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Tales of ghosts, the vampire craze and witches

The new, multi-million-dollar Brooke County Judicial Center in Wellsburg was built on disturbed ground to hide the deep haunted history of the witch trials that took place at the old courthouse, by those black-robed justices who fear the spirit images of the secret truth that has been purged from the court records. The former museum was a spooky land, the site where people gathered during these times torn down in hopes that people would forget and discourage visitors to the troubled patch of sod. It is said, that parallel time is known to exist where you can see the vapor of the ...

Us versus them: Show support for Amendment One

There are states where it is acceptable for a family to discuss whether one of their members should kill themselves, and there are states where it is not. There are states — like Oregon, California, Vermont, Washington and many others now — where insurance companies can deny people end-of-life care — but offer to cover the cost of their suicide. And there are states—like West Virginia—where they cannot. I am proud to be a son of West Virginia, where suicide is known as a problem and not pushed as a solution. But well-funded liberal interest groups—like Portland, Ore.’s ...

History in the Hills: Union Cemetery talk

This Saturday, I am excited to take part in the annual tour of Union Cemetery in Steubenville as hosted by the Friends of Beatty Park. The event begins at 10 a.m. and will feature many speakers including historians Jeff Evans and Flora VerStraten-Merrin. There will be musical selections and lots of great history to be shared. Flora did a wonderful job planning the event and putting it all together. During the last few years I have participated, attendees went from grave to grave learning about the many notable people that are interred there. This year, however, we are just going to ...

Age may be just a number, but 32 is pretty good

Well ... I blinked. And my first-born son turned 32 on Wednesday. *Sigh* Wasn’t I just 32 the other day? I could almost swear I was. At 32, I was taking care of a 12-year-old, a 7-year-old and a 5-year old. Thirty-two and going back to college. Being a member of college clubs like Phi Theta Kappa and Fine Arts. Cooking, baking cakes to sell, cleaning, studying. Being a mom. Where did all that time go? I miss being 32. That’s a pretty good number in my opinion. No part of my body was broken. It didn’t hurt when I would bend over. I was able to accomplish so much on ...

West Virginia’s elections are up for debate

I’m writing this on Friday, but by the time you read this I will be on vacation at Disney World with my wife, mother-in-law, my best friend, his wife and their three young daughters. This will be my friend’s family’s first time at Disney, so I’m looking forward to being part of those memories. Let’s get to the column then. •••••• Don’t expect a debate between Republican Gov. Jim Justice and Democratic former Wheeling mayor Glenn Elliott for their U.S. Senate race. My friend and colleague Brad McElhinny with WV MetroNews posed the question about the ...

Mayoral forum an informative showing

For two hours Wednesday evening, an estimated 60 to 70 residents gathered in the Weirton Room of the Millsop Community Center to hear from those individuals hoping to be Weirton’s next mayor. All four candidates were invited to the forum, organized by the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce, with three taking part. A decision to livestream the event through the Chamber’s Facebook page was made and arranged the day of the event, so those unable to make it have a chance to watch for themselves, listening to the questions submitted as well as the answers provided. As mentioned, all ...