That Fabulous Tree Is Talking Again!Steve Novotney December 15, 2023Editor’s Note: The Talking Tree is a Wheeling legend. Whether you find her endearing or a little creepy, it remains...
Q and A: Denny Magruder, General Manager of Wesbanco ArenaSteve Novotney September 30, 2022Originally published November 23, 2014 Sammy Hagar played Wheeling in the early 1980s. So did Sha Na Na. Kansas, .38...
The Inspiration, Wisdom, And Courage Of Ann ThomasSteve Novotney June 3, 2020Editor’s note: This week, Weelunk will pause our normally scheduled programming to highlight stories that feature Black narratives. We have...
Kellas III Continuing Family LegacySteve Novotney June 8, 2018It depends on a person’s age, really, as far as which “George Kellas” he or she remembers or knows today....
Playground Facelifts Continue in WheelingSteve Novotney May 25, 2018Many children and parents in the city of Wheeling were pleasantly surprised during their first trip to their neighborhood playground...
Addict Now Addicted to MotherhoodSteve Novotney May 13, 2018This mother stole her daughter’s piggy bank and the savings inside. The paper and coins totaled about $100, enough to...
Chef Shares Recipes for SucccessSteve Novotney May 1, 2018Chef Chris Kefauver won’t fib. He makes visits to local middle and high schools in order to recruit students to...
Miller on ‘Band-Aids and Buckets’ and School Bond IssueSteve Novotney April 18, 2018Ohio County Schools Superintendent Dr. Kim Miller views the proposed 15-year, $42 million bond issue that will appear on the...
Spaghetti Dinner Is About ServiceSteve Novotney April 11, 2018Smothered in homemade spaghetti sauce and garnished with sausages or meatballs or both, the noodles that will be devoured at...
They MarchedSteve Novotney March 28, 2018They didn’t mind the hours of travel or the protesters who were protesting against them. They had something to do,...
Prietsch’s Brick-and-Mortar WorldSteve Novotney March 26, 2018People. They are the common denominator, as far as Wheeling resident Jennifer Prietsch is concerned. She’s been the general manager...
Changes to Two-Mile Hill?Steve Novotney March 16, 2018The far left of the three lanes along Interstate 70 would become the “slow lane” on the climb up Two-Mile...
Perils of War Real for Women, TooSteve Novotney March 14, 2018They come home, too, except for, of course, more than 500 of the 280,000 women who have been deployed to...
The Crest That Didn’t FloodSteve Novotney March 7, 2018Devastation. That’s what Lou Vargo with the Ohio County Emergency Management Agency thought would take place. He admits he envisioned...
#55Strong Returns to ClassroomsSteve Novotney March 6, 2018They had to research a mineral, any one of the 3,800 or so that exist on Earth these days, and...
A Divided Peninsula of SoulsSteve Novotney March 3, 2018It is one of the silent cities of the dead in Wheeling, but this one was split, and one half...
Gideon and the GovernorSteve Novotney February 27, 2018“If you put money in schools, you’re making smart people. And if you have smart people, then you can make...
WLU Student Leads Radio StationSteve Novotney February 23, 2018The original transmitter back in the early 1990s appeared to be from the 1970s, actually, but that’s what Chris Lee...
Memories of Mac’s ClubSteve Novotney February 16, 2018There was a time before Roberto’s Bar became Figaretti’s, before a La-Z-Boy showroom was transformed into TJ’s Sportsgarden, prior to...
A Teacher’s View on IssuesSteve Novotney February 13, 2018He knows he does not speak for all educators and that his words do not carry the weight of 37,000...
Medal of Honor Recipient Woody Williams Appreciates City’s RespectSteve Novotney February 12, 2018It was heads. For the first time in five years the individual tossing the coin prior to the kickoff of...
An Answer to ‘What’s Next?’Steve Novotney February 4, 2018The answer to, “What’s Next?” may soon come into focus for downtown Wheeling, but what maybe-could-might happen within the vacant...
It Still StandsSteve Novotney January 31, 2018No one knows about it these days because the signage has been removed, chains block the old access points, and...
Harry Hamm’s Plate and His PlanSteve Novotney January 30, 2018No one has ever found it, but there were a few moments when Wheeling resident Chris Hamm thought he may...
