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Start your year in the great outdoors

If you’ve already gotten far enough ahead of the game, it’s just about time to relax, enjoy some time with friends and family while celebrating Christmas and maybe even start making plans for New Year’s Day. West Virginia State Parks has an idea — 22 parks will host 24 First Day Hikes on Jan. 1. Tomlinson Run State Park is among them, with Audra, Beech Fork, Blackwater Falls, Bluestone, Cacapon, Canaan Valley Resort, Cass Scenic Railroad, Cedar Creek, Elk River Trail, Little Beaver, Lost River, North Bend, Pipestem Resort, Tu-Endie-Wei, Twin Falls Resort, Tygart Lake, Valley ...

Enjoy your holiday light displays

Look around your neighborhoods — the holiday spirit is alive and well. Twinkling, and even laser, lights, as well as animated holiday characters and giant blow-up figures can be seen outside homes and businesses this time of the year, fostering a creative and often competitive spirit among homeowners and businesses. Decoration contest winners in area communities either have or will shortly be selected as the holiday season hits high gear with Christmas Eve arriving on Wednesday. We pause for just a moment to offer congratulations to the winners and say thanks to all who have ...

Give to help others

Life is getting busy now, with Christmas just a few days away. Activities are starting to pick up, ranging from shopping to baking to family get-togethers and other events that consume so much of our thoughts and time. Please don’t let the hustle and bustle become overwhelming and take over this year. Instead, take a moment or two to reflect. Look at your family and friends, neighbors or even the average passerby. Some might be struggling through unemployment and could be finding it difficult to take care of their basic necessities. Even those who have full-time jobs might find ...

West Virginia still not making the grade

A gift of good news came for the state this week, in the form of the American Society of Civil Engineers “2025 Report Card for West Virginia’s Infrastructure.” The Mountain State’s grade has improved from the last grade it received, in 2020. Now the dose of reality: The grade improved … to a D+; and marks for bridges and wastewater have not budged. Category grades included a C+ for solid waste; a C- for aviation, public parks, rail and roads; a D+ for bridges, broadband, dams, drinking water, energy, levees and ports; a D for hazardous waste, inland waterways, transit and ...

Protecting our older residents

Our region’s population is aging, and that growing older population is increasingly vulnerable to a number of abuses. Sometimes they fall victim to complex scams, in this digital age. Sometimes they fall prey to those on whom they should most be able to rely. WalletHub estimates elder abuse is an issue that costs more than $2.3 billion per year. But the human toll is incalculable. Certainly, policymakers do their best to put in place measures to stem everything from gross neglect and exploitation to financial abuse. But some parts of the country are doing better than others. ...

Are we heading into line break season?

Some weather forecasts are showing a big jump in temperatures later this week, as we appear to be climbing into the 40s – and even as high as 60 degrees in one instance – for the the next several days. That, no doubt, will be welcome after our area has experienced below-freezing temperatures following Saturday’s snow storm. One thing of caution to consider, though, is what often happens after such extreme cold temperatures are followed by a sudden warm up; water line breaks. We in the Ohio Valley are familiar with line breaks. They happen every winter, often as temperatures ...