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Life Through the Lens: The necessity of ghosts

Free Time

Dog Stars (2026) – dir. by Ridley Scott Buddy (2026) – dir. by Casper Kelly “You gotta have something to haunt you, right? Otherwise, you might get lonely.” “Ghosts.” There, I said it. Now, I’m not trying to stir a debate about the existence of ghosts. Are there ghosts out there? Is there an ancient sea-captain named Blenny Blennerhassett that patrols his buried treasure underneath Point Park? Sure, why not. I would like to speak on a different type of ghost – one that is undeniable. The ghost of memories untethered. We are all haunted by them. The ...

Elections: Get off the sidelines and vote

Editorials

There are a disturbing number of intelligent, well-informed people who have taken a look at the state of our government and decided to wash their hands of it by removing themselves from the voting process. How often have you heard, “It’s all a mess. Neither side cares about anything but winning. No one represents me. I’m just not going to vote?” And so, elections are increasingly decided not by those who feel as though they are caught in the middle, but by those who are happy to fall toward one of the extremes. It is an understatement to call that less than ideal. “In ...

There is no hiding on social media

Editorials

A New Philadelphia municipal court’s creative sentence for a 21-year-old’s 17 wildlife crimes is fitting, yes; but also an important reminder to all of us about the boundaries we seem to forget when social media is at our fingertips. According to a Yahoo News report, Carter J. Hickey pleaded guilty to charges involving taking wildlife out of season, hunting without permission, illegally-possessed animals, using a vehicle to spotlight and kill wildlife and failure to follow game-check rules. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigation spanned 17 states. That investigation began ...

Reporter's Notebook: Excitement levels

Local columns

It is an interesting thing that despite Gov. Patrick Morrisey announcing the potential of $81 billion in investments in West Virginia for major economic development projects, a quick answer to a question on WV MetroNews Talkline by U.S. Sen. Jim Justice stole Morrisey's thunder. Yes, from his lips to God's ears, Justice told Talkline hosts Dave Wilson and T.J. Meadows last Thursday, broadcasting live from the Greenbrier for the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce's 90th Annual Meeting and Business Summit, that he was considering a run for governor in 2028 and that he would “make a ...

Labor Day: Remember what we’re working for

Editorials

No longer the precursor to the start of the school year for most students, Labor Day weekend now serves as the first three-day weekend break. Kids and their parents get one more chance to take it a bit easy before the grind of the fall semester and all its activities starts to take its ...