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Belpre school board drops marching band
Photo by Jeff Baughan
Rod Hineman, president of the Belpre City Schools District Board of Education, discusses the end of the marching band program during a meeting Monday.
May 20, 2008
BELPRE — Belpre City Schools District Board of Education approved a motion Monday night to not have a marching band for the coming school year. The four board members voted to approve the “non-renewal” of the marching band and flags supplemental contracts for the 2008-2009 school year. Board president Rod Hineman said the district chose to eliminate the marching band and flags programs because of the low participation numbers. “There were 13 students in the band this year,” Hineman said. “It’s not a credible marching band. . . it just made sense to cut the program.
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Wood election canvass continues today
May 20, 2008
PARKERSBURG — On Monday, Wood County commissioners got down to the tedious but necessary task of canvassing the primary election.
The Board of Canvass reviews each provisional (challenged) ballot to decide whether it will count.
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Officials return from trip to Japan
May 20, 2008
PARKERSBURG — A group of Mid-Ohio Valley officials returned over the weekend from a trade mission to Japan.
The seven-person delegation left May 9 and most returned Sunday, although some returned earlier.
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Canceled weekend flights hamper plans
May 20, 2008
WILLIAMSTOWN — Flights canceled into and out of the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport hampered plans for many during the weekend.
“It’s embarrassing,” said airport manager Terry Moore.
» Full Story
Top Headline Poll
Do you agree with Sen. Robert Byrd's endorsement of Barack Obama a week after West Virginia Democrats overwhelmingly voted for Hillary Clinton for the party's presidential nomination?
Yes
26%
No
74%
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All things old
Thu, April 3, 2008 @ 12:53PM
As the saying goes, all things old become new again. That appears to be the same with music. Don't get me wrong, I still have a very soft spot for the songs of my childhood. There's not a time I hear "Karma Chameleon" I don't smile. Also, I do own the two disk George Michael's Greatest Hits. But do we really need a resurgence of New Kids On the Block? I will say, as a grade school girl, I had a love of their up-beat tempos and dance rhythms. Now, I think they need to say goodbye to their popular days. For those of us who want to have a flashback to big hair, acid wash and high-tops, the boys are making the rounds and appearances and are apparently going to release a comeback CD later this year. I'm not sure how I feel about this. By the way, anyone been Rick-rolled, yet?
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Cam Huffman
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Day 8 - The Wrap-up and Final Reflections
Fri, May 16, 2008 @ 10:38AM
After a fascinating and I think productive week in Japan we thought we would leave you with some random observations and wonderful memories of our time in Tokyo and Nagoya: It’s amazing that cities with millions of people packed into relatively little space could be so clean. The streets and building were spotless. Not only did you not find trash, you didn’t find trash cans on every corner. They meticulously recycle and they take personal pride and responsibility for their surroundings. They are lessons more of us need to learn. It doesn’t take very long to notice that the American Auto Industry has little penetration in the Japanese car market. While we spotted a handful of luxury vehicles from the U.S.
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Rachel Lane
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Politics and gas prices
Tue, May 6, 2008 @ 4:54PM
Voting in West Virginia occurs May 13. Everyone go vote. You can visit the presidential candidates websites to learn their views on issues like the economy, but don't forget to check their voting record at a location like votesmart.org. If you don't think politics has anything to do with business, stop and consider the possible summer gas relief plan supported by Clinton and McCain. Economists say it will say the average gasoline used about $33 a year. While the money would be helpful for some people who have trouble getting to and from work, there's nothing to stop station owners, or the higher ups in the gasoline chain, from increasing the cost and pocketing the difference. Well, nothing but competetive rates with other stations. With gasoline prices and food prices, I don't think $11 a month will be much help to the families that have trouble driving to work in the morning. Many people will just drive more if prices are lower.
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Jess Mancini
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Living and dying by the political sword
Wed, April 30, 2008 @ 6:53AM
I was wondering when someone was going to cut to the chase. The Wood County Board of Education Tuesday rejected a local pay raise for teachers and service employees. "If you don't consider this issue an important one for the employees of Wood County, then I hope all of you enjoy the remainder of your board term, because I am certain the WVSSPA, the AFT and the WVEA will join together to see that we elect future board members who care for and about all the employees in Wood County,' said Vicki Squires, president of the service personnel association. Then this from Bob Mortgenstern, regional representative of the West Virginia American Federation of Teachers: "We're very upset with the direction the school board has chosen to go. We believe there has been a breakdown in trust. Unlike a bruise, this cut will take a long time to heal." The implication is watch out for the next election.
