COVID-19: A Year of Reflection and Finding Small Joys Courtney Chase April 12, 2021 As I waited for the first dose of my COVID-19 vaccine, it was as if the entire year of viral terror had finally caught up with me. The last year has been filled with shock, panic, uncertainty, a looming grief a...
Your Guide to Socially-Distant Getaways Near Wheeling Melissa Rebholz March 5, 2021 For many of us, the pandemic has put a pause on big vacation plans. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t satisfy your wanderlust with a little creativity and preparation. In fact, you don’t have to travel ...
Wheeling Heritage Announces Small Business COVID Support Grant Provided January 28, 2021 Contact: Alex Panas Communications and Development Manager Wheeling Heritage 740-338-7633 apanas@wheelingheritage.org WHEELING, W.Va. – Jan. 28, 2021 – Wheeling Heritage today announced that it is accep...
Art Flourishes During Pandemic – Student Artists Honored at Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center Misty Klug January 23, 2021 There is no shortage of art being created during the COVID-19 pandemic. Artists, of all ages, from around the globe, continue to draw, paint, sculpt and photograph—in spite of and because of—difficult times. Em...
Wheeling’s Best Virtual Fitness Classes Jennifer Materkoski January 8, 2021 Oftentimes the new year is a time to place a renewed focus on physical fitness and lifestyle changes. While gyms and fitness studios may be open for in-person workouts, many still prefer the added safety of exe...
Ringing In the New Year, 2020-Style Jessica Broverman December 31, 2020 This New Year’s Eve will be unlike any we have ever been a part of. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate in style and have a grand evening! Wheeling has plenty of opportunities that you can take par...
Coping with Holiday Stress Jennifer Materkoski December 23, 2020 If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. With the twinkling lights, quality time with friends and family and the joy of sharing tradition...
Ringing in a Vaccine Emma Wiley December 22, 2020 Imagine all of the church and school bells ringing and all of the factories and trains whistling in Wheeling all at the same time. Incredibly loud right? That cacophony of noise lasted two long minutes at no...
Wheeling Restaurants Heating Up as Cooler Weather Settles In Jessica Broverman November 18, 2020 While Wheeling receives the perfect combination of all four seasons, any person in the area can tell you it gets quite icy come November. Some local restaurants have gone the extra mile by providing outdoor hea...
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...
Stages Continues to Create, Despite Hardship Rosemary Ketchum November 9, 2020 “You can have anything you want in life if you dress for it.” —Edith Head Owning a small business is tough. Navigating a global pandemic as a small business? Very tough. Wheeling has seen it’s fair share ...
Celebrating Halloween Safely Amid COVID-19 Jennifer Materkoski October 30, 2020 With 2020 still in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans are looking at Halloween a little differently this year. While the City of Wheeling has announced plans to allow Trick-or-Treat with some adv...
Mental Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic Rosemary Ketchum October 19, 2020 Has this year felt as long to you as it has to me? Your answer is probably, yes. As we recognize October as National Mental Health Month, it’s a good time to check-in with ourselves as we continue to navigat...
Former Show of Hands Winners Adapt to Changing Times Jennifer Materkoski October 16, 2020 In just a few weeks, Wheeling Heritage will present its next round of Show of Hands. The crowd-funding event is usually held a few times a year and gives members of the community an opportunity to support devel...
Bygone Comebacks: Drive-In Movies Alex Panas September 16, 2020 Editor’s note: Have you noticed lately that bits of the past are creeping into the present? We’re gardening more, going to drive-in movies, spending time with nature, putting jigsaw puzzles together. We are fin...
Skating Through a Pandemic: New Hobby Offers Joy and Community During COVID Miranda Tharp September 14, 2020 Skating Through a Pandemic Before 2020 came, I vowed to take on roller skating as a hobby. Growing up, I spent a lot of weekends at the local roller rink in Moundsville, WV. At the age of eight, my mom threw m...
