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Letters to the Editor

Help keeps Marietta blooming

Sometimes it takes a village to help Marietta in Bloom continue to provide eight gardens to be enjoyed by others. This past April with the help of the City of Marietta, Oriana House and our members, we were able to mulch all gardens. And again in June with the help of Oriana House, Fred Smith, Lowe’s and our members, we were able to construct a corner wall at the Sacra Via garden to help with rainwater runoff that had been washing away mulch. We would not be able to maintain these gardens without the help of this village.

Recycling trailer vandalized

The Warren Township trailer has been vandalized for a second time and is at risk for being removed once again. The first time was due to contamination from someone’s bathroom remodeling. Pieces of the bathtub, rotten flooring, and pieces of concrete were placed in the trailer, which contaminated the contents of the trailer. This morning, I was there when the Rumpke representative was there to haul the trailer away for shipment to Columbus where items would be sorted and recycled. We looked in the trailer today and a perpetrator had “dropped off” lumber scraps and a wooden ...

Remember government is for people

I urge all those in government to really look at their role in the events that are happening since Jan. 20, 2024. Those in D.C. need to get some spines, brains and hearts to begin to work for the people of WV and America. Those in Charleston and Columbus need to stop using our tax money to pay for their private schools, wasting money on plaques for each classroom, and providing protection for all workers, including mine workers. We need all those fired by Musk to be reinstated. We need clean water and air, health care, nutrition – like Meals on Wheels, SNAP, foreign aid. One way ...

Why cutting Medicaid will cost more than keeping it

The latest stupid idea out of Washington comes from the Senate where Republicans are trying to appease hospital administrators who worry that cutting medicaid will result in closure of rural hospitals nationwide. The Republicans are proposing a “slush fund” to prop up those hospitals who are likely to lose revenue in areas of the country where medicaid funds provide care. The inhumane part of this proposal is that low income seniors, children and individuals with disabilities will no longer have primary care nor access to life-saving medications. The result of this will be an ...

Support independent journalism

As a former civics and history teacher whose first job was at Marietta Junior High School in 1969 — immediately after graduating from Marietta College, I taught my students that education and access to reliable information are the foundation of a healthy democracy. Today, those pillars are under threat. Across the country, political forces are working to intimidate universities and media outlets, aiming to suppress independent thought and critical inquiry. This is a dangerous trend. History shows us that illiberal regimes — like those in Russia, Turkey, and Hungary — often begin ...

The story of Marietta Area Recycling

In March of 1976, a little over 49 years ago, Marilyn Ortt and Caroline Putnam, two environmentally conscious women, spearheaded the drive for a public recycling center in Marietta. The first site for the Marietta Area Recycling Center (MARC) was located at Post & Butler at the old mill site now known as Marietta Harbor and was run in conjunction with the City of Marietta. Staffing at the time was part time through a program with Community Action as well as volunteers. On any given day you may have seen members of the Ortt, Putnam and Pickering Family smashing cans with a sledge hammer ...