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History in the Hills: Appreciating old buildings

I have spent some time in downtown Steubenville during the last few days and I am always impressed by the historic buildings and homes that are there. Steubenville certainly is an old place and the buildings that are there exude that age. That is not to say that they are somehow lacking in any way because they are old, but in fact it makes them more charming and appealing, in my opinion anyway. When I was working at Historic Fort Steuben, I had the chance to visit some of the old buildings in town. One specifically was Mayor Jerry Barilla’s store, Frank and Jerry’s on Fourth ...

The Festival of the Arts is still a part of my life

I can remember going to the Toronto Festival of the Arts when I was little. I recall walking around through a huge crowd of people. There was hardly space in which to move. There were people everywhere. Crafters everywhere. So much to look at that there simply wasn’t enough time to see it all in one day. This was probably in the early 1980s being that the festival is 46 years old this year. I would have been around 10. There was a small pizzelle stand in the parking lot of the First Presbyterian Church. The man who ran it made different flavors of the Italian ...

A match of presidential ping-pong

The evening of July 21 when national media outlets were reporting that sources close to U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin said he was considering switching back to being a registered Democrat to challenge Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination for president, I knew to wait a day. Earlier that day, Manchin, I-W.Va., had hit the Sunday morning talk shows to urge President Joe Biden to suspend his candidacy for president, calling on Biden to “pass the torch.” By that afternoon, succumbing to weeks of pressure from actual Democratic leaders following a disastrous debate with ...

Announcement brings thoughts and observations

Monday was a big news day for our area as Cleveland-Cliffs announced plans to bring a transformer manufacturing operation to Weirton, with a goal of establishing around 600 USW-represented jobs. According to everything sent out by the company Monday morning, the plan is to have everything set up in the Half Moon Industrial Park. That still leaves up in the air what the fate of the tin mill will be, although CEO Lourenco Goncalves pretty much confirmed in his opening speech Monday that tin production was finished in Weirton. I’ll be perfectly open about this. I had heard a few ...

Getting nosy about job availabilities with the PSC

I’m going to be nosy. Are you looking for a job? Are you even thinking about looking for a job? Do you know someone who is looking for a job? If so I’d like to suggest that you broaden your horizons and consider a career instead. The Public Service Commission of West Virginia has positions open, and we are actively recruiting. The Commission’s professional staff includes people with a wide variety of talents and abilities. In our halls, you’ll find attorneys, engineers, accountants, secretaries and clerical workers, IT professionals, even police officers. You may find your ...

Poll worker recruitment taking place now in West Virginia

West Virginia counties need paid poll workers, and now’s the time to sign up. National Poll Worker Recruitment Day was established in 2020 by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and is dedicated to motivating individuals to serve as poll workers. This annual observance is designed to help alleviate the critical shortage of poll workers in West Virginia and across America. Poll workers are the lifeblood of in-person voting. Their friendly and professional service instills voters with confidence in the process, and their participation directly impacts election officials’ ...