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Report cards show range of success and struggle in Washington County schools

Editorials

Report card day. For some students, it’s a chance to get excited about how well they’ve been doing; for others, it’s a day met with dread, as they are confronted with how much room for improvement they face. The same is true for school districts in Ohio, as the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s annual school report cards mean validation and celebration for some, and a reminder it’s time for others to make some significant adjustments. In Washington County, students are in school districts that received the full range of scores. Fort Frye Local School ...

MOV Climate Corner: Are we prepared?

Local Columns

2026 brought a summer of flash floods. We all remember the devastation inflicted on parts of West Virginia in July and August. Last month, as some areas began recovering while others were inundated, Charlise Robinson used this column to point out the need for more flood resilience in the state. More recent news has shown us more widespread devastation, and we in our river towns must face the question: are we ready for the next flood? In mid-August, heavy rains and flash floods brought much of southern and central Ohio to a standstill, destroying homes and disrupting lives. In Indiana, ...

Early Marietta: Sternwheelin’ with the E L THUMPER

Local Columns

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

Local Columns

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 ...

Letter to the editor: Unanswered questions

Letters to the Editor

Reference: This letter concerns the subject of Frack Water and is in response to the article by Gwen Sour printed in the Sept. 5, issue of the Marietta Times. It was stated that the city tests selected wells monthly for VOCs and for chloride and conductivity. Begging questions, such as: •Why aren't all wells tested? What proportion of the wells is tested? Is the well testing organization certified by the US EPA as proficient and competent? •Are the personnel involved in taking samples, preparing samples and doing the actual testing properly and recently trained, tested ...

Fall offers new chances to explore Ohio

Editorials

It might not feel like it just yet, but fall is on its way. With the transition to colorful leaves and (for many of us) more comfortable weather comes yet another opportunity for Ohio to shine — especially for those who didn’t quite work the traveling bug out of their system over the summer. According to TourismOhio, the state offers “gold medal” leaf peeping opportunities, particularly at its 76 FREE state parks and Cuyahoga Valley National Park. For Mid-Ohio Valley residents, options include Forked Run, Strouds Run, Lake Hope, Hocking Hills, Burr Oak, Jesse Owens, Musingkum ...