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Early Marietta: Nahum Ward snow travel adventures

We’re in full summer mode, so why not talk about snow. 200 years ago prominent Mariettan Nahum Ward was a frequent traveler in weather of all kinds. Nahum Ward was a successful business person and civic leader. Two cold weather travel adventures are chronicled in his personal letters, from Marietta College Special Collections – Ward papers. Spelling and punctuation are from the documents. The first trip featured a serious accident and severe cold on a stagecoach going from Baltimore to Philadelphia, reported in a letter to his wife Sarah dated January 6, 1822. Edited excerpts: "You ...

MOV Climate Corner: The problem(s) with plastic

Plastic is everywhere. Some uses are beneficial and unavoidable, like the specialty plastics that enable contact lenses and lightweight eyeglasses. Other uses are less beneficial but often seem almost equally unavoidable. Take grocery shopping as an example. Unless we milk our own cows, make our own cheese, bake our own bread, shop exclusively at farmers markets and bulk stores, and never order takeout, most of the food we consume is likely packaged in plastic. Even if we avoid bagged salads and cut fruit, our individual produce items are generally marked with scannable stickers. Bread ...

The Way I See It: Lady Liberty must have wept on June 17, 1940

Some days are just sad. And some days the newspaper’s front page reflects that sadness. On June 17,1940, The Marietta Times had one of those headlines that just knocks you down a notch when you read it. FRANCE GIVES UP! Britain fighting alone as French ask Hitler for “Honorable” ...

Cracking the Code: It’s about time

Lynnda and I spent last week in Florida with our youngest son and his family. We went to Epcot on Monday and the Magic Kingdom on Thursday. Disney has a product called the Lightning Lane Pass, allowing you to get in a shorter, faster line for three rides of your choosing, with some restrictions. There is a cost for this service over and above park admission. The cost varies depending how busy the park is that day. Lynnda and I always buy the Lightning Lane Pass when we go to Disney. At this point in our lives, time is more important than money. Last week, I bought the Lightning Lane ...

­MOV Climate Corner: Popes and the planet

I was raised in a section of Pittsburgh, Pa., known as Oakland. Throughout my childhood, an important building was St. Paul’s Cathedral, an enormous Gothic Revival style Roman Catholic church. It has dozens of large stained glass windows and a monumental Von Beckenrath pipe organ. My family attended Mass there every Sunday for years. And my siblings and I attended the parochial elementary and high schools operated by the Pittsburgh Diocese. Because Popes are the VIPs of the Roman Catholic Church, the Papacy was very important during my youth. Also important to note is that the ...

The Way I See It: Please take us with you on vacation

It’s that time of year. You are getting ready to pack for the annual vacation. You should take us with you. I’m serious, please take us with you. The Marietta Times is delivered every day around 5 a.m. No, I’m not talking about the one that gets delivered to your mailbox. I’m ...