Breaking News

Local Columns

Guest column/There are many benefits that come with kindness

Kindness. The world could use a good supply right now. How does it feel when someone does something for you that you needed? How do you feel when you do something to help someone else? Kindness is a gift you give that gives back to you. It’s a lifestyle you cultivate. The benefits, you ask? There is a chemical, oxytocin, a hormone in your body. It contributes a number of good things to your well-being, things like reducing blood pressure and good heart health. It helps us to have a better attitude, a good and positive outlook. We see ourselves in a better light. We have more ...

Guest column/OneOhio looking to make a real difference in lives

For decades, Ohio, like every state across the country, has been hit hard by the effects of the opioid epidemic. Thousands of lives have been lost due to substance use disorders and thousands more continue to struggle with this disease still today. As the pharmaceutical industry begins to pay out lawsuit settlements as a consequence of its role in the opioid epidemic, our state has come together in an unprecedented way to fight to abate this crisis and save lives as one Ohio. Just two months ago, I was honored to be appointed to serve as the OneOhio Recovery Foundation’s first ...

Guest column/Could a winter storm topple America’s electric grid?

Here’s some unwelcome deja vu. According to the organization that oversees the reliability of America’s power grid, much of the country could face blackouts again this winter. Warnings of winter blackouts are becoming a seasonal fixture. Texas experienced a devastating power outage in February 2021. And a bitter cold snap last Christmas forced utilities to implement rolling blackouts across multiple states. Now, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. fears that a prolonged cold snap could threaten the nation’s natural gas infrastructure and the power plants that rely ...

History in the Hills: Stories from the Bulletin

As a historian, I am always on the hunt for information. I am forever researching, talking, listening and writing about the things I learn. I’ve gotten better over the years and I have started to write down specific stories and topics that catch my interest, and maybe will be the inspiration for an upcoming article. There are some sources that are better than others, but one of my favorite sources for local history is the records of the Weirton Steel Employees Bulletin. Every issue from 1934-1989 is available to search thanks to the work of past president Dennis Jones and the Weirton ...

Numbers from Tuesday

There were many things to take away from Tuesday’s general election, including the realization that area residents aren’t afraid to cast write-in votes, they are willing to vote in favor of issues that can make a difference in their communities and that a single vote can make a big difference. Among the most interesting races this fall was the battle for the council at large seat in Steubenville. With Kimberly Hahn having to leave the post at the end of the year because of term limits, Joel Walker and Scott Dressel were willing to run for the office. What made the race more ...

Why I cry at double nickels and Subaru commercials

I celebrated my 52nd birthday last month. Well, “celebrate” might be a misguided word. I honestly cannot believe that I am almost the age my grandparents were when they referred to themselves as “double nickels.” I still recall being in their car and listening to them view their lives in direct proportion to coinage. And my first thought in that moment was, “That is just so old.” Like two quarters and five pennies old. (I was always excellent at math. And then algebra was introduced and English became my new favorite subject.) My mother still reminds me how I ...