Breaking News

Local Columns

A few election numbers

In the run-up to Tuesday’s election, Bob Gale, director of the Jefferson County Board of Elections, had predicted about 15 percent of the county’s 42,675 registered voters would cast a ballot, while adding that officials were hoping the actual turnout would surpass that number. Those hopes were realized — by the time each of the county’s 57 precincts had reported, the total was 12,838, which put it at 30.08 percent. That number’s not bad for an off-year election, and was pretty consistent with the numbers seen across our region. In Harrison County, for instance, 2,814 of ...

Guest column/If you smoked or still, do, this screening could help

Denise Lee smoked up to two packs a day for 40 years, but when she quit at 54, Denise made one more lifesaving decision. After seeing an American Lung Association billboard that read “If you smoked, this lung cancer screening could save your life,” Denise scheduled a low-dose CT scan. The next day, her results came back: a mass was detected, which they later confirmed was lung cancer. When she scheduled the scan, Denise had yet to develop a single symptom — and catching her lung cancer that early meant she had multiple treatments available. It’s been eight years since, ...

Guest column/The free market works — even when it comes to energy

Who wants higher electricity rates? Ask just about anyone and they’ll agree that energy prices have risen. They’re not wrong. In recent weeks there has been significant attention in the Mountain State on what is driving those costs. The question has no doubt arisen from people seeing their electricity bills steadily rise, especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic five years ago. A review of data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that electricity rates have risen for most states. For example: • West Virginia: Up 27.71 percent • Ohio: Up ...

Sometimes miracles are found on a 12-lane Texas highway

I have a large canvas print on the living room wall that reads: “When life gets too hard to stand … kneel.” I believe in those words. More than you can imagine. Don’t tell me that God doesn’t exist, for I have seen too much, felt too much and lived too much to believe otherwise. I have seen miracles, the kind that show up in the middle of a Monday afternoon when you are knee-deep in housework and worry. The kind that whisper, “I am here,” when the world around you has completely fallen apart. We live in a world that is quick to explain things away. ...

History in the Hills: Some hard times

My dear wife is a great cook. She works hard to provide wonderful nutritious meals to us every day regardless of how tired she is, how much work she did that day or despite the natural fact that sometimes our kids are less than excited about finishing their peas and carrots. She has sometimes made our pantry stretch between trips to the grocery store. We try to make do with what we have and do our best not to waste anything. In the summer we have a garden and, as a result, can much of our produce; we make maple syrup from maple sap in the early spring; in the fall we make apple sauce ...

Celebrating successes

Peg Zende admits that she and Mike Ruthem were a little skeptical when they learned about the plans Aaron Dodds, project manager for the Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District, had for some adjacent property in Wayne Township. “When Aaron started this project and told us about his dream, we were naysayers,” Zende said. “We weren’t accepting of it, and we were concerned. We wondered what this was going to do to this slice of heaven that we had.” That dream has become the Hellbender Preserve in Wayne Township, which offers a chance to enjoy the natural beauty of ...