Take a Hike, Ohio Valley Laura Jackson Roberts November 17, 2020 Updated 11-16-20: In honor of National Take a Hike Day, we’re taking a look back at some of the Ohio Valley’s most unique spots for exploring the great outdoors. As we continue to navigate through the coronavir...
Fishing for the Perfect Social Distancing Activity? Laura Jackson Roberts June 29, 2020 If there’s one activity that seems to fit our current situation and its social requirements perfectly, it’s fishing. You’re outside, you’re in your own space, and nature has you in its stress-relieving clutches...
Community Gardens: Green and Growing in Wheeling Laura Jackson Roberts May 26, 2020 With Victory Gardens springing up all over the Ohio Valley and residents reconnecting with the land and the time-honored tradition of working it, it’s a good time to take a look at community gardens. THE...
Victory Gardens: Then and Now Laura Jackson Roberts May 18, 2020 There’s nothing new about the idea of victory gardens in the United States. Since World War I, Americans have taken it upon themselves during times of crisis to manage their own food supply. This monumental eff...
GROW OV Plants the Seed for Local Victory Gardens Campaign Laura Jackson Roberts May 13, 2020 As spring trickles into the Ohio Valley, most residents remain isolated in their homes. It can be difficult and frustrating, but there’s one thing we can do right now: garden. Many people are already preparing ...
ROBERTS RUMINATES: Boxed In Laura Jackson Roberts March 28, 2020 Author’s note: These are unprecedented and anxious times. We feel alone and isolated. It’s important to take the spread of Covid-19 seriously. It’s imperative that we do our part by staying home. It’s also impo...
A Progressive Education in Our Backyard: Olney Friends SchoolSponsored Laura Jackson Roberts March 3, 2020 Imagine a school of the future. Class sizes are small, and discussions are broad and ongoing. Students receive a progressive education by independent thinking with teachers who guide rather than lecture. They p...
The History of the West Virginia Hot Dog Laura Jackson Roberts January 10, 2020 I just ate my first West Virginia Hot Dog yesterday down at Tito’s Sloppy Doggs. In the past, my relationship with the hot dog was wishy-washy. A good hot dog is an amazing thing, but a bad one is enough to tur...
ROBERTS RUMINATES: Traditions, Toilets and Trickery Laura Jackson Roberts December 25, 2019 No matter what holiday we celebrate, our yearly traditions anchor us. They keep us grounded in times of joy and chaos, both of which flow abundantly in December. Christmas traditions in my family never varie...
Adolescent Mental Illness (Part 2): One Ohio Valley Family’s Struggle Laura Jackson Roberts December 14, 2019 What follows is an Ohio Valley family’s story about their child’s struggle with mental illness. To protect the anonymity of their underage child, I have written it in my own words, using gender-neutral pronouns...
Adolescent Mental Illness (Part 1): Health Issues on the Rise Laura Jackson Roberts December 13, 2019 The need for mental health care and awareness is a growing problem in our state and the Ohio Valley. Now, with the closure of Ohio Valley Medical Center, Hillcrest and the Robert C. Byrd Child & Adolescent ...
FRIDAY TRYDAY: Oglebay’s Frosted Hilltop Laura Jackson Roberts December 6, 2019 Editor’s note: Laura Jackson Roberts loves a new adventure. And in that vein, we’ve started our occasional “FRIDAY TRYDAY” series, where she will be trying out and sharing with readers a variety of experiences...
Browsing With Book People at Vigilant Bookstore Laura Jackson Roberts November 25, 2019 Have you ever seen someone adrift in a bookstore? It can be a tiny space, and yet they look lost — not physically, but mentally. Maybe they draw the books up to their face to smell the paper and binding glue. M...
Legendary Barber Recalls 50 Years of Work in Wheeling Laura Jackson Roberts November 8, 2019 Ralph Tomlinson was 94 years old when he cut his last head of hair on July 6, 2018. For 50 years, Ralph barbered in Wheeling, 49 of them at his shop on 33rd Street. You might call him a legend. To hear more ...
ROBERTS RUMINATES: Buzz Off Laura Jackson Roberts November 2, 2019 It’s time for school pictures again. That means haircuts, which means considerable whining and negotiation. It’s a necessary chore, but the barber always makes it look easy. “I could teach you how to do it y...
ONE TANK TRIPS: Unusual Hiking at Piatt Park Laura Jackson Roberts October 28, 2019 If you’re looking for unique geology, Ohio has some options. At Hocking Hills State Park in Logan, visitors can explore caves and waterfalls and hike through eastern hardwood forest. It’s a bit of a drive to ge...
FRIDAY TRYDAY: A Trip to Hell on Earth — Wheeling’s Newest Haunted Attraction Laura Jackson Roberts September 27, 2019 Editor's note: Laura Jackson Roberts loves a new adventure. And in that vein, we've started our occasional "FRIDAY TRYDAY" series, where she will be trying out and sharing with readers a variety of experiences...