Connors Part of Downtown GrowthSteve Novotney January 27, 2018Dean Connors once was best known in the Wheeling area as the wig-wearing, head-bangin’ drummer for the local tribute band...
Memories of The Eagle InnSteve Novotney January 19, 2018You could already hear the music as you walked toward the front door from the always-packed parking lot, and immediately...
The I-68 Energy Corridor- Part 2Steve Novotney January 18, 2018(Editor’s Note: This is the second of two reports that will update Weelunk readers on the current status of the...
The I-68 Energy Corridor- Part 1Steve Novotney January 17, 2018(Editor’s Note: This is the first of two reports that will update Weelunk readers on the current status of the...
Zende Predicts Downtown GrowthSteve Novotney January 12, 2018Can growth spread? The economic development specialist for the city of Wheeling believes it can, and after more than five...
Wheeling 2018 – Part ThreeSteve Novotney January 5, 2018(Editor’s Note: This story is the third and final of a three-part series that will examine the potential that exists...
Wheeling 2018 – Part TwoSteve Novotney January 3, 2018(Editor’s Note: This story is the second of a three-part series that will examine the potential that exists in the...
Wheeling 2018 – Part OneSteve Novotney January 1, 2018(Editor’s Note: This story is the first of a three-part series that will examine the potential that exists in the...
Novotney’s Top 10 in 2017Steve Novotney December 28, 2017As Weelunk ingrained itself in our community, many more folks forwarded their story ideas to me far more often than...
Christmas Memories at the MallSteve Novotney December 24, 2017It was similar to shopping in, say, downtown Wheeling, but with two very notable exceptions. There was that roof, of...
Tunnels? Under Downtown Wheeling?Steve Novotney December 23, 2017Pinched off water lines and undiscovered water and sewer lines have been the primary cause of the delay involved with...
‘It’s a Regional Thing’Steve Novotney December 20, 2017The Health Plan employees now moving into the insurance company’s new headquarters in downtown Wheeling reside in three different states,...
Medical Cannabis – Part TwoSteve Novotney December 16, 2017It was an unexpected but welcome development for many when a legislative side road was navigated to get a vote...
Local Families Offered Second ChanceSteve Novotney December 14, 2017Too many children do not have access to an internet-capable computer at home in the Upper Ohio Valley region, but...
Remembering B.E. Taylor at ChristmasSteve Novotney December 7, 2017He was a sick kid one year in Aliquippa, PA and ordered to remain home by doctors after he was...
Recollections of RaxSteve Novotney December 1, 2017It was our social network before the public release of the Internet. It mimicked those Park Dances because there were...
It’s About the Grooves at Nail CitySteve Novotney November 29, 2017C’mon! This 26-year-old is just a kid, right? What could he possibly know about vinyl records or the history of...
‘It’s About Opportunity’Steve Novotney November 27, 2017This 20-year-old could do this or do that, but there’s also a chance, too, that Andrea Walton could return to...
Midshipmen Thankful To Be HomeSteve Novotney November 23, 2017And they are home, back with their families in their hometowns and away from the rigors of a Midshipman at...
Medical Cannabis – Part 1Steve Novotney November 18, 2017(Editor’s Note: This is the first story in a series that will examine medical cannabis and the programs that are...
Respect Doesn’t Fade in Wheeling AreaSteve Novotney November 15, 2017When he first returned to American soil nearly 50 years ago, people looked the other way because they did not...
American Veteran Moving Home to WheelingSteve Novotney November 10, 2017He didn’t leave here because of a lack of options. In fact, he loved his life in Wheeling after being...
Sports Complex Addition for The HighlandsSteve Novotney November 9, 2017A goal adopted by the Ohio County Commission a decade ago will finally be realized at The Highlands when a...
Peek Inside The Health Plan ImpactSteve Novotney November 4, 2017It’s been referred to as a number of different things. The “game changer.” The “difference maker.” The “cracker plant of...
Creek Debris Soon to Be ClearedSteve Novotney November 1, 2017Receiving approval to clean creeks of flooding debris is very rare, and he will admit it, but the clearing of...
Knox and His New FortSteve Novotney September 30, 2017“Tom Beck.” Those were the first two words Kyle Knox blurted after being asked how he has found himself as...
