Dominoes can fall in both directions

November 13, 2023

For years, I have talked about writing a book about West Virginia political dynamics over the last nearly 14 years called “Domino.” The book would focus on the state’s political history beginning in 2010 with the death of former U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, a giant in Congress and in the Democratic Party. But the book would largely follow U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., from his final year as governor to whenever his time at the U.S. Senate would be done. Well, we now know when that will be. Manchin will retire from the U.S. Senate when his term ends in 2024. You’d think with ...

It’s not too early for giving this season

November 10, 2023

Our area has begun to see a few early tastes of the Christmas holiday in recent days, with tree lightings and plans for other celebrations being announced. While we are still well over a month before Christmas day itself, we should remember it’s not too early to think about one of the main focuses of the holiday season: giving to others. There are always opportunities to help others throughout the year, but the idea receives more attention as we approach the later months of the calendar. As we make our way to the stores for various gifts, decorations and meal planning, we are ...

The United States must focus on peace

November 10, 2023

President George Washington said, “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving the peace.” Ever since the Garden of Eden and the Apple Tree, humankind has been infected with sin. When souls get consumed by sin, evil is apt to run rampant. Evil is alive and on the march; we need to look no further than the Middle East and October 7th to validate our worst fears. At the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaims, “Blessed are the Peacemakers.” But in a fallen world prone to mass-scale violence, how is peace achieved; who are the Peacemakers? In 1914, ...

Continuing the fight to unite all Americans

November 10, 2023

It was a cold November morning just a week after my family’s store had burnt to the ground losing the lives of four people when tragedy struck again. This time there had been an explosion in the Farmington No. 9 mine. My Uncle John, our neighbor and several of my high school classmates worked in that mine. I knew family members of most everyone working in the mine that day. Everyone knew everyone in Farmington. Over the next several days, I sat with my mother and Aunt Jenny, Uncle John’s wife, desperate for any kind of update. Our whole state was paralyzed as the days drug on and ...

History in the Hills: Stories from the Bulletin

November 10, 2023

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 ...

Why I cry at double nickels and Subaru commercials

November 10, 2023

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 ...