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Focus on health a long-term concern

Editorials

As Americans try to focus on upcoming holidays and rapidly approaching New Year’s resolutions, data accompanying this National Diabetes Awareness Month reminds that many of us have some work to do regarding our health. This is no time for nasty digs about SNAP and the health of those living in states with high numbers of people living both below the poverty line and in food deserts. In fact, where access to affordable, nutritious options is limited, health woes that go far beyond hunger are plentiful. It’s no surprise, then, that WalletHub’s “Most Overweight and Obese ...

A positive reminder ahead of the holidays

Editorials

Interactions between residents and law enforcement aren’t always a positive experience, but, for years, Hancock County’s sheriff’s deputies have rallied each holiday season to showcase the better parts of those relationships. For almost 40 years, the Hancock County Deputy Sheriffs Association has organized a Shop With A Cop campaign, reaching out to the community for support in providing a brighter holiday for some of our residents who might otherwise not have such a merry Christmas. That tradition continues this year, let by Deputy Chance Weyand and Sgt. Hugh Tate. Donations ...

Seeing young people use their power

Editorials

Imagine being 18 (or nearly 18) years old and having someone like the West Virginia Secretary of State tell you that, at least in one aspect, you are just as powerful as someone like Taylor Swift or the president of the United States. That’s what local students learned when Secretary Kris Warner visited Brooke High School and Oak Glen High School recently to encourage them to register to vote when they are eligible. “No one is any greater or less than anyone else. We’re all equal when we get to the ballot box,” Warner told the students gathered at their respective ...

Government needs to SNAP out of it

Local Columns

November legislative interim meetings began Sunday at Pipestem Resort State Park near Hinton in Summers County, continuing today and wrapping up Tuesday. This is the second time lawmakers have traveled for interims, with the Legislature holding interim meetings at Stonewall Resort near Roanoke in Lewis County. It’s part of the Legislature’s efforts to travel to different parts of the state and learn more about the unique regions in West Virginia. While West Virginia is unfortunately stereotyped as one image of the hillbilly, we know that our communities are vastly different and ...

A new chapter for animal shelter

Editorials

It’s a new chapter at the Hancock County Animal Shelter. Following a contract signing Friday morning, operations at the shelter located near New Manchester will now be overseen by the Ohio-based non-profit Jefferson County Humane Society, which also oversees the Jefferson County Animal Shelter in Wintersville. There will be some changes as part of the transition. Humane Society managers will be working with existing animal shelter staff to review their operations, see what works and what improvements can be made, sharing ideas, and making upgrades to the shelter itself including ...

The calendar is whispering ... ‘pay attention’

Local Columns

Well, I blinked. And already it is the first weekend of November. I’m still wondering where September went. One minute we were having cookouts, cutting grass, swimming, going on picnics. Now, those days have been replaced with brisk mornings, early sunsets and shoppers browsing the aisles for that perfect Christmas gift. That’s the funny thing about time. It doesn’t ask our permission. It doesn’t wait for us to catch up. It just keeps steadily moving. Time just keeps ticking, like those hands on an old kitchen clock. Fast and steady. Never stopping ...