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History in the Hills: Digging in the past

Local Columns

Here in our area, we have been known for many different industries over the centuries. Some of the earliest industries we have been noted for are agriculture, woolen products, glass, pottery, oil and iron products, among others. Industries that thrived here have had their day of prominence in our history, such as the woolen industry, as an example. There were so many woolen factories in Steubenville at one time, they called the city Jeans Town because of all the clothes being made here. This industry was big in the first half of the 19th century, and by the Civil War, only a few ...

Election season heats up

Local Columns

With the Jefferson County Fair wrapping up this weekend and area schools scheduled to open for the coming year during the next week or so comes the annual realization that the fall campaign season is just around the corner. This year’s election will not have the interest that the 2024 vote had or the 2026 vote likely will have, but, in may ways, it is even more important. That’s because it’s an off-year election where many of the available positions are those that have the greatest impact on our day-to-day lives. According to the Jefferson County Board of Elections, each of ...

Don Elbaum was boxing royalty

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: The famed Steubenville and Weirton fight promoter and matchmaker Don Elbaum passed away on July 27 at the age of 94. He brought the squared circle to local venues, touching the lives of local fighters and fans, including mine. The New York Times bled ink bout his death, recalling his time mentoring Don King after his release from the Mansfield penitentiary, the man who went on to promote the flying fists with young Donald Trump. Elbaum was the kid who truly ran off and joined the circus. His humble beginning included a June 4, 1960, fight card at the Steubenville ...

Time to check your voter registration

Editorials

While some states are fighting back against U.S. Justice Department requests for access to their voter registration lists and other elections information, Ohio has begun the four-year process of ensuring voter rolls here are as clean as they can be. Among the states that have received requests from the federal government so far, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Wisconsin have simply said “no.” Officials there say they have questions about the legality of the requests and how the information will be used. After all, state (and, really, county) elections officials are responsible for ...

Every dollar matters

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: Active and retired military personnel and senior citizens command profound respect. Trying to keep up with Social Security changes can be a lot to digest. Check this out: In May, the average benefits for Social Security are around $1,903. This was increased from $1,783 in 2024. That means the typical senior can expect around $24,000 in annual benefits. The provisions of Social Security have been changing since the 1930s, shifting in response to economic worries as well as coverage for the poor, dependent children, spouses, survivors and the disabled. Senior ...

W.Va. proactive on workers’ comp

Editorials

West Virginia employers may be getting a little good news for next year, as the National Council on Compensation Insurance has filed a proposed workers’ compensation loss cost decrease of 13.5 percent, to begin Jan. 1. The change, pitched by the state’s rating and statistical agent, would mean another possible $20 million kept in the coffers of Mountain State employers. In fact, it would mean 21 years in a row of decreases since the state workers’ comp program was privatized. That’s more than half a billion dollars in savings to employers compared with workers’ comp levels ...