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Guest column/Renewable energy is no threat to agriculture

Why does Ohio’s Republican party continue to vilify solar and wind energy, as evidenced by a recent opinion piece “We must abandon reckless wind and solar subsidies” by U.S. Senate candidate Frank LaRose? His op-ed is a barrage of talking points propagated by trade publications and other opinion pieces; there are no peer reviewed studies cited. The facts show that Ohio farmers do face obstacles, but not from renewable energy. Farmers in the Midwest are experiencing the effects of climate change — “increased average temperatures, changes in rainfall that can lead to ...

Looking for a little luck

A few interesting items: • If you enjoy spending an afternoon or evening in a casino and you live in our Tri-State Area, you don’t have to make a very long trip. Whether you’re looking to play some roulette or blackjack, toss the dice at the craps table, play a slot machine or two or are just looking for a place to enjoy a good meal or a drink or two or see some live entertainment, you don’t have to drive very far. Within a 45-minute drive or so, you can find yourself in one of four casinos — Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort; Wheeling Island Hotel, Casino and ...

Valentine’s Day is not celebrated by everyone

While driving down the street the other day, something made me slow down. As I came upon what had suddenly caught my attention, I immediately braked. Right there in the middle of the street. Before me was a house outlined in pink, red and white lights. These were certainly not remnants of the Christmas season. This was something altogether new. This was different. I took one last look and continued on my way so as not to cause a collision. But it wasn’t two blocks later that I noticed another home with a large pink tree in the front corner window. Again, I stopped. No one was ...

Projects progressing

If you live in the West End of Steubenville or travel though that area on a regular basis, you should be prepared for some major road work later this year, as the long-anticipated widening of Lovers Lane will become a reality. “We’re probably going to sign contracts for the widening of Lovers Lane by the end of the month, and then work should begin in March,” Mike Dolak, the city’s engineer, told members of the Steubenville Rotary Club during Wednesday’s meeting. That construction will be the third and final phase of a project that has been ongoing for more than six years. ...

There are times when life is simply a game

I’ve had a pretty bad year so far. This is not anything new, of course. I am usually having a pretty bad year. But for some reason, this one in particular has really gotten to me. There were moments amid the anger and tears when I often caught myself saying, “I just can’t win.” As I reflect back on that statement, I realize that I actually say this quite often. “I can’t win.” On those days when things just aren’t going your way and you begin to wonder if anyone else anywhere in the world has to deal with the same struggles you have? “I can’t win.” I ...

History in the Hills: Captains of industry

My wife and I met in Pittsburgh. At that time we were both in graduate school for our master’s in public history. Our interests were pretty much aligned, and we took all the same classes together which was easy to do in our small program at Duquesne University. Part of our program was to complete internships and we had the choice of the area’s historic sites. My wife was an intern at the Andy Warhol Museum as part of the Carnegie Museums. I remember the first time I heard her pronounce the name Carnegie. She pronounced it the way New Yorkers say it, with the emphasis on the first ...