Wrapping Up Ho-Ho-Home for the Holidays Nora Edinger December 16, 2019 Editor's note: Weelunk updates a story we shared four years ago about a business that ships various tastes of Wheeling that are near and dear to natives' hearts (and stomachs). Some traditions never grow old, a...
Soul Is the Goal for Church Christmas Programs Nora Edinger December 4, 2019 Did you ever wear angel wings constructed out of wire coat hangers and tinsel? Or was it a shepherd’s costume that involved the most discreetly patterned bathrobe in the house, a pillowcase, and some rope? ...
Shop Small on Saturday and Carry a Big Bag Nora Edinger November 29, 2019 Sometimes you just want to shop in your jammies. Sometimes you need everything from an ice scraper to almond butter, and only a big box will do. Other times, you want to smell those coffee beans grinding, ru...
At Rest: OVMC Nurse-Training Skeleton Memorialized Nora Edinger November 20, 2019 Editor’s note: In late October, Weelunk posted a story by Kelly Strautmann that gave an in-depth look at how this community-sponsored burial came to be. Click here for the back story. No one knows her name, ...
Little Library Kiosk Whisks You Away to Story Land Nora Edinger November 19, 2019 There are LIBRARIES. And, there are libraries One of the latter — a wee kiosk of books and stripey art — popped up in recent days in the Woodsdale neighborhood of Wheeling. The work of middle schooler Jayma ...
Long Haul: Police, Mental Health Pros Grapple With OVMC Closure Nora Edinger November 12, 2019 Editor’s note: As part of ongoing coverage of the fallout from regional hospital closures, Weelunk looks today at what is happening to some of the most vulnerable patients who used to come through the doors at ...
Planning Is Key to Making Headway on the Highways for the Holidays Nora Edinger November 4, 2019 If the coming holiday season will have you literally traveling over the river and through the woods — even if it’s only to the mall you go — you may want to spend a few minutes planning your route before you le...
Hide and Seek: OV Docs, Patients Trying to Find New Normal Nora Edinger October 23, 2019 Editor’s note: Following the sudden closures of Ohio Valley Medical Center and East Ohio Regional Hospital in recent weeks, more than 1,200 health care workers are on the move. From dietary staff to surgeons, t...
TIME TO GREEN UP: They’re Back! Recycling Bins to Hit The Highlands Nora Edinger October 11, 2019 Editor’s note: Part of a continuing series on the environment, today’s post checks out how area recycling programs are faring a year after China’s sudden pullback from a role as the global buyer of recyclable c...
Cultural Food Tour Offers Tasty View of History Nora Edinger September 20, 2019 The waves of immigration that fueled Wheeling’s industrial era didn’t disappear with the factory jobs. Kibbeh. Pierogi. Schnitzel. Marinara. They’re all still here. Sometimes in restaurants and at festivals,...
TIME TO GREEN UP: Solar — ‘Go Big or Go Home’ Need Not Apply Nora Edinger September 9, 2019 Editor’s note: If going solar sounds intriguing, but you are worried it’s too pricey, too “panelly,” or just, well, too much, today’s Greening Up post shares the stories of two area residents who are living and...
Bishop Mark E. Brennan: ‘The Only Way to Overcome Evil Is With Good’ Nora Edinger September 3, 2019 Editor’s note: Today’s post — part of an ongoing Weelunk series on Spirituality in the Ohio Valley — features a candid interview with Bishop Mark E. Brennan, newly installed leader of the Wheeling-Charleston Di...
Vineyard at 40: Still a ‘Rock and Roll Church’ Nora Edinger August 23, 2019 The naked ladies were a bit of a stretch, but if there were ever a church that could cope with Art Nouveau statues in its “sanctuary,” the Vineyard would be it. “We Photoshopped Hawaiian shirts on them,” lea...
Javersak: Job Sea Change the Historic Rule for Wheeling Nora Edinger August 14, 2019 Editor’s note: In continuing coverage of Wheeling employment and business, Weelunk asked local historian David Javersak to put recent job losses in long-time perspective. For a specific examination of health ca...
Getting Along Swimmingly With ‘Miss Pudgie’ Nora Edinger August 5, 2019 You may be 5 and full of the moxie only a fine pair of water wings can bring, but don’t think you’ll be getting away with anything at Grandview Pool. Miss Pudgie is watching and can act faster than the fitte...
Rice, Beef, Tomatoes, Love and Prayers Go Into Greek Grape Leaves Nora Edinger July 16, 2019 There’s a practical reason Lesa Tustin wears her apron inside out. It’s one of perhaps a million tweaks in the city’s ever-unfolding presence of Greek immigrants and food inspired by sea and sun. “It this ri...