BYGONE COMEBACKS: Picking Up the (Puzzle) Pieces During COVID-19 Kelly Strautmann September 9, 2020 Editor’s note: Have you noticed lately that bits of the past are creeping into the present? We’re gardening more, going to drive-in movies, spending time with nature, putting jigsaw puzzles together. We are fin...
Come Along on a Virtual Garden Tour Phyllis Sigal September 2, 2020 Gardening -- whether for aesthetics, for vegetables or for medicinals -- goes back thousands of years. This year, in the time of the coronavirus, gardening has seen a resurgence, offering a healthy dose of beau...
Wheeling Trails Lead Cyclists to Adventure, Friendship and Fun Jessica Broverman August 26, 2020 You can ask any avid bicycle rider, “What is it that makes riding a bicycle enjoyable?” And a cyclist will tell you it is relaxing, exciting and stress relieving. One of the best aspects of the activity is y...
Quarantine Comics and Cartoons Natalie Kovacs August 21, 2020 At Weelunk, we’re all about keeping you connected to your community. Since that looks a little different right now, we’re bringing you ways to engage while staying safe and healthy. We hope Weelunk ca...
Local Restaurants Get Creative With Takeout Melissa Rebholz August 18, 2020 When restaurant dining rooms were shuttered this past spring to slow the spread of COVID-19, area businesses had to think outside of the box to keep producing and selling food. With stay-at-home orders in place...
BYGONE COMEBACKS: Creating an Old-Fashioned Summer With the Help of Mother Nature Megan Huff August 11, 2020 Editor’s note: Have you noticed lately that bits of the past are creeping into the present? We’re gardening more, going to drive-in movies, spending time with nature, putting jigsaw puzzles together. We are fin...
Wheeling Heritage Seeks Community Collaboration for Art Installation on Diversity Provided August 4, 2020 Wheeling Heritage is seeking community participation in a public art project about diversity. To participate, interested individuals can pick up a free, 4-inch by 4-inch canvas from various locations throughout Wheeling.
Chef Finds Bounty at Local Farmers’ Markets Melissa Rebholz August 4, 2020 As a chef and a relatively new resident of Wheeling, I was so excited when the farmers’ markets began to open up for the season. I immediately wanted to make a project out of attending them all. Besides grow...
BYGONE COMEBACKS: Bakers Baking Up New Traditions Jennifer Materkoski August 3, 2020 Editor’s note: Have you noticed lately that bits of the past are creeping into the present? We’re gardening more, going to drive-in movies, spending time with nature, putting jigsaw puzzles together. We are fin...
BYGONE COMEBACKS: COVID Revives Sew Much History Nora Edinger July 29, 2020 Editor’s note: Have you noticed lately that bits of the past are creeping into the present? We’re gardening more, going to drive-in movies, spending time with nature, putting jigsaw puzzles together. We are fin...
City of Wheeling CARES About Small Businesses Nora Edinger July 27, 2020 Does a hairstylist working on her own qualify for a new round of federal assistance to small businesses? Can a corner store get reimbursed for more than $3,000 spent on plexiglass shields, disposable gloves and...
BYGONE COMEBACKS: The Magic of a Creek Jessica Broverman July 22, 2020 Editor’s note: Have you noticed lately that bits of the past are creeping into the present? We’re gardening more, going to drive-in movies, spending time with nature, putting jigsaw puzzles together. We are fin...
‘Stretched to Their Limits’: Foundation Comes to Aid of Health Departments Ellen Brafford McCroskey July 21, 2020 When the COVID-19 pandemic hit our area in March, no one was prepared for what was to come. No one could have predicted the shortfall of personal protective equipment, tests and other supplies that healthcare a...
Positive and Progressive: Wheeling Makes Social Change Happen Ellen Brafford McCroskey July 10, 2020 Wheeling has received national attention after voting in West Virginia’s first openly transgender elected official, Rosemary Ketchum. Now, we reflect on the significance of recent steps taken by the city to be more inclusive.
