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Living Democracy: Engaging citizens

Local Columns

“We the people…” includes you and me. I am the people and today’s the day! I’ve never worked the polls, but I’d like to do my part to ensure the blessings of liberty for us all. It may seem a bit intimidating, but we need lots of people to help us vote, so I’ve been looking into it and here’s what I’ve found out: You can serve as a poll worker in Ohio if you: -Are a U.S. citizen -Are at least 18 years of age and registered to vote, or 17 years old and in high school -Are a resident of the county in which you plan to serve -Are not running as a candidate for the ...

The Way I See It: Fall is upon us, have a nice trip

Local Columns

Since it is now fall, I thought it would be a good time to talk about falling. Leaves are not the only thing that can hit the ground — so can clumsy people. I should know, I have been hitting the ground for years. I have been tripping over things my whole life, sometimes on a national ...

Report cards show range of success and struggle in Washington County schools

Editorials

Report card day. For some students, it’s a chance to get excited about how well they’ve been doing; for others, it’s a day met with dread, as they are confronted with how much room for improvement they face. The same is true for school districts in Ohio, as the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s annual school report cards mean validation and celebration for some, and a reminder it’s time for others to make some significant adjustments. In Washington County, students are in school districts that received the full range of scores. Fort Frye Local School ...

MOV Climate Corner: Are we prepared?

Local Columns

2026 brought a summer of flash floods. We all remember the devastation inflicted on parts of West Virginia in July and August. Last month, as some areas began recovering while others were inundated, Charlise Robinson used this column to point out the need for more flood resilience in the state. More recent news has shown us more widespread devastation, and we in our river towns must face the question: are we ready for the next flood? In mid-August, heavy rains and flash floods brought much of southern and central Ohio to a standstill, destroying homes and disrupting lives. In Indiana, ...

Early Marietta: Sternwheelin’ with the E L THUMPER

Local Columns

I scanned a listing of the boats in Marietta for the Sternwheel Festival. Many are familiar names from many festivals past. One caught my eye: E L THUMPER, owned by Jack and Kathy Bedeck of Pittsburgh. Instantly, a video memory came to life from 50 years ago in the early days of the ...

Cracking the code: Believe and win

Local Columns

Four games into our high school soccer season, no wins. We struggled to score like last year. The difference: Last year we had a strong defense. This year we allowed four goals per game. Game 4 was our worst loss in memory. Game 5 was an away game with our archrival. The coaches saw bright spots in the devastating game 4 loss. Fixable mistakes led to most of our opponent’s goals. There were other bright spots. Before our boys could win on the field they had to win in their heads. They had to believe in themselves and their teammates. Our next game was 4 days away. Anything we did as ...