Saturday, officially, is Small Business Saturday. It is the day on which, for the past several years, clever marketers have suggested we spend a single day altering our shopping habits to explore the small, locally owned businesses in our communities. It’s a great idea, but it is not big ...
Diving into this month’s column, it’s hard to believe we’re in the swing of the holiday season. It’s the season of giving and the season to be thankful. We at the O’Neill Center and Belpre Senior Center have a lot to be thankful for. Washington County voters told us on Nov. 3 ...
Continuing with the topic of German immigrants, attention now shifts to the Grohs family. The patriarch Jacob Grohs was a man of many skills. He came to Matamoras in 1863 and was a harness and saddle maker. However a devastating fire broke out in a block of buildings along the upper side of ...
COVID-19 has outrun Ohio officials’ ability to keep track of it, much less control it. On Monday and Tuesday, viewers of the state’s online epidemic “dashboard” — coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/dashboards — again saw the following message in bright red ...
Our mail carriers have been doing a great job. But with shorter days many of the routes are finishing deliveries well after dark making their work much more dangerous. To assist them I would like to suggest that at dusk we turn on our outside porch lights to make their work safer, easier and ...
How very much we need this day, in this strange year, as a reminder to look toward what is good, and that for which we can, still, be grateful. Some have been blissfully untouched by the wrath of a deadly virus, economic setbacks, political turmoil and so much else. Those fortunate few can, ...
It’s illogical and irresponsible to proclaim that face masks don’t work and that we should use common sense. When we are faced with a deadly respiratory virus, common sense tells us that a facial barrier will prevent the airborne germs from entering our bodies. COVID doesn’t care about ...
President-elect Joe Biden is being urged by some to include a Native American in his Cabinet, possibly as secretary of the Interior Department. If he does that, the person named would be the first Native American ever to serve in the Cabinet. Proponent of such action have a person in mind: ...
Federal CARES Act assistance has been invaluable for many American families and businesses. Without it, what appears to be a record-setting recovery from the financial crisis caused by COVID-19 would not be occurring. Millions of families with laid-off breadwinners would be in desperate ...
The recent letter in the Times was so full of misinformation that I feel compelled to respond again. The writer was adamant that the Covid-19 virus was “nothing to worry about” and that the scientists and doctors don’t know anything. He cited the fact that early in the Spring, when masks ...
It takes a lot of money to properly raise children — provide for their needs, keep them safe and give them the best opportunities possible. According to a federal lawsuit, however, officials in Ohio believe it costs less for relatives to raise children placed in their care than for licensed ...
During the recent election, voters voiced that it was time for change. Not all, but over 7,000,000 more voters believe that change was needed. Yet, our current “President” and his cronies cannot accept the fact: YOU LOST or in his reality show words, YOU’RE FIRED!! This reality show ...
Wednesday when a reporter attempted to check COVID-19 figures at the Ohio Department of Health’s dashboard, the numbers looked familiar. They were what had been reported the day before. An explanation posted by ODH was disturbing: “Today’s data incomplete; thousand of reports are pending ...
The Machetanz family was part of the German community in Matamoras. The patriarch was Gottfried, born in 1808 in Saxony. In Germany he and his wife Maria, who was born in 1814, had ten children. In 1858 the family, then consisting of eight living children, came to the United States and ...
I feel my twitter interaction quoted in the the article published Nov. 12, 2020, “DeWine: Ohio ramping up mask rules,” with the author was misconstrued. I clearly stated to the author that evidence for mask use was mixed and was my personal opinion only. I was not speaking for the PA ...
I’m staying home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The pandemic is not a hoax. Over 250,000 people have died and if we all just followed CDC guidelines of wearing a mask, keeping a distance from each other, not attending large gatherings and washing our hands often, we could slow the spread of ...
Friends are important to positive youth development. Developing friendships is about more than just having a good time; friendships teach children very important life lessons like communication, conflict resolution and cooperation. Friendships are important to social and emotional development, ...
The holiday season is the culmination of the year. November and December bring times of celebrating with family, friends and the community. Occasionally, we have to deal with someone that makes the holidays less enjoyable, like Cousin Eddie in “Christmas Vacation.” This year, we all have ...
Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are our pride and joy, and I am sure you have heard the expression, “Had I known grandchildren would be so much fun - I would have had them first,” that sounds funny, but it is very true. Children are blessing to us from above and are sent to ...
Mark Hawk of Superior Toyota Hyundai is right when he says these are “times we’ve never seen before.” For more than 8 months, in fact, Mid-Ohio Valley residents have been navigating a surreal set of challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has affected all aspects of life, and ...