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Guest column/Making strides to closing the skill gap across Ohio

Five years might seem like a long time to some. But in my world — higher education and career preparation — the past five years have passed in a flash. For much of that time, America’s colleges and universities were racing to respond to three daunting threats: the COVID pandemic, an unsettled economy and the fast-changing needs of students preparing for 21st century careers. Ohio educators had an additional challenge, which was helping the state close its pervasive skills gap, a damaging lack of well-educated workers to meet the economy’s growing need for a skilled and ...

History in the Hills: Memories of Weirton’s North End

Last week, I was invited to speak at the Weir High Class of 1946 reunion at Williams Country Club. The group, although small, was warm and inviting. My grandmother, Lois Carpini, is a member of the class and my mother and I attended the event with her. The group was attentive to my talk, although I didn’t end up speaking about what I had prepared. I spoke instead on the French exploration of the Upper Ohio Valley during the mid-18th century. That is certainly an interesting topic, and admittedly not one that is talked about too much. What I really intended to speak about was the ...

Behind the numbers

The amount of data that is available to us is staggering. No matter what you are looking to research, it’s a pretty sure bet that you are never more than just a few clicks away from being able to open up access to a wealth of information. There’s a problem, though. Some of that information comes from questionable sources and, at best, can leave big doubts about its accuracy. That’s why it was refreshing to hear last week that there was new information added to the DataOhio Portal. If you haven’t had a chance to utilize it yet, the site offers a real gold mine about ...

Guest column/Question: What makes a good neighbor?

What is a good neighbor? There are probably many different answers to this question. Some may say a good neighbor is someone who minds their own business. Another may say that a good neighbor is someone who is always there when you need them. We have been so blessed to have wonderful neighbors until 2015, when we had a neighbor move in that is anything but good. The gas and oil industry moved into our neighborhood with no regard to our lives or homes, and all we heard from them is how they want to be a good neighbor. The majority of the people who live in our neighborhood have ...

Guest column/Connection between compassion and setting boundaries

Compassion. Do you know what it is? Do you have it? Have you experienced it? Merriam-Webster defines it as “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.” You care about the troubles others are struggling with. You care enough that you want to help in ways that you can. Author Brene Brown writes, “One of the greatest (and least discussed) barriers to compassion practice is the fear of setting boundaries and holding people accountable. I know it sounds strange, but I believe that understanding the connection between boundaries, ...

Here’s why Father’s Day will never be the same

T oday has never been easy for me. Nor has it been easy for my boys. You see, it’s Father’s Day. A day in which to honor the man who is responsible for your being here. A day to celebrate the role model you hope to one day become. So, to all of those men who have taken on the responsibility of raising a child to the best of their ability — the ones who struggled, yet still endured, just to ensure their child would have a better life than they did … I say to you, “Happy Father’s Day.” I say to you, “Thank you.” And then there are the absentee fathers. Men who opted ...