Finding Peace in a Sanctuary of Salt Laura Jackson Roberts September 25, 2019 Editor’s note: Wellness — we all need it. Today, allow writer Laura Jackson Roberts to share a salt sanctuary with you. It’s hard to write a story when you slept through most of the intervi...
Wee Asked Molly Check from the Oglebay Environmental Education Center Laura Jackson Roberts September 23, 2019 WEEasked some simple questions — and your neighbors, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, even some strangers, answered. Get to know them a little bit better with our fun series, “WEEasked.” Look for it a couple...
A Thrive Test-Run: Everything You Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Try Laura Jackson Roberts September 18, 2019 Editor's note: Wellness — we all need it. Today, allow writer Laura Jackson Roberts to take you along with her to Thrive. Next week, she'll share a salt sanctuary with you. Unless you live under a rock...
West Virginia’s Remarkable Bats Laura Jackson Roberts September 6, 2019 I’ve got a history with bats. For 40 years, they’ve been invading my summers and my homes. A bat slammed into the wall and landed in a paint bucket. One entertained the cats for an evening, fluttering wildly, a...
Experience Wheeling’s Rowdy Past at the Francis Pier-Pint Brew-Off: Prohibition Edition Laura Jackson Roberts August 12, 2019 The logo was designed by Erin Rothenbuehler, programming and archives coordinator at the Ohio County Public Library. According to local historian Sean Duffy, history and beer go together naturally. Luckily ...
PETROCHEMICALS AND THE OHIO VALLEY: Part 2 — Health Effects of Cracker Plants Laura Jackson Roberts August 2, 2019 Editor’s note: On July 16, the Ohio County Public Library hosted two experts at its Lunch with Books series. Dr. Matthew Mehalik, Ph.D., and Dr. Ned Ketyer, M.D., spoke to a crowd of over 100 about the env...
PETROCHEMICALS AND THE OHIO VALLEY: Part 1 — Environmental Effects of Cracker Plants Laura Jackson Roberts July 26, 2019 1 Editor's note: On July 16, the Ohio County Public Library hosted two experts at its Lunch with Books series. Dr. Matthew Mehalik, Ph.D., and Dr. Ned Ketyer, M.D., spoke to a crowd of over 100 about the environm...
Caring for Coley: Mother, Daughter Give Hope to One Another Laura Jackson Roberts July 2, 2019 I’ve been hearing about Lisa and Nicole Goodson from a friend for over a year now. You have to write their story, my friend would say. And here’s my confession: I’ve had this interview on my to-do list for 15 m...
Roberts Ruminates: Horrible Creatures Laura Jackson Roberts June 8, 2019 I’ve got a lot of critters in my house. They’re all rescues. Our collie mix came from Marshall County Animal Shelter. We found the tortie cat at Ohio County and the tabby under a bush. Our German shepherd was f...
Second Annual Conference to Shed Light on Mental Illness Laura Jackson Roberts May 31, 2019 If there’s one word that describes Amy Gamble, the executive director of the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) Greater Wheeling, it’s open. She’s dedicated her life to mental health awareness, and thr...
The House in the Photo: A History of Echo Manor Laura Jackson Roberts May 24, 2019 There are many images of Wheeling from its early days, but certain photos just stick with us. One, in particular, generates discussion: a well-known sepia image from the turn of the century. Runners wind their ...
Coyotes: Truth, Myth and What We’re Getting Wrong Laura Jackson Roberts May 13, 2019 “Ithought it was our neighbor’s dog on the loose.” “They are brave. Some nights when they are tracking/killing it is so loud.” “Bethlehem is loaded with them. We got a Great Pyrenees to keep them away.” ...
Tick-Borne Disease: Fact, Fiction and Prevention Laura Jackson Roberts May 3, 2019 The other day I went into the woods to dig up some ramps. I wore socks and long pants as I crouched in the leaf litter. Later, I felt something on my stomach. It was a tick, moving as fast as it could toward my...
Artists Studio Tour to Showcase Local Artists at Work Laura Jackson Roberts April 16, 2019 If you’re not an artist, the world of art seems like another dimension. When we walk the halls of a gallery, buy a piece of jewelry or admire a hand-crafted dining room table, we only see the finished product. ...
A History of Disaster: How Piedmont and the Muskingum Watershed Lakes Came to Be Laura Jackson Roberts April 15, 2019 Each weekend in the summers of my childhood, my parents packed me and my brother up and took us to a little brown cabin at the end of a gravel lane. Woods surrounded the house on three sides, woodpeckers called...
Wee Asked Pat The Goose Laura Jackson Roberts April 1, 2019 WEEasked some simple questions — and your neighbors, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, even some strangers, answered. Get to know them a little bit better with our fun series, “WEEasked.” Look for i...
