By chance last fall, a story on WTRF 7 told of Belmont County being the location for the traveling Vietnam Wall. That visit was nearly a year off. On my phone’s calendar, I noted the date and location the following October. Time passed, and I nearly forgot, that was until I reviewed my ...

Only three days before last Friday, the fall equinox took place. The earth’s journey tilting away from the sun is half ways complete. Days are becoming rapidly shorter, and in the trees, katydids have begun to sing their song. At night crickets take up the singing. Mother nature’s way of ...

At the recent Paden City Labor Day Parade, our Secretary of State, Kris Warner participated in the day’s events. Upon the conclusion of the parade I caught up with him to ask a couple important questions state citizens are now asking. First, his thoughts on the state and incoming data ...

When Mary and I traveled to Ireland, one of the destinations that we had set our sights on seeing was the Blarney Castle. Located in County Cork, its history goes back to about 1200. The first castle was built as a stone fortress. IN a war a couple hundred years later that original stone ...

Throughout the centuries, military leaders have used extensive training to enhance the performance of their soldiers during war times. That practice goes back to ancient Egypt, Napoleon’s armies and the Inca warriors. Give them drugs and then tell them they were invincible in battle. In ...

Can you hear the cannon fire and the bombs dropping all around you? Do you see the sniper hiding in the shadows of the park? Or maybe you step into your yard onto a land mine. You have to believe I am telling you of a war where guns and shells drop all around you, and death and devastation can ...

To them that be uh readin’ these words, to the best of my recollection, they be the truth. Well, I guess the truth as much as any man can be a sayin’ when tellin’ about his life, especially when young. My mom took great pride in teachin’ me to read the words put down by others. She ...

Each year we celebrate Father’s Day on the third Sunday in June. This year it was on June 21. A national day to honor fathers began in West Virginia in 1908. A mine disaster took several lives. To honor their memories, the first Father’s Day was celebrated. For 64 years, the day was not ...

Much of what we know about early civilization is from bits and pieces found in caves around the world. Location often tells us how different cultures developed, and grew with each passing millennia of population. In ancient Mesopotamia around 3400 BCE, man began by developing writing for ...

At last week’s Wetzel County Commission meeting, two organizations requested funding for their individual food pantries. The first was the Helping Hand Organization. For many years they have worked to assist those in need of help towards the end of the month. The second group making a request ...