If I invested as much energy in my normal day-to-day living as I do in the weeks leading up to Halloween as I contemplate what costume I’ll don or create, my life probably would be pretty amazingly mapped out. However ... When trunk-or-treat draws near in the church parking lot, I plunge ...

We’re only a few days away from the general election. For several thousand West Virginians, that’s not going to matter much because they have already cast their votes using either the absentee ballot or early voting programs offered in the Mountain State. For everyone else, the only ...

What is our fascination with stories from the past? I am not talking about the history we learn about in school, but stories we hear from our loved ones. Anecdotal, and often personal, these stories connect us and help make the past not so distant. In museums our goal is to tell the stories ...

Don’t try to outsmart the “father of lies.” Forget about using Freudian psychoanalysis to counsel yourself, or someone else from the clutches of sin. Stop looking for solutions, or angles, or strategies or other options — and start looking at the cross of Calvary. Behold the Lamb of God ...

With just over a week from the general election on Nov. 3, early voting has continued apace with lines and enthusiasm. You still have until 5 p.m. Saturday to cast an early vote. You can still request an absentee ballot until Wednesday. I don’t want to say it is too late to mail in an ...

I hate being in the dark. And that explains why I’m out of my well-lit comfort zone when a light bulb stops doing its job. That’s a big pet peeve of mine — burned-out light bulbs that don’t get changed in a timely fashion, like right now or better yet, yesterday. Some people can ...

The Christmas holiday season is coming faster than we may realize, and although it is sure to be an unusual one, there are still efforts to offer ways to celebrate in our local communities. The Weirton Chamber, as you may have heard, is planning two activities to celebrate the holiday season. ...

Be Be who God created you to be, Fearfully and wonderfully made. Be whom He has declared to be free, Not in bondage, or easily swayed. ∫∫∫ Be in the world, but be not of it Be transformed by renewing your mind. For the world’s wealth is counterfeit, And of God’s ...

Mark it down, folks. There’s just 15 days until the 2020 general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Early voting starts Wednesday and continues on every day except Sundays until Saturday, Oct. 31. Of course, absentee ballot voting has been going on since September. According to the West Virginia ...

Sometimes you just have to use what you have on hand. In this case it was a pencil with barely enough lead to write one letter of the alphabet let alone an entire line that constituted a checkbook ledger entry. Better Half noticed the pencil scratching in a routine state-of-finances ...

Every once in a while, as we become burdened by the trials of our daily lives, it’s good to take a bit of a breather and, if possible, reconnect with nature and those around us. Last Friday, my mom asked if I wanted to do a day trip to our state’s other panhandle. Specifically, the plan ...

Ask any student of history what the one thing they wish they could go back in time and experience from the past is, and I bet you would have some pretty cool answers. For me, it could be witnessing the excitement of V-E Day after so many years at war. For my wife, it is witnessing ...

A few months ago, I was honored to be asked to be apart of a youth organization that helps build good character in boys & girls. They later informed me that I would not be allowed to serve unless I took some class on how to work with youth, how to treat youth, how to handle youth. At ...

Not many days from now will be a very special opportunity for all Americans, it is the opportunity to cast our vote for the President of the United States. Plus the other local and state voting are vital as well. Many opinions abound concerning the best for these offices and whomever we don’t ...

The countdown to Election Day continues. We are just over three weeks away from the 2020 general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3. We’re 10 days away from the start of early voting. We’re 16 days away from Wednesday, Oct. 28, which is the deadline for voters who want an absentee ballot to have ...

I had at least four intense mini “conference calls” in the office Thursday. And all of them involved the same person, the same subject. It was me and Better Half and meatloaf. Let me preface this column with a weary confession for anyone new to this space: I’m a bad mother and an ...

During my third year at West Liberty (Go Hilltoppers!), I was enrolled in a class called Writing for Radio and Television. The name of the class pretty much tells you its focus. We learned various methods for writing news scripts for television and radio broadcasts. The major project was to ...

Women often put the needs of their loved ones before their own. That may be truer than ever this year, as mothers juggle working from home, virtual learning and child care along with the usual everyday responsibilities. As a member of the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Congressional Families ...

Our farmers have always been one of the most respected professions in America, but the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance agriculture plays in our daily lives. Evident in a recent Gallup poll, which ranked agriculture and farming, for the first time in twenty years, as one of the ...

Alright folks, allow me to continue my weekly countdown to the 2020 general election. As of today, we are less than 30 days away from Tuesday, Nov. 3. By the time you read this, I will have written campaign profiles of every Board of Public Works race except for the governor’s race (I’m ...