Most people are aware of the West Virginia minimum wage hike and Obama's call for forced wage hikes, but I must disagree with forced wage increases. Have you ever taken the time to realize that when the cost of labor goes up, the cost of all other goods and services also goes up? Wage hikes ...

A new report by the Congressional Budget Office out today (Monday, May 5, 2014) states that more than 12 million people will gain health insurance under the Affordable Care Act in this year, and millions more stand to benefit from the law over the next decade.In addition, the law's costs to the ...

On Sunday, April 27, folks from the community, various churches, and Wood County Christian School came together to help a local family. The response to the Tucker Heslop Spaghetti Dinner Benefit and Silent Auction was overwhelming. At this writing $22,200.52 has been raised to assist Tucker's ...

A few weeks ago, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel printed an article about a man who put cats/kittens in a bag and threw them in the water to drown them. As a result, he was sentenced to three years in jail.I do not remember ever seeing anyone sentenced, not even a slap on the wrist, for ...

In the early 1990s, Monsanto wanted to be able to sell its super weed killer, Roundup, to farmers to kill weeds around food plants, but couldn't because the plants would die on contact with it. So the smart people at Monsanto figured out a way to alter the genetic makeup of a food plant, the ...

If you believe God created all life, born and unborn, and that abortion is the taking of human life made in His image, then you have a duty to do all you can to end abortion. By voting for pro-life candidates only, you are helping to protect those who cannot protect themselves - our unborn ...

It was with great pleasure I read your publication of the Parkersburg newspaper on May 2nd. I was very pleased to see extensive coverage of "National Day of Prayer." Our nation certainly needs the prayers of all believers during these very difficult times and it was an event worthy of news ...

Call me an extremist, but I think privatizing Social Security and Medicare would be an insane thing to do. I watched my retirement portfolio shrivel during a tech stock bust, then again when the housing bubble burst. The portfolio has only recently begun to grow again but will never regain the ...

I wrote a review of the city of Parkersburg, W.Va., on one of their Facebook pages this morning. That review will never see the light of day I am sure. Some background: My wife and I have both suffered life-threatening diseases in the last 10 years, hers continues and is terminal. That 10 years ...

I think that our civics classes have failed the local population. Last week I read so many letters that made me shudder with shame with the ignorance they represented.If you feel there is nothing wrong with a religious verse being displayed in a public school, then you do not understand the ...

I certainly hope that every registered voter uses his right to vote in Ohio and West Virginia during this primary election and again in November. We know that there is a wide wealth gap between the 1 percent and the rest of the nation. We have asked our senators and representatives to work for ...

It is hard enough for voters to keep the candidates straight in a primary election without obstacles being placed in their path. One such obstacle is the "Azinger - House of Delegates" language on campaign signs sprouting up around the county. Voters would be forgiven for assuming the candidate ...

Soon we will have a primary election for the Republican candidate for Washington County Commissioner. I would like the citizens of Washington County to support Jeremy Barton.I have known Mr. Barton for a few years and have found him to be a man that is not afraid of responsibility or hard work. ...

On April 5, 2014, our rural home on Hope Hill Road caught fire in the early morning. We attempted to fight the fire but needed to call the Lubeck VFD. They responded within 10-15 minutes and quickly assessed the fire and extinguished it. Their rapid response and professional actions doubtlessly ...

In the coverage of the incident surrounding Mr. Mausali's death, WTAP and The Parkersburg News found it necessary to drag him through the mud by replaying his previous brushes with the law. This young man was a son, brother and friend.Did they really have to be reminded of all this at this ...

People can not make enough wages at $7.25 an hour to live a decent life. Raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour will do no good unless a cost of living increase is attached to it. But something needs to be done so people working will benefit more than by not working.What should happen is ...

I came to Ohio in 1971 as a young girl. I fell in love with this area, and raised my own family here in Southeastern Ohio. As a nurse in this community, I have worked in local hospitals, surgery centers, Hospice, and free clinics. Over many years I have seen different kinds of needs that our ...

On March 21, my daughter had a wonderful 85th birthday party for me at the Golden Corral. I saw so many old and new friends, and I thought this would be a perfect way to thank them all.First, my daughter, Beth Farnsworth, for all the work and the idea, and her two sons, and their families. And ...

Yolan Dennis is an attractive, and very nice person. I like her. However, I don't think she has the personality, drive, tenacity, and command of the facts to unseat everyone's favorite liberal - Debbie Phillips.Daniel W. Lantz is one who can, and will, do just that! He is a straight talker, ...

Despite the anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, the contamination of the Elk River and the drinking water in West Virginia, the groundwater pollution from 33 coal ash dumps and the coal ash spill in the Dan River in North Carolina, and the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of ...