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Living Democracy: Engaging citizens

“We the people…” includes you and me. I am the people and today’s the day! I’ve never worked the polls, but I’d like to do my part to ensure the blessings of liberty for us all. It may seem a bit intimidating, but we need lots of people to help us vote, so I’ve been looking into it and here’s what I’ve found out: You can serve as a poll worker in Ohio if you: -Are a U.S. citizen -Are at least 18 years of age and registered to vote, or 17 years old and in high school -Are a resident of the county in which you plan to serve -Are not running as a candidate for the ...

Early Marietta: Sternwheelin’ with the E L THUMPER

I scanned a listing of the boats in Marietta for the Sternwheel Festival. Many are familiar names from many festivals past. One caught my eye: E L THUMPER, owned by Jack and Kathy Bedeck of Pittsburgh. Instantly, a video memory came to life from 50 years ago in the early days of the ...

Cracking the code: Believe and win

Four games into our high school soccer season, no wins. We struggled to score like last year. The difference: Last year we had a strong defense. This year we allowed four goals per game. Game 4 was our worst loss in memory. Game 5 was an away game with our archrival. The coaches saw bright spots in the devastating game 4 loss. Fixable mistakes led to most of our opponent’s goals. There were other bright spots. Before our boys could win on the field they had to win in their heads. They had to believe in themselves and their teammates. Our next game was 4 days away. Anything we did as ...

MOV Climate Corner: In my life

As a child growing up in southwestern Pennsylvania, I remember the weather having four separate seasons during the calendar year. There seemed to be a specific winter, spring, summer and fall that were distinct and different. Although summers could be hot, daily temperatures rarely reached 100 degrees. Torrential rains and out of season snow storms were rare. Tornadoes and earthquakes never occurred locally or in nearby states. But the changes in the temperature and weather experienced in my own short life span seem astounding. Short at least as compared to the age of our universe or our ...

Living Democracy: Voting, the power of the people!

To vote or not to vote, that is the question. Do you say to yourself, “My vote doesn’t count!” “One vote won’t make a difference.” “There is no one to vote for.” Or do you get ready, get set, go vote! The United States is a constitutional republic, a form of government that elects representatives that carry out their duties as directed in the U.S. Constitution. We are often referred to as a democracy because we elect representatives to make decisions, decisions deeply influenced by public opinion through voting. For a democracy to function, the citizens need to ...

The Way I See It: Left handers face a lifetime of annoying challenges

On Aug. 13 the nation paused to reflect on the hardships imposed on the 10% of the population that will be celebrating National Left Handers Day. No, it didn’t. I fully understand that 89.4 % of the people reading this are likely snickering right now because they use the “right” ...