As a community journalist, 2018 in southeast Ohio was far from boring and I leave 2018 with hope.

Four stories I covered this year stick out most under that banner of hope.

Waters

In the first few months of the year, the community faced high waters and heavy rains. State routes were underwater, county roads crumbled over landslips and we saw Front Street shops, Harmar homes and south side Marietta businesses and residences evacuated in search of higher, drier ground.

Times file photo Karen Henderson clings to her husband Ted Henderson Friday while at breakfast at the Busy Bee in Marietta. Ted has taken care of Karen for the last four years as her dementia has progressed into Alzheimer's.

But river city veterans like Bill White, owner of Offenberger & White, which faces the Muskingum River, were quick to calm the fears of those who had not experienced the flood of 2004.

His words, recorded on The Marietta Times Youtube channel for those who want to listen again, told the public to stay calm and recall that the occasional high waters are a price we pay for a beautiful river community.

His words brought hope.

But I also watched Marietta City Schools take the opportunity to not simply close their doors for a few days, but encourage their students to head downtown to volunteer.

They provided buses to Parking Partners on Second Street where they gathered before Superintendent Will Hampton with marching orders to be on their best behavior, be helpful and represent their schools and families with honor.

But I never once heard those young teens complain. They happily lifted boxes, filled sandbags and took whatever merchandise handed to them without pause.

Those children brought hope to shop owners.

Even talking with the Army Corps of Engineers out of Pittsburgh, the message of hope and clarity rang out.

We set out to calm fears of past floods by explaining where waters upriver come from and how they are monitored and I coordinated with Amy Tucker with the City of Marietta to ensure that an article on the Ohio River Basin was shared across the city’s social media platforms and website as well as ours.

Fire

On May 24 a black cloud grew over Marietta, coming from its eastern border in Reno.

A car had exploded at a Guernsey Scrap and Recycling yard and flames stretched high above the tree line for hours.

But the coordinated, calculated effort to battle and control those flames showed the caliber of men and women wearing the firefighting uniform that day.

Under the direction of Reno Volunteer Fire Chief Dan Ritchey, fire departments from across the valley responded, spraying foam, keeping trucks cool and keeping the flames contained.

Reno, Marietta, Williamstown, Fearing, Vienna, Warren, Waverly, Newport, Beverly, Lowell, Salem, Blennerhassett, St. Marys, Finley, Little Muskingum, Barlow, East Wood, and Oak Grove fire departments were on site, as was Franklin Fire Equipment Company.

Some were quick to offer water to their compatriots as the flames were monitored by drone, others made sure to check air tanks, offer pizza or a towel to wipe the sweat from another’s brow.

And in the aftermath the next day I spoke with Dorothy Foreman who was near tears and saying prayers of thanks that her nephew, Stanton Clark, who had been operating the grappler when the initial explosion occurred, was alive and unharmed.

Hall of Fame

This fall I was contacted by Jared Smith, a Washington County Veteran Service Organization commissioner, with a simple request.

Could I highlight a new program the organization was to install, could I announce its purpose and parameters so that veterans in the county could be recognized not only for their efforts in battle but for their accomplishments, successes and services after hanging up the uniform, too?

This series launched on Prisoners of War/Missing in Action Day with the tales of Robert Pioli, of Devola, a POW from World War II, and Sgt. Meredith Barnett, who earned the Silver Star for giving his life to save a fellow U.S. Marine during the Vietnam War.

And seven stories later what I had the privilege of witnessing was more than just a new medal for each of the 11 veterans honored at an overflowing banquet dinner.

In living rooms, I witnessed families hearing stories they had not heard before from their own loved ones.

They were given a sense of closure, peace and hope.

I witnessed grandchildren proud to recognize the grandfathers whose worlds simply revolve around their grandchildren.

And I witnessed a young teen on Veterans Day identify why their hero was a man to look up to and respect, in front of a filled auditorium at Marietta High School.

And though a maxim often reserved for the first World War, I found this series a resounding reminder that lest we forget the tumult, sacrifices and building blocks of the freedoms we hold most dear, how could we have hope?

Dementia

One privilege operating as a journalist in a tight-knit community affords is the access to cultivate stories that hurt as much to tell as they do to write.

And the vivid challenges of a family’s daily dealings with dementia was one such story I was honored to tell.

Ted Henderson, of Marietta, allowed me to describe, photograph and note the smallest observations as a part of the Times’ “Day in a Life” series.

He allowed me to describe how he has to block in his wife at a restaurant booth to get Karen to eat and not walk off.

He revealed the pain of being mad at God for taking away the couple’s retirement plans of travel, memories with grandchildren and his lifetime partner and soulmate.

And because he was able to describe that pain reverently I heard from hundreds of readers of how, though heartbreaking, the Hendersons’ story gave them hope that they were not alone.

Some knew Ted and Karen personally and called it a beautiful tribute.

Others cried as they wrote or called, talking about how they could see their own grandparent, parent or aunt in the descriptions of Ted and Karen’s day.

But because he allowed that access, he gave others hope and gave programs like Project Lifesaver a voice to latch on to and provide service to those struggling to handle and cope with the ramifications of having a loved one with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Janelle Patterson is the city government reporter at The Marietta Times.