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“Eighty years of war” comes home 1945-2025

At the half-century mark of the Twentieth Century, the “war to end all wars” had been fought and won. The surrender of Germany that ended the conflict in Europe on May 8, 1945 was labelled Victory in Europe Day or V-E Day. Later that same year the Japanese surrendered to Allied forces on September 2nd following the bombing of Hiroshima. As the Allies welcomed soldiers and sailors home, Russia and the United States remained engaged. Tragically, the former “allies” had become adversaries in Southeast Asia. At the very end of WWII, the Russian army who had helped the Allies defeat ...

Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink

This is an oft-quoted line from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” A sailor is adrift at sea and runs out of drinking water. Though surrounded by water, he can’t drink it because it’s salt water. Williamstown WV faced a similar situation on December ...

The ‘Atom Bomb’ fell 80 years ago this week

Eighty years ago this week our country did something that had never been done before or since. They exploded an “atom bomb” over a populated area – the horrific result shocked the world. The Times on Aug. 8, 1945 reported the Aug. 6 attack — 100,000 KILLED BY ATOM BOMB ...

Goldenrod — important native wildflower

By J.J. BARRETT WV Extension Hello Mid-Ohio Valley farmers and gardeners. This week I want to talk about goldenrod, (genus Solidago). Driving through the countryside in autumn, you cannot help but see the tall, flowing yellow flowers of this perennial. Due to it blooming in the fall, ...

Nature carries on

Much has changed from early pioneer days, one thing changes little: nature. Summer gives us nature in full force. August nights in the woods start at dusk with lightning bugs, birds singing, and the plaintive buzzing of seasonal cicadas. After dark there is a din of whirring crickets, ...

Cornell’s Merlin app lets you know what you are hearing and seeing

As we age, we all slow down to some degree, and if you are moving slower, you are likely taking more time to notice what is going on around you. For many of us, that means you take a larger interest in birds. Go ahead and admit it. You now wonder more about what is chirping outside your ...