Narrative Medicine: Using Patients’ Life Stories to Promote Healing Laura Jackson Roberts March 16, 2019 Cancer is a fact of life. We all know someone who’s fought it, and most of us know people who have both won and lost that battle. Cancer changes lives. It has a way of clearing away cobwebs and refocusing prior...
Perspective Is Everything: Living with Multiple Sclerosis Laura Jackson Roberts March 15, 2019 Editor's note: In this series, we’ll talk to locals who struggle with autoimmune disease and share their stories. Below, Ohio Valley resident Michele Meeks shares her experiences with Multiple Sclerosis. WHA...
Wandering Photographers: An Afternoon With the Wheeling Shooters Laura Jackson Roberts March 12, 2019 I am not a photographer. I tried it for a few years when my first kid was born. I took some decent pictures, thanks to some help from my Nikon lenses and some great teachers at Oglebay Institute. Now, with the ...
There’s No Business Like Snow Business at Oglebay’s Slopes Laura Jackson Roberts February 8, 2019 The first thing Nick Janovich, Oglebay’s golf course superintendent and ski area manager, wants you to know about the ski slope at the Nutting Winter Sports Complex is that he can’t just whip up a batch of snow...
ROBERTS RUMINATES: Things That Go Click in the Night Laura Jackson Roberts February 2, 2019 At 2:30 a.m. the other night, I pulled back the curtains beside my bed to see sheets of rain ponding on the road. I watched for a long time. I listened, and I counted the seconds as the traffic light down the r...
Rescues Find Forever Homes With The Road Home Animal Project Laura Jackson Roberts January 25, 2019 1 We’ve all got that friend on social media who shares photos of shelter animals. That’s how I found The Road Home Animal Project. The non-profit organization in St. Clairsville, Ohio, is run entirely by voluntee...
ROBERTS RUMINATES: A Place for Piles Laura Jackson Roberts November 17, 2018 We tidied up our house the other day. It was in desperate need, and during the miserable exercise — one replete with whining and bickering and arguments about who was absolutely not going to pick up that shoe o...
Oglebay’s Holiday Tradition: The Best Light Laura Jackson Roberts November 9, 2018 The Festival of Lights is Oglebay’s crown jewel, and on Thursday, Nov. 8, it went live for its 33rd year. That’s a lot of years, a lot of light and a lot of excited young faces hanging out car windows. Many of ...
Happy Trails to Oglebay Laura Jackson Roberts November 6, 2018 Right now, people are walking in Oglebay Park. Some walk with dogs, some run through the woods. Some walk with a cane or motor along in an electric power-chair. Parents push strollers, and kids run ahead, aroun...
ROBERTS RUMINATES: Two Types of People Laura Jackson Roberts October 27, 2018 When I was a kid, Halloween was a fun time of year. We bought pumpkins at the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival, and on the way home, our elephant ear sugar-highs fueled elaborate costume plans. A few weeks later, w...
Lupus: Cruel and Hard to Diagnose Laura Jackson Roberts October 23, 2018 In this series, we’ll talk to locals who struggle with autoimmune disease and share their stories. Below, Ohio Valley residents Ashley Suder and Allison Stoner open up about their experiences with lupus. Wha...
Schrader Center to Host Annual Ecofest Saturday Laura Jackson Roberts October 4, 2018 It’s Oglebayfest time again. During the weekend of Oct. 5-7, the hills of Oglebay will fill with vendors and visitors for the beloved annual event. Along with favorites like the Phil Maxwell Artist and Gourmet ...
Roberts Ruminates: Disorderly Conduct Laura Jackson Roberts September 29, 2018 1 I enjoy getting the mail. There’s always some hope when I go to the front porch each day. Maybe a paycheck has come, maybe a package from Amazon on which I’ve already blown said forthcoming paycheck. Maybe, at ...
What’s New at the Zoo? Animal Encounters and More Laura Jackson Roberts September 14, 2018 After 40 years of visits, I know Oglebay’s Good Zoo so well I could walk the paths with my eyes closed. Originally a North American zoo, the facility now focuses on rare and endangered species. Conservation is ...
One Tank Trips: Cathedral State Park Laura Jackson Roberts September 7, 2018 Just down the road from Deep Creek Lake, Md., sits one of my favorite West Virginia day trips, Cathedral State Park. It’s another spot I’ve recently discovered. As we traveled to and from Canaan Valley and Blac...
KAYAKING OUR CREEKS (Part 2): Below the Surface Laura Jackson Roberts August 9, 2018 2 While there’s no denying the beauty of our local waterways and the rising popularity of recreational kayaking, there’s also no denying that our creeks and rivers show the effects of pollution. Sewage, acid mine...
KAYAKING OUR CREEKS (Part 1): Paddling With Care Laura Jackson Roberts August 8, 2018 I recently paddled Wheeling Creek for the first time. I’ve paddled other rivers like the Youghiogheny, the South Branch and the Cheat. I’ve meant to do Wheeling Creek — it was just a matter of logistics. All ou...
