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Message to Marietta City Council and Mayor’s Office

It is troubling to think that there is even the appearance of a conflict of interest between several members of Marietta City Council and a far left so-called environmental group from Athens County that is funded by hundreds-of-thousands of dollars from four special interest groups in California. The city council (from the first settlement of the Northwest Territory) needs to ask itself who it works for. The people of Marietta, Ohio, or radical leftists out of San Francisco, California? For the city council to even consider a partnership with Earth Justice, a quarter billion-dollar ...

No on permit to drill injection well(s)

Marietta was just voted the “best” historical small town in the United States. That is fantastic to say the least. Marietta being the first settlement and the gateway to the west. That designation will truly help tourism and the bottom-line income for the many small shops in and around Marietta. This we are at risk of losing if we do not have clean water. If we allow one family business to make millions while potentially taking away the income to all the local shops benefiting from tourism. We are the fracking industry’s dumping ground. I attended the Ohio EPA’s meeting and ...

Union families betrayed

Just a few more days and it will be Labor Day. For many, it is just another long weekend for hot dogs, hamburgers, boating, swimming and many other activities before cooler weather prevails. But for union members, true dedicated union members, it is more. It is a time to reflect on what it means to be a union member. For my union, the United Steelworkers, and many other unions it means it is a shield, a voice, a force that ensures no worker left behind. Unions fight for fair wages and benefits, safe working conditions, dignity and respect. That fight wasn’t just for ourselves but ...

Is our drinking water safe from fracking brine?

At a special meeting on July 29, the Marietta City Council heard testimony from experts on the risks of expanding a brine injection facility by DeepRock Disposal Solutions LLC, located just outside of Marietta. The chamber was filled beyond capacity with residents voicing concern. The planned expansion is designed to take in more fracking brine and “other” waste from West Virginia and Pennsylvania, where injection permits supposedly cannot be obtained as easily. Fracking brine comes from the drilling of natural gas wells in shale layers. It is a residue that must be treated or ...

Memories of Japan after war

The article on the opinion page Marietta Times Aug. 6, 2025, (Truman made the right decision to drop the bomb), brought back memories to me. As a young 18-year-old man in the U.S. Navy in the early spring of 1959, I boarded a U.S. Navy ship in Long Beach, Calif., that would take me to Sasebo, Japan. From there, I would travel to a U.S. airbase in Japan and fly to Okinawa to join my Seabee battalion. As best as I can remember, the trip across the ocean to Japan took two weeks or more. I was only in Sasebo for a couple of days when I was given orders and a ticket to board a train that ...

Critical need for tree watering

Combined lack of rainfall and excessive temperatures leave recently planted trees stressed for survival. Any trees planted in the past three years chances of survival are increased by those willing to insure young trees get five gallons of water per week. The late Marilyn Ortt always reminded the community members of the young trees’ needs during hot, dry periods. Trees cool or community, provide oxygen, shade, habitat among dozens of other necessary features for our survival. Trees, children, animals and drinking water depend upon responsible people for their survival. ...