Blogs List
Odds and Ends (Mostly Odds)
 Roger Adkins |
Mattea and others pay homage to roots musicFri, November 7, 2008 @ 9:35PM I was pleasantly surprised Thursday when I walked into the multi-purpose room at West Virginia University at Parkersburg to cover Kathy Mattea's speaking engagement. I immediately noticed two beautiful acoustic guitars sitting on guitar stands on the stage. I had been under the impression Mattea wouldn't be performing as part of the lecture, but I knew she had other plans when I saw those two guitars. Mattea punctuated her informative lecture on the coal industry in West Virginia with some fantastic live music from her latest album, "Coal." Mattea went on to play another excellent show Friday night at the Smoot Theatre. I admit I haven't listened to Mattea's complete body of work over the years. That said, I've always respected her and felt she has a fantastic singing voice. More importantly, I greatly appreciate what she has done with this latest album.
|
Methods of Distraction
 Jolene Craig |
Season of Goblins and Candy LoversMon, October 27, 2008 @ 1:19PM Quite possibly, there is no holiday better suited to pop culture than Halloween. I mean, what other time of the year can you not only give out candy but also see a large array of costumed munchkins at the same time? Since I live in the north sector of our coverage area, I handed out candy this past Saturday night. There was the typical range of princesses, witches and movie-themed characters asking for a Snickers bar. What surprised me was the number of pirates who joined the fun. I haven't seen that many pirates since last summer's "Pirates of the Caribbean" film, and even then they weren't nearly as fun to watch. My household gave out glow in the dark bracelets we found in $1 tubes at Target. Those bracelets were a hit. I've never seen kids so happy with something that didn't involve chocolate and sugar. Many trick-or-treaters even forgot about the candy and I had to remind them that there was still another treat.
|
Runners to Your Mark...
 Hilary Heinzman |
2009 Half Marathon Date is SetFri, October 31, 2008 @ 11:17AM Mark your calendars for Aug.22, 2009,for the 23rd anual Parkersburg News and Sentinel Half Marathon and Two-Mile Race. Once again the News and Sentinel half marathon is the RRCA National Championship and we are looking forward to you joining us. You can sign up online today! Don't forget to check out our Web site for updated information and results from the 2008 races. There is still time to order photos off CU of the 2008 Half Marathon, Two-Mile Race and Kids Races. Order prints, T-shirts, mugs, key chains and much more. These could make some very nice Christmas gifts. Check out the links and see if you find yourself in the race. Best of luck on the rest of your running season and try to stay warm with the winter months upon us. If you have any questions e-mail me at » Read Full Blog |
Business Savvy
 Rachel Lane |
A local observes reaction to election in AfricaThu, November 20, 2008 @ 4:56PM While my blog concentrates on business issues, politics intertwine throughly with business. Just think of the economic stimulus packages congress is trying to organize. A local resident I interviewed several months ago, Whitney Wilding, is a Peace Corps teacher in Mauritania, a country on the west coast of Africa. She sends journal entries to friends and family. One of her more recent installments discusses the local reaction to Obama's election. Her entry, in it's entirety, follows. {Information I add is in brackets} *Special Election Coverage* Well, “Obamamania” has hit Africa. I’m sure you’ve heard that the continent is excited that Americans have elected their first black president—Mauritania is no exception. It’s funny, before Election Day, people would mention Obama occasionally and seemed to like him but that’s as far as it went.
|
Mancini's Commentaries
 Jess Mancini |
Smoking ban going up in ashesThu, November 20, 2008 @ 9:28AM Over in Cumberland, Md., the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene gave waivers to two bars in Allegany County to exempt them from a statewide ban on indoor smoking. Shooters Bar and Grill on U.S. 220 and Smitty's on Bedford Road in Cumberland claim business dropped off since the ban went into effect in February. Donna Huff of Shooters claimed a 30 percent loss and that customers are going to West Virginia where smoking is allowed. The waivers expire in three years. The more I keep saying I'm not an anti-smoking Nazi, the more I sound like I'm a facist when it comes to tobacco control. Maryland health officials made an error by waiving the smoking prohibition upon the two establishments, despite the waivers are temporary. That decision opens the door for other waivers. The counties across in West Virginia that still allow smoking in public places are equally in error for not imposing a ban.
