Breaking News

Local Columns

Clintons had a habit of swinging through the area

In the not-so-distant past, Ohio was more of a swing state, and we seemed to get visited more frequently by presidents and people trying to become presidents. It’s been a little while now since anyone with a Secret Service detail has stopped by the area. One particular power couple passed through the area multiple times on their way up and down the political ladder. Former Democratic nominee, Secretary of State, Senator, and First Lady Hillary Clinton was the first of the Clintons to visit the area when she came here on Nov. 12, 1993, to promote the Clintons’ version of the ...

Street names have been confusing for decades

Somehow as Marietta grew, duplicate street names became an issue. The city council set out to fix things in 1941 when they went on a name-changing binge across the city. The confusion likely started as the city grew. What may have started as a single road may have gotten chopped up as the streets were realigned. Some of the suggestions outlined in a Jan. 5, 1941, front page article in The Marietta Times would go into effect, while others seem to have been cast aside. The council of the time wanted to honor presidents and military personnel of the city. They proposed changes to ...

The Preamble

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Way back in junior high school Mr. Murray, my social studies teacher, had us memorize the Preamble to the constitution. He must have thought it was important. And all these decades later I remember Mr. Murray and the Preamble. It’s fascinating the things ...

February needs to be respected more

February, or as the Romans called it, Februarius is upon us. Depending on whether a groundhog sees his shadow Sunday, we either have six more weeks of winter, or we don’t. The month, I have always thought, never really gets the respect that it deserves. It kind of reminds me of Pluto. Always struggling to stay up with the other planets, I mean months. February is named after the Latin term februum, which means “purification” because of a purification ritual that was once held mid-month in the old lunar based Roman calendar. The month was the last month of the year until ...

A good night’s rest is something that should not be taken for granted

Getting eight hours of restorative sleep is something that is special but is unfortunately somewhat elusive. Lack of sleep can increase the chances of things like diabetes and heart disease, stroke, obesity and dementia, according to the National Council on Aging. More than a third of Americans report getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night, 30% report some symptoms of insomnia. The conditions that we have where we try to sleep can have a large impact on how much sleep we are able to get. Individuals that lack a good mattress, a cool, dark and quiet room are likely to experience ...

Wildlife can be elusive in winter

If you are a frequent reader of The Marietta Times you have noticed that wildlife is a frequent subject of the daily photo that runs on page 2 of the newspaper. Since 2017 we have featured deer, turtles, spiders, fish, bees, wild turkeys, racoons, ground hogs, snakes, foxes, many species of birds and even a few tiny insects in the daily spot. The creatures add an interesting element to photos and help to make them more compelling for the reader – you – to look at. During the warm months, things are out and about and are easier to capture. We are now in the middle of the ...