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Guest column/Combat medic: No brother or sister left behind

“The thunderous sound of the Black Hawk helicopters echoed through the night as we closed in on the enemy compound. Our mission was high-risk — a direct action raid to neutralize a high-value target associated with Al-Qaeda. As a special ops combat medic in the 75th Ranger Regiment, my role was multifaceted, providing medical care in the most intense and challenging environments imaginable,” writes Dr. Marshall Bahr. Bahr does not hold back, his story intense. Fast-roping, they rapidly deployed from their helicopters from 60 feet above ground, in full combat gear. ...

Anniversary celebrated

If a group or organization has served a region for more than a century, it has to be doing something right. That was among the thoughts shared by Stephanie Urchick during the Rotary Club of Steubenville’s 100th (Plus Two) Anniversary Celebration April 26. “This is truly something to celebrate,” she told the 130 or so Rotarians and guests who had gathered inside the St. Florian Event Center. “Your service to this community spanning 102 years is incredible.” That number — 102 — seems like a strange anniversary to note. While every anniversary is a reason to ...

When was the last time you thanked your mom?

When you were little, you would cry. Not often. And certainly not at any great length. But long enough to convey to me that you needed something —­ a bottle, a jar of food, your diaper changed, that little pat on your back to relieve the pain that had acquired inside your stomach. The need to be held so you could fall asleep more easily. And most of the time, I was able to fix what was wrong. While you couldn't say the words of what it was that you needed, most of the time … I just knew. I knew because I am your mom. Because it was instilled in me to feel what you were ...

Guest column/Effects of bullying can be devastating, last a lifetime

(Editor’s note: A recent Facebook post has prompted the re-submission of this column, which was written in 2022, a reminder that bullying is abuse and is not OK.) When we watch media reports showing adults using bullying tactics to fuel division in this country, how can we not expect bullying at every level of our society? If we want our children to be kind, they need to see kindness at work around them. If we want our children to accept others, we must assure that they see us walking the walk that we keep talking about. If we spew angry, ugly words that spell hatred, our children ...

History in the Hills: Revisiting presidents

When I met my wife at graduate school in Pittsburgh, not only was she beautiful, smart and funny, she was from the Big Apple. She grew up in Brooklyn in New York City, in an overwhelmingly Italian neighborhood. So Italian, in fact that the fire hydrants were all painted in the colors of the Italian flag. Our story could really be the basis for many of the hallmark movies on TV these days — city girl falls for a small-town boy and has to decide if she would return to the city or stay in the small town. Luckily for me, my story had a happy ending. When we moved back to Weirton after ...

Guest column/Dioxin: The deadly legacy of a toxic compound

On Feb. 3, a Norfolk Southern train carrying 51 cars had an accident where 38 cars derailed. Eleven of those that derailed were tanker cars carrying hazardous materials such as benzene residue, butyl acrylate and vinyl chloride. Five of the 11 cars carried vinyl chloride, which is used to make PVC. Some estimates say 1.1 million pounds of vinyl chloride were in those five rail cars. The accident happened in the small community of East Palestine, population around 4,000. Vinyl chloride is a well-established animal and human carcinogen and is associated with liver cancer as well as ...