|
Book Nook
 Amy Mendenhall |
A Visit to the Book ShelvesTue, November 18, 2008 @ 9:33AM I'd like to occasionally take a look at older books and authors that you may not have heard of - books that are available on the shelves of libraries or in used bookstores. This week's featured books come from the same author - Rae Foley. Rae Foley was a pseudonym used by Elinore Denniston. She wrote what we might call 'cozy mysteries' back in the late 1940s through the 1970s. I chose two that our local libraries could get fairly quickly, "Nightmare House" (1969) and "The Girl Who Had Everything" (1977). In "Nightmare House," a young woman comes to find her new home in New York City is the site of murder and mayhem! Norma was lucky enough to be adopted by an older couple who had also taken charge of their nephew, Nate. Norma and Nate grew up almost like brother and sister, but when Norma grew older, it became apparent that she was expected to marry Nate and be a "settling influence" on the strange young man.
|
Five minutes in a Verbal Tsunami
 Jody Murphy |
From the mouths of babesFri, October 31, 2008 @ 9:27AM Handing out candy on the porch last night we had only a handful of trick or treaters. We aren't located in a very good spot for trick or treating. The homes on both sides of us do not participate. Nor do the two houses across the street from us. Most of the kids who come down the street can't see that our light is on, due to a giant holly tree in the front yard. So we don't get very many kids. So it was last night as well. But that didn't stop us from handing out candy and my wife taking the kids out again. They had a fun - albeit a cold night - Tuesday in St. Marys. They came back Thursday night with their bags once again full of candy. Meanwhile, back at the homestead, me and George our old cat (I don't really care much for him) sat on the porch to hand out candy. One little fellow - couldn't have been older than 9 - dressed as a football player came up the sidewlak.
|
An Elk River Boy made good
 Dave Payne |
Rest in peace, Mr. RamseyTue, November 18, 2008 @ 3:15PM The music industry and how the masses consume its products are fleeting things. Fame and fortune are not always synonymous with talent. Some are talented and famous. Some are just famous. But many of the most talented don't get that shot with the big recording contracts and fancy national tours and Top 40 radio won't play what they're selling. So when Britanny Spears cuts her hair and has some mental-health episode that is irrelevant to any aspect of the average person's life, it's splashed all over the television for weeks. Pat Ramsey died yesterday afternoon and blues fans everywhere mourn his passing. Elsewhere, however, there is nothing but silence and a widening of the great chasm between the American music industry and American music. Ramsey was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, the same town where Hank Williams rose to stardom, in 1953, the year Williams' died.
|
It's your internet
 Art Smith |
Tuesday's election is historicMon, November 3, 2008 @ 10:01AM Tomorrow is Election Day. Yes, I know it is historical, yes I know that we will have either have a black man as president, or a woman as vice president. Neither should be an issue. Unfortunately they both have been. For a huge number of Americans it is historical for another reason. There is neither a Bush nor Clinton on the ticket. A voter must look back to 1976 and the election between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford to find an election that didn’t have a Bush or Clinton running either on the top or bottom of the ticket. Jimmy Carter won that election of course, only to be beaten four years later by the Reagan- Bush ticket. Ronald Reagan came to Marietta the weekend before the election in a push to get the Ohio vote. A college student at Ohio University at the time, I helped cover the event for The Marietta Times. A few days later I would vote in my first presidential election.
|
Editor's Log
 Jim Smith |
Annual cookbook in Nov. 23 editionTue, November 18, 2008 @ 7:54AM For all those who look forward to The News' annual cookbook edition, as in the past, just in time for Thanksgiving, the 54th annual Parkersburg News and Marietta AM Cookbook will be in the Sunday, Nov. 23, editions. The 80-page cookbook, with features on the category winners and grand-prize winner, will have hundreds of recipes for appetizers, soups, salads, breads, main dishes, side dishes and desserts. And, as in past years, extra copies will be available at The News and Sentinel offices on Juliana Street to give as gifts to your favorite cooks. For years I have been involved in cookbook editions at newspapers where I have worked and always give a copy to my mother, my mother-in-law and my aunt in Peru, Ind. I think my aunt enjoys the cookbooks more than anyone and has tried many of the recipes.
|
