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Coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder

I have had obsessive-compulsive disorder all my life. Even as a child, my devoted mother, Dorothy Irene Welker, would say to me, “Billy, you dwell on things too much.” I still do, but it wasn’t until my late 20s that I was finally diagnosed with OCD by Dr. Dorothy Jones, a clinical psychologist. In the United States, approximately 2.5 million people have been diagnosed with OCD. And those are only the reported cases. Millions of other Americans just try to cope with it. They are embarrassed to tell their friends about their condition. But keep in mind, OCD is an emotional ...

I really thought that it would be easier …

So, I was putting together the Valley Life section of the paper this week, adding in sermon topics when they became available. On Wednesday, I received the sermon title for the Cadiz Presbyterian Church. It is entitled, “I Thought it Would Be Easier.” Well, I instantly fell in love with what they would be speaking about. For some reason, it just resonated with me. Now, I have absolutely no idea what the church will be discussing in its message to the congregation. That is, unless I go and listen to their preacher and hear his meaning behind why he chose this particular ...

History in the Hills: Measuring our past

When someone comes to Historic Fort Steuben, they will have a lot to see. Their first stop will be the Visitor Center where one could visit our display area to see many historical collections, in addition to a model of the fort. Visitors also can stop at our museum shop as well, to browse local books, gifts and souvenirs. When entering the fort, one can visit nine buildings that are set up to show what life was like for the soldiers and surveyors who occupied it in the 1780s. Some of the buildings historically were used for the same use, such as the fact that there were two buildings ...

A government about laws, not men

I have no blood connection with John Adams, one of our nation’s founding fathers and the second president of the United States. But I’ve read enough of his letters to find a real kinship with the underappreciated man. One of his famous quotes is often paraphrased, but below is a direct quote from an Adams letter to fellow Continental Congress delegate John Penn. “…The true Idea of a Republic, is ‘An Empire of Laws and not of Men’: and therefore as a Republic is the best of Governments so, that particular Combination of Power, which is best contrived for a faithfull ...

Stay informed of your government’s actions

All too often, people take an interest in the dealings of their local governments only when they feel it affects them directly. A handful of residents have been consistently attending Weirton Council meetings this year, speaking about the water issue. In the last month, between 20 and 25 residents took part in meetings held by the Weirton Zoning Board of Appeals over a proposed timbering project located on the hillside between Marland Heights and Freedom Way. The Hancock County Commission meetings were packed a few months back when it was announced there would be budgetary cuts to ...

Building a future for West Virginia

Hello, West Virginia, If we haven’t met, I would like to introduce myself. I am Michael T. Benson — you can call me “Mike” — president of West Virginia University. I officially started July 15 and I am amazed at how three decades of work in higher education across the United States have brought me, step by step, to the place I belong — the beautiful state of West Virginia in a position to lead its flagship, land-grant institution into a new era. My wife, Debi, is especially looking forward to experiencing the four seasons the Mountain State offers after our time under the ...