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Officials revive calls to build prison
January 18, 2009
PARKERSBURG — Last week’s message to lawmakers that inmates in West Virginia’s prison system will grow to more than 8,500 within four years has revived calls by local officials to build a penitentiary in or near Wood County.
» Full Story
Pinewood racers hit the track
January 18, 2009
PARKERSBURG — It was derby time again in Parkersburg, however, this derby was in races between small hand-made racers made by area Cub Scouts.
» Full Story
Hand washing can halt spread of sickness
January 18, 2009
PARKERSBURG — As the flu and cold seasons continue, the local hospitals are reminding people to keep their hands clean to help prevent the spread of viruses and help prevent illness.
» Full Story
Rapson’s body sent to medical examiner
January 18, 2009
NEW MARTINSVILLE — The body of a Parkersburg man found in the woods in Wetzel County has been sent to the medical examiner for an autopsy, the Wetzel County sheriff said Saturday.
» Full Story
Missing elderly man found dead
January 17, 2009
Staff Report
NEW MARTINSVILLE - The body of a Parkersburg man found in the woods in Wetzel County has been sent to the medical examiner for an autopsy, the Wetzel County sheriff said Saturday.
» Full Story
Circuit City to liquidate remaining U.S. stores
January 17, 2009
VIENNA — Circuit City, the nation’s second-biggest consumer electronics retailer, reached an agreement with liquidators on Friday to sell the merchandise in its 567 U.S. stores after failing to find a buyer or a refinancing deal.
» Full Story
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Roger Adkins
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Passing the Torch
Fri, January 2, 2009 @ 5:30PM
I recently had the bittersweet experience of writing a story looking back at Ken Merritt's time as Wood County sheriff. On one hand, as the News and Sentinel's primary law enforcement beat reporter, I've enjoyed covering the sheriff's department and working with Merritt on various stories, so I'm sorry to see him go. On the other hand, I've also worked well with Jeff Sandy, the new sheriff, in the past on various stories, so I'm excited to see him take office and work more with him in the future. As sheriff, Merritt experienced ups and downs. I would say the ups out numbered the downs. Through all of it, however, Sheriff Merritt was available when I needed to talk to him, whether the news I was writing was good or bad. At least, that's been my personal experience. That's the mark of a pretty good politician. Not only was Merritt available, he was always friendly and generous with his time.
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Jolene Craig
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Season of Goblins and Candy Lovers
Mon, 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.
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Rachel Lane
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Old Town Bakery
Tue, December 9, 2008 @ 4:15PM
Yesterday I took some time to explore in downtown Marietta, specifically the shops on Front Street. Several new stores have opened since I last strolled down the street. My favorite find was the Old Town Bakery. The pastries I tried were excellent. I was told the pecan pastry would make me come back just for that pastry and, having eaten it, I have to agree. While the baked goods were delicious, the atmosphere was wonderful. An open, airy room is divided by a counter filled with sweets. Customers can watch items being prepared in the large back kitchen (but it looked like it would take a while, so I don't recommend standing to watch the entire process). The colors and decorations give the bakery an old-time and friendly feeling. Other stores on the street provide some great (and original) Christmas present ideas. Since most women I give presents don't "need" anything, I try hard to find original gifts that I know they'll enjoy.
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Jess Mancini
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Toll increase in the future?
Thu, January 15, 2009 @ 12:29PM
Before you get your pants in a wedgie, the headline asks the question and is not a statement of fact. Parkersburg city officials say the toll revenues at the Memorial Bridge could be about $100,000 short of projections. That's not surprising. The Corridor D bypass opened last summer and traffic is taking another way through town. My question is will a toll increase be needed to offset revenue drops. The bridge is maintained by tolls. I wouldn't worry about political fallout. I remember when city council adopted prior increases, most of the complaints were from residents who live outside the city. As far as I know, they don't vote here.
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Amy Mendenhall
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The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
Mon, January 12, 2009 @ 12:57PM
Kelley Armstrong brings her New York Times bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" series to a young-adult audience with "The Summoning," the beginning of a new series. Chloe Saunders has had a troubled childhood, with her mother dead, a distant father, and a few strange memories of imaginary friends scaring her. Chloe is moving on, and it's not until she starts seeing and hearing ghosts in the hallways of her school and freaks out that she starts to wonder what is wrong with her. The school insists she seek treatment, and her aunt and father come up with Lyle House, a small group home for troubled teens. But is there more to these teens and Lyle House than meets the eye? Chloe wants to believe she just has a medical condition that can be controlled with therapy and drugs, but she's beginning to believe that she may in fact, be seeing dead people.
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Jody Murphy
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From the mouths of babes
Fri, 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.
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Dave Payne
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The Deadliners back together
Sun, January 4, 2009 @ 6:27PM
Fellow News and Sentinel reporter (and my cousin) Roger Adkins and I started playing acoustic blues together about six years ago. We played a lot of old acoustic blues, Robert Johnson, Son House, etc. and wrote a few of our own. Roger is one of the most talented guitar players I know and I know some very good guitar players. However, about three years ago, we stopped playing music together. One problem that we had always had and was, I suppose, the primary cause of our decline as a duo was that we worked completely opposite schedules. The only time that we could play music was during my lunch hour. But recently, a change in our schedules gave us one - and only one - day off together. So, of course, we started playing music again. This time, we turned on a camera: » Read Full Blog
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Art Smith
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It easy to upload, and easy to get caught
Tue, January 13, 2009 @ 9:42AM
Some times you just have wonder. This morning Kenneth Cobb Jr. was scheduled to appear in Belpre Mayor’s Court. His crime? Police say he was part of a group of youths that went around Belpre smashing Christmas lights. They got caught because they shot video of the act and then uploaded it to the popular web site YouTube.com . You Tube, which is owned by Google, make it very easy to upload video. Set up an account and you can upload your video to the site. The video is instantly available to millions of views. You Tube is one of the success stories of the Internet. Three former PayPal employees created it in 2005. It was sold the following year for $1.65 billion. Today the site is massive, with an estimated 13 hours of new video being uploaded to the site every minute. Viewers now watch about 5 billion videos per month on the site, making it one of the most popular sites on the Internet.
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Jim Smith
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Too lenient on vandalism?
Wed, January 14, 2009 @ 3:11PM
Judging from a News and Sentinel poll response, I'm not too sure Belpre Mayor Mike Lorentz will get much of a "thumbs up" from the community over the sentence he handed out to one of the YouTube Christmas vandal. Kenneth Cobb Jr., 19, of Blennerhassett Avenue -- an Eagle Scout, no less -- was fined a measly $200 of a possible $750, and sentenced to three days in the Washington County jail and three days of community service, along with paying a third of the restitution to those whose property he destroyed. Wow, is that all? The mayor initially sentenced the 19-year-old to 35 days of a possible 90-day sentence, but suspended 39 days in lieu of the three days in jail and community service. Again, is that all? Cobb was charged with aiding others on the night of Jan. 2 when several Christmas decorations and mailboxes in Belpre were destroyed ... and the vandalism was filmed for posting on YouTube.
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OVU loses at home
Big Reds topple Knights
Big Reds pin Golden Eagles
South rallies past PHS in 4th