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Amy Mendenhall
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Guest Blogger, Shanna Swendson
Mon, May 12, 2008 @ 11:10AM
I'd like to welcome guest blogger, Shanna Swendson. Shanna is the author of "Enchanted, Inc.," "Once Upon Stilettos," "Damsel Under Stress" and most recently, "Don't Hex With Texas." She is here to talk about how she came up with the idea of her series. SHANNA SWENDSON: Perhaps the best bit of writing advice I've ever heard (and I don't recall where I heard it -- probably lots of places because it's very good advice) is to write what you want to read. Don't try to anticipate what other people will want to read or what trend you think will be hot. If you're writing for others instead of for yourself, your heart won't be in it. Trends change quickly, and what publishers are buying today may have nothing to do with what's on the shelves today. But if you're writing what you want to read, then your passion for the material will be genuine, and that may capture the imagination of someone else.
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Jody Murphy
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Politics v. Football
Wed, May 14, 2008 @ 10:20AM
Last night I covered my first election. I've worked in newspapers for more than a decade, but I hadn't been in a courthouse on election night since my sophomore year of college. Having made the jump to news from sports last year, it was inevitable I would cover an election. Last night was my baptism of fire so to speak. I've often heard reporters share horror stories about election nights. How brutal and demanding they are. If last night was ANY indication of what I am in for when it comes to elections, it has ABSOLUTELY nothing on a standard football Friday night in the sports department! My former fellow sports brethern would gladly trade a routine Friday night for an election night. Friday nights in sports is a zoo. In addition to covering a game and trying to tabulate stats, write a story and complete the boxscore the phones are ringing off the hook with folks wanting scores from games all over the state and coaches trying to call in their games.
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Dave Payne
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Jason Ricci back in Pburg, May 29
Thu, April 17, 2008 @ 3:01PM
I know people who have driven across two states to hear Jason Ricci play. People won't do that for just anybody. When Ricci performs, it's more than just the energy and drive his performance, Jason Ricci is, simply put, one of the most innovative musicians alive. He is on the razor edge of harmonica innovation and certainly one of the most unique players today. At age 33, Ricci has already become a legend. By the time he was 21, he had won the Sonny Boy Blues Society contest, had performed on the main stage at the King Biscuit Blues Festival, been featured on the Memphis evening news, and had worked with Susan Tedeschi, Billy Gibson, and Bobby Little. As a dynamic teenage prodigy, he was relatively new to the instrument, but developed his skills quickly through hard work and practice. The bluesman/rocker from Portland, Maine, started playing harmonica at the age of 14 and soon began studying the work of the harmonica masters, especially Little Walter.
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Art Smith
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From space, Parkersburg is still a little fuzzy
Mon, April 28, 2008 @ 4:45PM
A few months ago I wrote a blog about how fuzzy the area was when viewed through images used by Google Earth and Google Maps. With some areas of the country you can zoom in with the popular software so tight that you feel like a peeping tom. Not so with the Mid-Ohio Valley. It was a blurry mess. In the January blog I used Marietta as an example and displayed the blurry images of downtown that were generated by the program. Since then, something has happen. I really doubt that Google pays any attention to what I write, but the images of Marietta are now clear. In fact they are stunning. You can read MARIETTA on the football field. You can see fences in yards. You can tell what color the cars on the roads are. You get the idea. Parkersburg is still a fuzzy mess.
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Jim Smith
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OUCH!
Mon, May 19, 2008 @ 12:48PM
My 39 years of avoiding traffic citations ended Saturday evening. Not paying attention to my speed as I cruised down the Broad Street hill in front of the YMCA, I exceeded the 25 mph speed limit ... with a Parkersburg police officer taking notice. Within a block of the bottom of the hill I was pulled over, surrendering my recently renewed driver's license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance to Patrolman M.L. Bosley for him to check. Returning to my car, the officer politely told me I had exceeded the limit and was going to give me a break by citing me into Municipal Court for 31 mph in a 25 mph zone, for which I thanked him. I called the court Monday morning and was told my law-breaking would cost me $76, which I could mail to the court, which beats the heck out of being cited into magistrate court, having to appear and facing a fine of about $167.
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