all of us to take time – today and every day after – to remember the efforts to protect ourselves and our coworkers, and just how far it’s all come. We live in an area prized for its industrial past, where steel mills, glass factories, potteries and more dotted the landscape. Weirton Steel, along with its successors, has witnessed ...

End the school year safely

It’s that time of year again, when many families start planning their prom, after-party, graduation, graduation party schedules. As they do so, the Ohio Department of Commerce and the Ohio Department of Public Safety have joined forces to remind them these accomplishments and milestones can be celebrated WITHOUT alcohol. In fact, the departments included liquor permit holders in the wide net they cast to address those who can help kids safer this season: “Addressing underage drinking requires a united effort from all members of the community, including parents and schools. By ...

Dispose of unused pharmaceuticals

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration calls our country’s substance abuse epidemic “a clear and present public health, public safety and national security threat.” No one needs to tell those living in our region that. We see it every day. And most of us wonder whether there is anything WE can do about it. There is. Among the ways we can combat the problem is taking advantage of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day to remove unneeded medications from our homes, preventing the possibility they might fall into someone else’s hands. The DEA calls it a “measure of ...

Trail opening to make history

A project 10 years in the making will finally be unveiled to the public this weekend with the grand opening of the Hellbender Preserve and Recreational Trail. This new recreational trail, set to be a link in the Great American Rail Trail and the first multi-use trail in Jefferson County, will join the various recreational offerings of our region, while also helping to showcase some of the area’s history. Located in Bloomingdale, the trail features the Lincoln Bridge, a sandstone structure built under order by Abraham Lincoln, as well as train tunnels from the 1850s. As with many of ...