Breaking News

Local Columns

The Bill of Rights

Why is the United States Constitution the world’s longest surviving written charter of government in the world? Could it be because of the three branches of government, mapped out in Articles, I, II and III, providing the checks and balances to ensure power is shared? Or is it the states’ rights described in Article IV assuring each state respects the other states? Has the Constitution survived because of the famous Preamble, “We the People” that affirms the government of the United States exists to serve the citizens? Or could it be Article V which explains how to make ...

More than words: Non-verbal communication

My daughter, Dannielle, her husband and Arnie, their 7-year-old golden retriever came home for Memorial Day weekend. Arnie can’t speak a word of English but has a large vocabulary. Words like treat, outside, toy, food and bedtime are commonly understood by most dogs. Arnie takes communication to another level with his eyes, facial expressions, grunts and barks. I have seen Arnie’s frustration when his masters don’t understand his various grunts. Dannielle knows when Arnie grunts at 9 p.m. it’s time for his dental treat. I have no idea how he knows the time. Sitting at my desk ...

Law and Order and the Great Bobery*

When the first settlers arrived in April 1788 to create the town they would call Marietta, the territorial government had not been established yet. So, of necessity the pioneers set up temporary “laws” and regulations. Details are hazy. Several sources mention a “code of ...

Meet Lafayette’s host – Nahum Ward

When Lafayette visited Marietta 200 years ago, Nahum Ward was his host, at the home pictured on the left in this 1853 daguerreotype photo. It was then the “largest and most elegant” home in Marietta. He had visited the Marquis de Lafayette in 1823 while on a business trip to Europe. ...

MOV Climate Corner: A report back from college

On the last day my Natural Resources and Human Ecology professor said, “College is about discovering the meaning of life.” While I am not there yet, I do think I am on my way toward finding my meaning. On May 9, I finished my first year at the University of Vermont, studying Wildlife and Fisheries Biology. Vermont is far away, and has different politics compared to West Virginia, but when I’m driving through the mountains in Vermont, I feel like I’m back home. In my classes, I’ve been learning about Vermont’s progressive policies, which aim to preserve its “sense of ...

Marathon running goes back 2,500 years, ready to start your history?

Hundreds of people will take to the streets of Parkersburg on Aug. 16 to take part in the yearly News and Sentinel Half Marathon. They, and the millions of other people who run either a half or full marathon each year are running the distance because of an ancient messenger in Greece who ...