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Craig Howell: Local media still important for our communities

Wednesday afternoon, I had the opportunity to assist in presenting before the Brooke County Area Chamber of Commerce for a discussion about the benefits of media, with a particular focus on what we can do for the business community. It's not something I'm used to. In fact, I typically dread public speaking (and, quite frankly, spent most of the morning feeling nausious), but it was a good experience with a good conversation about the pros and cons when it comes to the various mixture of local media available in our region. It also gave me some time to reflect on the ever-changing ...

Craig Howell: Getting ready for those autumnal celebrations

The abundance of back-to-school events in the last couple of weeks is a fierce reminder that the summer months soon will be coming to an end. Realistically, of course, we have almost 40 days before the switch in seasons is official, but the signs are already here. Communities are getting ready for the start of the school year, as mentioned, with events to provide our local youth with school supplies, resources, and other materials to prepare for their first day back to classes. It's certainly a far cry from when I was a kid, and the preparation was essentially going to the school ...

Craig Howell: Ready to celebrate Weirton’s honored citizens

It is the contributions of the residents of a city or town – those who are willing to step forward to provide leadership, guidance, and support for others – which helps to make it a community. In Weirton, many of those who have made such contributions are honored annually through induction into the Weirton Hall of Fame. Established by action of Weirton Council in 2008, the Hall of Fame enshrines the names of those honored citizens – past and present – who have made a lasting impact which often is felt for generations. This year's class was announced in May, and will be ...

Craig Howell: Time, patience, cooperation lead to project success

The City of Follansbee is able to move forward with some long-needed water infrastructure projects, with the official announcement made Monday during a press conference featuring Gov. Patrick Morrisey and local legislators. To make sure everyone understands the details, Follansbee previously had received approximately $1.3 million through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for improvements to the Hooverson Heights treatment plant. After going through multiple rounds of bidding, the city found it was still $500,000 short. Officials reached out through the avenues available to them, and ...

Do we need another option for a new bridge?

While transportation officials, state legislators and members of Congress have been deep into the process of planning a replacement for the Market Street Bridge, with a focus connecting an area in downtown Steubenville with an area of West Virginia Route 2 between Weirton and Follansbee, the Hancock County Commission decided to throw their own thoughts into the mix. As part of Thursday's meeting, Hancock commissioners approved sending a proposal which would use Brown's Island as a corridor for the bridge replacement. I wasn't really surprised when I saw the item on the agenda. As a ...

Craig Howell: Following a path to community leadership

As long-time readers know, I've been active with the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce for many years and one of my favorite parts of that involvement is putting together its leadership programs. Each year, the Chamber organizes two such programs. Youth Leadership Weirton is open to incoming sophomores from Weir, Madonna, Oak Glen, and Brooke high schools. Applications are provided to the schools during the spring, with the program launching each September. For our business community, there is Leadership Ohio Valley. This program begins in early November, with sessions taking place ...