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History in the Hills: Christmas memories

Christmas decorating in my house is always a group effort. I bring up the boxes of decorations from the basement and my wife and I spend an afternoon selecting where to place every treasured item. This year our daughter Stella was very eager to help us empty the boxes and decorate the place. We soon discovered that some decorations don’t hold up well with help from a 4-year-old. Finally, when all the house decorations are up, we turn our attention to the tree. After fluffing up the branches, we assembled the tree in the living room. Getting the tree just right is my job. When I ...

A ‘70s Christmas … perhaps the best of times

I was born at the start of the ‘70s. So, when I reflect back on my childhood and how Christmas mornings were spent, they were, perhaps some of the most wonderful moments of my life. Today’s younger generation — and by younger, I mean those who are in their 20s and teenagers, well, they just wouldn’t understand what it is like to be content with the little things. They would more-than-likely be aghast at just the thought of receiving from Santa his choice of gifts — especially in their stocking. And that is simply heartbreaking. Because some of the best Christmases were not ...

Is there a lack of freedom of the press?

The Governor’s Office owes West Virginia Watch Reporter Caity Coyne an apology for her treatment last week on Gov. Jim Justice’s weekly administration briefing. Coyne tried to ask Justice about whether administration officials and cabinet secretaries were under any type of gag order where they were required to seek permission from the Governor’s Office before speaking with the press. The question stemmed from an incident at the end of the meeting last Tuesday for the Legislative Oversight Committee on Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority, where Department of ...

Positive changes continue for our communities

One of the privileges of this job is often getting a view from within the sideline huddle, and sometimes even from within the locker room, of the various projects and efforts taking place to put our region onto its path for the future. I grew up in the Weirton area. I remember what it was like in the 1980s and 1990s. I’ve seen many of the shifts and changes with our business community, especially following the bankruptcy of Weirton Steel Corp. and the facility’s sales to the International Steel Group, then ArcelorMittal and now Cleveland Cliffs. I’ve watched as long-time ...

Special song captures true spirit of Christmas

Every Sunday, I post on the following page the sermon titles for various churches within the Ohio Valley. There are many. And still, dozens more exist. Needless to say, there are a lot of places where one can go to worship on Sunday mornings. I would like to request to anyone who may be reading this, that you please take my following request to the music director or pastor at your church, as I would be most grateful. It is my hope someone within the church will take into consideration including my all-time favorite song among their selections of Christmas hymns which are going ...

The community comes together when it matters

One of the many things I’ve always loved about this community is how we find ways to take care and look out for each other. It’s something I learned from an early age, as National Steel decided to leave Weirton with many of our local steelworkers losing their jobs prior to the ESOP agreements and all that followed. People rallied to help their neighbors in whatever way they could, even if it was something as seemingly minor as sharing a meal. For many years, the Weirton United Way served this community through fundraisers and other efforts to support the dozen or so local ...