Will Charter Schools Land in Ohio County? Nora Edinger July 12, 2019 Editor's note: As this story was in final production, the West Virginia Education Association (teachers union) launched a lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of the new state law that authorizes chart...
Looking to the Past and to the Future, Wheeling Heritage Celebrates 25 Years Nora Edinger June 11, 2019 Most city residents probably don’t realize that every trip to the grocery store, every school bus run and all those drive-thrus for coffee are all taking place within a national park of sorts. And, they have...
Industry Check-Up: Hospitals Battling for Turf Nora Edinger June 3, 2019 A spanking-new Buck Rogers façade or a hospital acquisition here. A federal lawsuit alleging doctor kickbacks there. Full-blown for-profit status or intense marketing pretty much everywhere. Sorting out what...
DOWNTOWN DO-OVER: Bringing Buildings Back From the Brink Nora Edinger May 22, 2019 Editor’s note: The Downtown Do-Over series is taking a close look at the ongoing revival of Wheeling’s city center. In today’s story, Weelunk looks at what it actually takes to restore historic structures. View...
Palms Herald Holy Week Nora Edinger April 12, 2019 Editor’s note: In a continuing series on how the Ohio Valley expresses its spirituality, today’s post is the story behind area churches’ celebration of the start to the Christian Holy Week. Palm Sunday commemor...
DOWNTOWN DO-OVER: The Big Pieces in Place Nora Edinger April 9, 2019 Editor’s note: A national redevelopment award here, a new building there, millions of dollars of renovations still somewhere else. What’s happening in downtown Wheeling can be hard to track, whether your city c...
#ChooseWV: Campaign Focus Is Pride of Place Nora Edinger March 27, 2019 If you film it, they will come. Calling stray Mountaineers home and attracting prospective ones here might not be quite that simple, but the team behind #ChooseWV figures an inspiring video sure can’t hurt. ...
WHEELING@WORK: The Mayor’s Hopes, Plans and Worries Nora Edinger March 19, 2019 Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of Weelunk stories looking at the inner workings of the city. "Wheeling@Work" is an effort to provide our readers with insight and information into our city governme...
Lent: A Time for Renewal Nora Edinger March 6, 2019 Editor’s note: The Lenten/Easter season looms large in the Christian calendar. In today’s feature on Spirituality in the Ohio Valley, the rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church shares his thoughts on getting ...
A Romance Writer’s Guide to Creating Hallmark-Movie Moments in the Friendly City Nora Edinger February 9, 2019 A warning to guys: Valentine’s Day is Thursday. You’re welcome. There’s still plenty of time to get that dozen red roses, sparkly jewelry or chocolate. You have literally days to plan for a dinner out or a c...
In With the Old: Ancient Liturgy Key to Orthodox Worship Nora Edinger February 6, 2019 Editor’s note: As part of a continuing series on how Wheeling residents express spirituality, today’s post features Orthodoxy, an ancient form of Christianity whose worship has remained virtually unchanged sinc...
Wheeling Park Students Bound for Creativity Nora Edinger February 4, 2019 Shadows run in faint diagonal lines across the carpet in one corner of Wheeling Park High School’s sprawling media center. They show where book stacks used to be. Now, work benches with vice clamps located h...
Driven to Action: Fighting Addiction and More Through Prayer Nora Edinger January 23, 2019 Editor’s note: In a continuing series about how valley residents express their spirituality, Weelunk hit the road with a trio of New Martinsville residents who consider the opioid epidemic a soul battle worthy ...
Cogan, Gross To Be Honored for Social Justice Work Nora Edinger January 18, 2019 Editor’s note: Among the events in this weekend’s observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Wheeling residents Tim Cogan and Elissa Gross will be honored for decades of commitment to social justice. Here is the...
A Fishy Family Feast Is Christmas Eve Tradition Nora Edinger December 21, 2018 Buying salted cod (baccala) from Coleman’s Fish Market is a decades-old tradition for the Cerra family. Debbie Cerra Cresap used to shop for such food with her father. Now, she takes her own adult daughter, Li...
Couple Trades Big Pay for Big Blessings Nora Edinger December 11, 2018 Editor’s note: As part of a continuing series on how Wheeling residents express their spirituality, today’s post features a young couple who are going against the cultural flow. Matt and Amanda Cummins are trad...
“Moundsville” — the Happy, the Sad, the Past, the Future Summed Up in Documentary Nora Edinger December 5, 2018 The odds are good you’ll see someone you know on screen if you attend the Friday premiere of a feature documentary focused on Moundsville. Marc Harshman, state poet laureate, is among those interviewed. So is E...
