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Don’t forget — your pets need protection

Have a hard time dealing with the sudden oppressive heat after getting into your parked car over the past few days? You immediately either rolled down all the windows completely or cranked the air conditioning as high as it would go, didn’t you? Now, think about those few moments of discomfort and imagine how very much worse it is for animals who are left in parked cars for an extended period of time on days like these. “A parked car can become an oven under the sun, even in mild temperatures,” said Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane. “When it’s a ...

Weirton takes steps for future

Investment in Weirton’s infrastructure is continuing as city officials work to prepare the community for future opportunities. Last week, the Weirton Area Water Board was finally able to award a contract for its long-planned project to expand the capacity of its water treatment plant. The project, in the works for close to seven years, will move forward under the direction of Triton Construction, the same firm to serve as contractor of the expansion of Weirton’s wastewater treatment plant. Triton was the lone company to place a bid on the most recent effort, but additional ...

Juneteenth reason to come together

Juneteenth, a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, will be commemorated on Wednesday. According to tradition, Juneteenth is observed on June 19 because it was on that date in 1865 that Union soldiers arriving in Galveston, Texas, at the end of the Civil War told African-American slaves there that they were free. No one knows with certainty how long the holiday has been celebrated. But the date now is recognized as a federal holiday. Area residents will have the chance to recognize the holiday last weekend, during the annual festival at Second Baptist Church. ...

Help others at blood drive

Area residents will have an opportunity to perform a simple and selfless act Wednesday. That’s when this year’s Jefferson County Media Day Blood Drive is scheduled to be held at the St. Florian Event Center in Wintersville. The doors will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and we hope that everyone who is eligible will participate in the annual event. Late spring and early summer often bring a need for blood that sometimes isn’t met. Regular donors might be on vacation or involved with other activities that keep them away from donation centers. That said, the need for ...

Fathers fill special roles

Fathers don’t always receive the attention they deserve, often because many fathers garner attention that isn’t so good. Tales of single fathers and stay-at-home dads are not as common as tales of fathers gone wrong, fathers who succumb to the terrible pressures of supporting a family in a tight economy or fathers who simply never even tried to meet those pressures in the first place. But all fathers don’t simply act as a genetic donor who then goes away or goes wrong. The fathers who stick around, who work at the job of caring for and supporting children while trying to ...

Remember what flag stands for

It proudly flies in front of schools. It is raised in front of public and private buildings. It is displayed from the porches and in the front yards of countless homes around the nation. It stands near the podium when speeches are delivered. It is raised each day at outposts in the far reaches of the world. It stands tall and is recognized before the start of sporting events. It stirs patriotism as it is marched past us at the front of parades. It draws salutes from battle-tested men and women who remember what sacrifices must be made to defend it. It covers the ...