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Remembering happier moments in my life

Speaking of hobos … Note: Remember in school when they said to pay attention because there might be a quiz someday? This was that quiz. If you didn’t read last week’s column you have no idea what I am talking about. Anyway … Speaking of hobos … I was completely shocked when I went to the Main Street Museum last Sunday and saw the photo Dale Holtzmann had taken of Harry Carpenter, the hobo who lived in Toronto many decades ago. The writing above his photo even referred to him as just that. Now, I would never intentionally refer to someone as being a hobo if I felt it ...

Candidate events remain informative

Thursday saw what, most likely, will be the last major candidate event for Hancock and Brooke counties before the election on Nov. 5. There may still be a couple chances for statewide candidates to make an appearance in our area in the coming weeks, but as far as mass gatherings where residents can hear from multiple candidates at one time, the forum held Thursday by the Hancock County Republican Committee will probably be it. These events always have a different feel, depending on the candidates in focus, the organizers and the format. In late August, the local Democratic ...

Compromise is still alive in Charleston

The second special session of 2024 ended Tuesday night with a compromise between Gov. Jim Justice and Republican legislative leadership on an additional 2% cut in personal income tax rates. During an address last Wednesday, Justice did a touchdown dance and criticized those in the Legislature and media who said he would never get a tax cut over the special session finish line. As I don’t make predictions, I never said one way or another whether there would be a tax cut. I only relayed what my sources in the Legislature were saying, which was they did not see a pathway for ...

History in the Hills: Family connections

As a professional historian, I hear a lot of family history and lore. Folks often develop their love for history after learning about or discovering their own family history. All of it to me is fascinating, because whether your ancestors came to America recently or a few hundred years ago, there is always a story to tell. Looking through the past in our family’s history, it is so fascinating to discover all the connections, too. In my family, I can say that all but one of my great grandparents were born overseas and came to this country in the early 20th century for a better life. ...

An oldie but not-so-goody column from the past

I was going through my old columns recently. The ones I had written when I first worked for the paper several years ago. My mother keeps insisting that I repost them. Apparently, they cracked her up. I have no idea as to why. Whenever I reread them, I don’t think they are very funny at all. As a matter of fact, I can’t believe some of the things I used to say. Aloud. Let alone for the entire world to read. Well, not the world. That would be a lot of people. Just a few hundred. Or a couple of thousand. Depending on how many people felt like reading what I ...

Something or nothing on tax reductions

After a five-day timeout, both to avoid spending $35,000 per day and to allow negotiations between lawmakers and representatives of the governor’s office toward a 5% personal income tax cut to continue, the Legislature resumed the special session Sunday. Based on some of the rhetoric I heard last week on various talk radio programs, I don’t get the sense we’re any closer to lawmakers giving Gov. Jim Justice what he wants. During his weekly administration briefing last week, it sounds like Justice may be willing to accept a cut of less than 5%. In my opinion, that is the ...