Iafrate Fighting for a Better Church Nora Edinger November 29, 2018 Editor’s note: As part of a continuing series on how Ohio Valley residents express their spirituality, Weelunk recently visited with a Wheeling man whose spiritual/social-justice calling includes bringing even ...
Comfort Keeps Pouring In for Jewish Community Nora Edinger November 3, 2018 “It’s been something,” said Rabbi Joshua Lief. He was actually sitting down for a brief moment at the end of a week that included the shock of a deadly shooting at a nearby synagogue, an interfaith memorial for...
Hogan’s Spirituality Meanders Along an Eclectic Path Nora Edinger October 26, 2018 Editor’s note: As part of a continuing series on how Wheeling residents express spirituality, today’s post features an area man who — like a growing number of Americans — embraces a mix of faith traditions. ...
Safety Is the Issue for Building Levy Nora Edinger October 19, 2018 Whatever voters decide come Nov. 6 on $22 million of potential new and upgraded digs for city fire and police departments, one thing is indisputable. Facilities to be potentially replaced — launched in the 1950...
TIME TO GREEN UP: Recycling Is Tough All Over Nora Edinger October 9, 2018 Editor’s note: As part of a continuing series, Wheeling officials recently shared the city’s recycling/garbage program may be up for changes both small and large in order to cope with a global crisis in the rec...
TIME TO GREEN UP: Mayor Says It’s Time to Make a Move on Recycling Nora Edinger September 24, 2018 Editor’s Note: In this piece in our series on the greening up of Wheeling, Weelunk sat down with city officials to talk about recycling, walkability and their vision for a greener future. Will it be cardboar...
‘The Calling’ Keeps Him Alive Nora Edinger September 19, 2018 1 Editor’s note: As part of a continuing series on how Wheeling residents express spirituality, today’s post features a ministry that is the polar opposite of America’s mega-church trend. This pastor has a congre...
TIME TO GREEN UP: All Greened Up But Nowhere to Go Nora Edinger September 5, 2018 Editor’s Note: As part of the capstone to a series looking at green living in Wheeling, Weelunk set out to track a typical water bottle from recycling bins at Oglebay Park to its ultimate new life. Before this ...
TIME TO GREEN UP: Oglebay Makes Greens Greener Nora Edinger August 27, 2018 As part of a continuing series on how Wheeling is greening up, Weelunk looks today at the non-profit sector. Area readers are likely familiar with Oglebay’s full-scale switch to LED bulbs for the annual Festiva...
Routines Interrupted, But Work Continues for Augusta Levy Clients, Therapists Nora Edinger July 30, 2018 Editor’s note: The Augusta Levy Learning Center will reopen in temporary quarters above the Children’s Museum of the Ohio Valley on Aug. 13, bringing an end to the house-call therapy that has been ongoing since...
TIME TO GREEN UP: ‘Greening the O’ at Orrick Nora Edinger July 24, 2018 Editor’s note: In a continuing series about the greening of Wheeling, Weelunk moves from the eco-efforts of individuals to what area businesses — both for-profit and non-profit — are doing to be sustainable. To...
TIME TO GREEN UP: Fifth-Graders ‘Sucked’ Into Recycling Nora Edinger July 17, 2018 Editor's note: In part two of a continuing series of stories on how Wheeling is "greening up," we look at one local teacher and how she and her students are asking area restaurants to do more for the environmen...
TIME TO GREEN UP: Merrimans ‘Bin’ There, Recycle That Nora Edinger July 16, 2018 Editor's note: Today begins a series of stories on how Wheeling is "greening up." In two stories this week, Weelunk looks at the power of one. Today, we feature uber recycler Joanna Merriman, who discusses what...
The Eucharist: ‘Source and Summit’ of the Faith Nora Edinger July 10, 2018 Editor’s note: As part of an occasional Weelunk series examining spirituality in the Ohio Valley, we look today at the Eucharist, also known as communion or the Lord’s Supper. Perhaps the very essence of Roman ...
Job, School Connection Picks Up STEAM Nora Edinger June 29, 2018 There’s as much woo-hoo as how-to in science class this summer. At least when that science class is part of a county-wide initiative to encourage students from grades four and up to consider careers in Science,...
Wheeling Roots Bring Rabbi Lief Back to Temple Shalom Nora Edinger June 15, 2018 There might be easier places to be a Jew. There might be easier places to be a rabbi. But, none of them has quite the feeling of home that Wheeling, W.Va., does, according to Joshua Lief, rabbi of Temple Shalom...
Triadelphia School: 100 Years of Memories Nora Edinger June 4, 2018 4 There is a certain sequence of expressions that appears on the face of a grownup who is suddenly returned to the school hallways of adolescence. It starts with a quiet wonder. Then, eyes dart quickly around to ...
