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Obey burning rules and prevent wildfires

With relentlessly dry weather — even for fall — and ever-growing piles of crunchy leaves on the ground, West Virginia’s risk for wildfire is unusually high this season. Effective Monday, state officials have put in place an outdoor burn ban to try to lower that risk. Brooke County issued its own ban on outdoor burning Friday afternoon, with Hancock County following suit Saturday. Between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, outdoor burning was already prohibited between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. This means even camping fires, those used to burn debris or warming are prohibited. Fires for outdoor ...

Don’t dismiss diabetes risks

With each month comes a new designated awareness, as advocates seize the opportunity to inform people in new and creative ways. Though it can be hard to keep track, the tactic is a good one. If, for example, there is an uptick in those seeking the various means of screening for cancers after October, the effort is well worth it. Important, too — particularly for Ohio Valley residents — is November’s Diabetes Awareness Month. According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 16% of West Virginians have diabetes, while approximately 12.6% of Ohioans are diabetic. But those ...

The importance of your vote

Much has been said, written and talked about during the past several months — make that the past several years — about how important this year’s general election will be. There have been rallies, debates, forums, motorcades and discussions — most civil, many, sadly, not — about the candidates and issues voters are being asked to decide on. We’ve seen voter registration drives and get-out-the-vote campaigns that have made appeals to many different segments of our society, and savage campaigns — to the point of generating disgust, not talk —spread across traditional and ...

Protect your lungs

With Halloween just behind us and Thanksgiving coming up in a couple of weeks, it might be easy to forget that November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. We hope you will not. Lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society, is the second most common form of cancer in men and women, with only prostate cancer being more common in men and breast cancer more common in women. Estimates are that 234,580 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed this year (118,270 of which will be in women and 116,310 in men) and, sadly, that there will be 125,070 deaths due to lung cancer this year ...

Don’t forget your smoke alarms

As you make your way around the house Saturday changing clocks, watches and other devices that still require you to do so back one hour, remember to check the most important items in the house — your smoke detectors. The return of Eastern Standard Time represents a good reminder to check batteries in smoke detectors. Batteries need to be replaced at least once a year. It also is a good time to check on hardwired smoke detectors to make sure the units are working properly. Even those units have a battery backup in case of a power failure. The bottom line: Smoke alarms save ...

Workshop levy deserves support

While we know hundreds of area residents already have cast their ballots, there is still time to remind voters of an important issue included for many of our voters. For 32 years, voters in Hancock County have supported the operations of the Hancock County Sheltered Workshop through the passage of a levy. First approved in 1992, the levy has received widespread support each time it has come up for renewal, often reaching (and surpassing) the 70% mark. In order to continue, this levy must receive a minimum of 60% of the votes in favor, and we hope that will be the case come the ...