It is budget time again and for the last several Vienna City Council meetings I have spoken publicly regarding an item that amounts to over 15 percent of the city’s budget. The City of Vienna pays $1,277,569 to provide health insurance to 81 employees and their families. By comparison, the ...

This is in reference to the Wood County Senior Citizen Association Inc. The Parkersburg News and Sentinel on Feb. 6, printed an article and a picture showing the new executive director accepting a $5,000 donation from Dominion Energy. This donation was to be used for the Meals on Wheels ...

Title X is under assault and this is an attack that should concern everyone. A proposed “gag rule” being reviewed by the Office of Budget and Management in Washington D.C. would damage men and women’s access to health care across the country. This proposed rule takes direct aim at Title ...

As the president declared his emergency on our south border, I daydreamed of Frost’s poem “Mending Wall:” “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That wants it down. ... I saw (my neighbor) there Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top In each hand, like an old-stone ...

First I’d like to thank Ralph Chambers for his kind words regarding my submissions to the Parkersburg News and Sentinel. I also appreciate Mr. Chambers and his efforts very much. But I’m writing today in response to Dan Kessinger and his, well, interesting response to some of my most recent ...

A proposed rule change currently being considered in Washington, D.C., by the Office of Management and Budget would restrict doctors and other healthcare providers from giving needed information to their patients. This rule would prohibit doctors and nurses from providing their patients with ...

Education has dominated this session of the West Virginia Legislature for many good reasons. The knowledge and skills of our citizenry set the tone for our economic prosperity, freedoms and quality of life. The focus of our legislators on K-12 and higher education is meaningful, and today I ...

In response to a letter written by Mr. Westfall on Feb. 3, in regard to his “Building wall worth sacrifices,” it seems he is uninformed about reality in regard to those 800,000 federal workers. Most are close to retirement and have been at their jobs for years, and most do have savings that ...

Eric Engle of Parkersburg writes some of the best letters to the editor The News and Sentinel will print. His letters usually specialize in climate change and related environmental issues and they’re always built around scientific facts and hard data. On Sunday, Feb. 10, Mr. Engle changed ...

At the end of Eric Engle’s letter, he managed to at least imply something truthful, albeit accidentally. He closed his pro-infanticide letter by claiming that policies ought not to be influenced by religion or ideology (as though his position is not one of ideology). In other words, if one ...

The Parkersburg Holiday in the Park opened for the 24th year on Nov. 17, 2018, with Parkersburg Fire Chief Jason Matthews as Master of Ceremonies and he was also selected as Honorary Chair for the 2018 Holiday in the Park. The new light displays added this year were the Angel at Veterans ...

Recently our state has been beset by comments made by a member of the Legislature. Delegate Porterfield, of Mercer County, compared LGBTQ citizens to the Ku Klux Klan as well as calling them terrorists, socialists, and more. This minister and professional missionary followed his tirade with an ...

Since Sen. Capito is on the panel tasked with keeping the federal government open, I’ve been watching what she’s been saying about spending negotiations. Late last month, she said there is a “sweet spot” where the GOP and Democrats can both agree and called for “some sort of legal ...

As of Feb. 6, the Omnibus Education Bill has not been voted out of the House Education Committee. Bills are supposed to be on one topic. I believe the bill as voted out of the WV Senate is at least five bills. 1. This bill covers teacher and school personnel raises. 2. It requires annual ...

“The phrase “late-term abortion” is medically inaccurate and has no clinical meaning. In science and medicine, it’s essential to use language precisely. In pregnancy, to be “late term” means to be past 41 weeks gestation, or past a patient’s due date. Abortions do not occur in ...

God bless America. With Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi calling the shots in our congress, we sure do need his blessing. The Democrats’ hatred for President Donald Trump is beyond reproach. One serious problem the United States faces today is our non-existent southern border barrier and the ...

As these times become more known as a period of “throw-it-away,” we are hearing more and more horror stories of family photos, written history and general artifacts of the past being put on the curb, ending up in the landfill. I would implore persons who are doing spring housecleaning, ...

The assumption that the recent government shutdown did not cause suffering is unsubstantiated. Federal employees encompass a broad scope of government agencies. To say that there is something wrong with them if they can’t make it several months without pay is a cause for concern. I agree ...

The proposed Omnibus education bill should be broken into separate bills and debated on the merits of each bill. By grouping numerous educational issues together in a 137-page document and rushing the bill through committees, someone is attempting to hide those portions that are damaging to our ...

Is there no respect for speed limits? We live in a straight stretch of Old St. Marys Pike. Vehicles that travel this road always seem to be in such a hurry! If law enforcement would check the speed of 50 vehicles, a good guess would be that at least 40 would be exceeding the limit. This must ...