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While we certainly have an eye set on West Virginia's primary election in a little over two months, in our office this time of year also means preparations are being made for the West Virginia Press Association's annual Better Newspaper Contest.
For me, that means reviewing copies of every edition of our newspaper published in the previous year and trying to select the best possible news or sports articles, local columns and editorials, features and photographs to set up against other newspapers in West Virginia.
We have a relatively small, but hard-working staff in our newsroom, and have been fortunate to receive numerous recognitions over the years. While that's certainly not the goal, it's nice to be awarded for that work based on the judgement of our peers in the industry.
The contest is judged anonymously by journalists from a rotation of states, so, chances are, they are people with whom we have never had any contact. Having served as a judge for other state press group contests, I can tell you it's not easy, so I appreciate their efforts to look through numerous entries - whether a printed copy or digital file - and determine which ones stand out from the pack.
Our entries are due by March 25, and as I'm writing this, I've only made it through April, so I'm going to have a busy couple of weeks as I compile our entries and get them submitted.
Besides that, though, this contest provides a bit of an opportunity to refresh our minds of some of the events of the last year. We all take stock of our personal lives at the end of a calendar year, but we might not always give much thought, or have an opportunity, to take a look back at everything in our work lives.
That's one of the nice things about this business. We actually can go back and be reminded of the various community events, government meetings, sports games and more on which we've reported. We also have an opportunity to learn from them, gaining insight into not only those events but ourselves through our coverage.
There are reminders of the words of Haleight Poch-Kowalski, as she paid tribute to her father, the late Timothy "Pooch" Poch, during last year's service in observance of the World Day of Health and Safety at Work at the Weirton Steelworkers Memorial.
With recent news, it is hard to tell if there will be such a service this year, making it even more meaningful now.
There's the annual "Peep Show" at Brooke High School, where art students put together a variety of scenes and displays using the colorful marshmallow treats popular around Easter time. Last year's contest depicted the Brooke High School Marching Band, a carnival and a portrait of the school's principal. I remember a previous year's contest included a scene from the television show "The Office."
Do you remember the efforts of Follansbee residents who stood up against a proposed medical waste treatment plant?
Franciscan University opened its Center for Success
Of course, Form Energy began construction for Form Factory 1, which is scheduled to open for operations later this year. It was an experience to be able to watch as the first pieces of steel were raised for this new manufacturing facility.
There were pictures of Easter egg hunts, coverage of baseball, football, basketball and more from throughout our three-county coverage area, discussions for improvements to Weirton's park system (an ongoing issue), election results, changes in our local educational infrastructure with investigations at Eastern Gateway and the development of new baseball and softball facilities at Weir High, and new STEM facility at Steubenville High School. We've seen changes in leadership in some of our communities, and said goodbye to long-time community servants.
A lot goes on in the span of a year. Let's see what other memories are raised while I complete the contest preparations.
(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter/X @CHowellWDT)