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Growth around area

Some observations on the first weekend in August: • You don’t have to travel too far around our area to see that there’s a lot work being done to improve our community. A good example can be seen at the intersection of Fourth and Dock streets in downtown Steubenville. That’s where the Pugliese STEM Academy addition to Steubenville High School sits. It represents an important addition to the school system, one which will allow students in the Steubenville City School system to be exposed to and explore many new and different career options. The three-level building ...

The Festival of the Arts is still a part of my life

I can remember going to the Toronto Festival of the Arts when I was little. I recall walking around through a huge crowd of people. There was hardly space in which to move. There were people everywhere. Crafters everywhere. So much to look at that there simply wasn’t enough time to see it all in one day. This was probably in the early 1980s being that the festival is 46 years old this year. I would have been around 10. There was a small pizzelle stand in the parking lot of the First Presbyterian Church. The man who ran it made different flavors of the Italian ...

History in the Hills: Appreciating old buildings

I have spent some time in downtown Steubenville during the last few days and I am always impressed by the historic buildings and homes that are there. Steubenville certainly is an old place and the buildings that are there exude that age. That is not to say that they are somehow lacking in any way because they are old, but in fact it makes them more charming and appealing, in my opinion anyway. When I was working at Historic Fort Steuben, I had the chance to visit some of the old buildings in town. One specifically was Mayor Jerry Barilla’s store, Frank and Jerry’s on Fourth ...

There’s still a lot to do

If you are among those who believe that summer runs from June 1 through Sept. 1, then you are facing a sad reality — we have passed the halfway point of the season. And, while it might seem like the whole summer is slipping away, the reality is that there are still many things ahead to enjoy before we head into autumn. We’ve already had a lot of things happen — Frontier Days at Historic Fort Steuben, the Dean Martin Festival and the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Festival kept the June calendar full. Earlier this month saw Follansbee Community Days, the annual Weirton ...

For a moment, I believed God sent me a dog

So, about two weeks ago, I was minding my own business, getting ready for work and not paying much attention to anything else. When all of a sudden I notice that my male cat, Mr. Kitty, is going crazy. (I didn’t name him.) He is clawing and scratching at the glass on my back door. His hair is standing on end and he is hissing like there is a snake loose somewhere in the house. I had never seen him act this way in the 12 or so years I have had him. He got my attention. So, I have a quick look outside to see what is causing him such disdain. Through my dining room ...

Guest column/Tragedy of the commons: Fracking in Ohio

No doubt that most people are feeling the effects of this summer’s relentless heat (12 days above 90 degrees in the Ohio River Valley so far) and drought conditions. Farmers are worried about crops and homeowners watch as their lawns turn brown. Our family spends lots of time hauling water from our rain barrels and cisterns to water our garden and flowers beds. Rain events have become sporadic, lake levels are down and woodland streams are barely a trickle. Water is a precious common resource. Sadly, in Southeastern Ohio, we are witnessing a tragedy of commons being perpetrated on our ...