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Looking to the future

Local Columns

Early in the afternoon on Monday, we will have officially entered the fall season. That will happen at 2:19 p.m. And once the season officially changes over, we will be moving ever more quickly toward cooler temperatures. That means thoughts already are starting to turn toward what kind of weather we can expect as we work through Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year’s before we head into the dead of winter. There are a lot of resources to turn to when it comes to seeing what might lie ahead. Of course, two of the favorites that people have been turning to ...

False prophets, false flags

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: I’ve been writing these letters for years, and to my memory I’ve never once mentioned Charlie Kirk, Nick Fuentes, or even Alex Jones or Rush Limbaugh. Why? Because nothing they’ve ever said has been worth a reply. Even now — barely a week after one of them was gunned down — I don’t think their words deserve my time. What does deserve attention is the strategy. It’s always the same: Gaslight and lie with conviction, throw out straw men, lob insults and ad hom, scapegoat and overwhelm with Gish gallops. Repeat the falsehoods loudly and often enough, and ...

Just a few reflections

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: As I look at today’s world and reflect on my own upbringing, I am beyond thankful for my parents. My sister, brother and I were raised with the following principles: Put God first in your life and everything else will eventually fall into place; nothing is more important than your relationship with God, so foster that relationship every chance you get; never use the Lord’s name in a derogatory manner as it is a poor reflection on you; go to church regularly because being part of a community is important; love and respect your father and mother because they are your ...

Another reason to be looking for ticks

Editorials

If you consider yourself to be a carnivore, the West Virginia Department of Health has given you yet another reason to be vigilant about avoiding ticks. Earlier this month, the agency reported multiple cases of the tick-borne Alpha-gal Syndrome, which can cause a variety of symptoms as a result of allergies to meat and meat products caused by the disease. This one is carried by lone star ticks — larger than deer ticks and with white spots on their backs. Worry over the disease is severe enough that the state health department issued an advisory Sept. 11, making AGS a reportable ...

Hunters need to be aware

Editorials

Southeast Ohio is facing the largest outbreak in the region’s confirmed cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in deer. An Ohio Division of Wildlife deer biologist told The Columbus Dispatch this year’s outbreak is the largest he has seen in his career, and that hundreds of dead or sick deer have been reported in Athens, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble and Washington counties. No cases have been reported in our region, according to the ODNR. Some counties in West Virginia have been affected, too, including Wood, Ritchie and Jackson counties in the southern part of the state, ...

Constitution remains vital

Editorials

Some 238 years ago, a contingent representing the states of the newly independent United States of America gathered in Philadelphia. There to reform the Articles of Confederation, they came up with this familiar grouping of words, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic Tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” That carefully worded ...