Talking With Elders: ‘The Closest Thing to Time Travel’ Phyllis Sigal July 7, 2020 We can learn a lot from our elders; that’s something we’ve always heard. Wheeling Park High School social studies teacher Ryan Stanton decided to put that into practice with his students during the pandemic....
Villamagna’s Epic ‘Shrine for a Mill Rat’ Finds Forever Home at the Library Seán Duffy July 1, 2020 Public libraries exist to provide free and equal access to resources, helping people to pursue knowledge and inspiration. And “Shrine for a Mill Rat,” the new permanent exhibit (courtesy artist Robert Villamagn...
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...
Crosscurrents Art Exhibit Opens June 25th at Stifel Center Provided June 24, 2020 Oglebay Institute’s annual Crosscurrents exhibition will take place again this year at its Stifel Fine Arts Center. While no opening night reception will be held due to the COVID-19 crisis, the gallery will be ...
Through the COVID-19 Lens: Photographers Find Creative Ways to Keep Clicking Jennifer Materkoski June 23, 2020 Social distancing and other effects of Covid-19 have disrupted life as we knew it — especially the seasons of graduations, weddings and summer sports. And though we haven’t been able to gather as we did in t...
Speakers, Performers and More Part of Virtual Juneteenth Celebration on Friday Phyllis Sigal June 18, 2020 Resilience. Endurance. Commitment. That’s what we’re seeing in the Ohio Valley — as is proven by the fact that a Juneteenth celebration is taking place. Even if it is being held virtually this year. The Y...
Art in the Time of Coronavirus Phyllis Sigal June 16, 2020 Whether their work documents the period or adds commentary or levity, five Wheeling artists who are creating art throughout this COVID-19 time report the same ends to their artistic means. Peace. Artists ...
RED Launches CO.STARTERS Rebuild Program to Help Small Businesses Recover Provided June 12, 2020 Regional Economic Development Partnership (RED) is accepting applications for CO.STARTERS Rebuild, a 10-session, live and virtually facilitated program that helps small businesses impacted by COVID-19 refocus, ...
Face Masks: Fashion Statement and Sign of the COVID-19 Times Phyllis Sigal June 12, 2020 The Rolling Stones lips logo, political statements, camouflage, the American flag, designer logos, humorous sayings (“like a good neighbor, stay over there”), rainbows, dogs, cats, vegetables, flowers, leopard ...
Keeping Music Live – A Musician’s Life During COVID-19 Kyle Knox June 9, 2020 Wearing a vintage concert T-shirt, singing every word to every song, dancing indiscriminately and connecting with people who enjoy the exact same music — collectively it makes up the beautiful harmony of the li...
Corey Kidd Finds Balance During COVID-19 … On a Unicycle Phyllis Sigal May 27, 2020 Nope, she didn’t want to join the circus as a kid. But, as an adult, Corey Kidd decided to take up the “super fun skill” of learning to ride a unicycle. “ looked like a challenge, and I love a challenge,”...
Wine Sales Soar in Wheeling Amid Pandemic Jessica Broverman May 22, 2020 Wine is a staple in almost any home — a glass of merlot with dinner or a nice white wine on a hot day — it’s all delicious. So delicious, that local wine shops are reporting increased sales. We have all c...
Wheeling Heritage & Wheeling Feeling Launch Collaboration to Support Entrepreneurs Provided May 20, 2020 WHEELING, W.Va. – May 20, 2020 – Wheeling Heritage and The Wheeling Feeling are collaborating to support entrepreneurs. Today, the Wheeling Feeling, an apparel company, is releasing a limited amount of exclusiv...
The Service Industry and COVID-19: A Varied ‘Menu’ of Thoughts Jessica Broverman May 20, 2020 As food and beverage facilities are at the top of the list for essential businesses, servers have been on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic for two months now. These workers are putting together meal...
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...
AS I SEE IT: Things to Remember — COVID-19 Edition Ellen Brafford McCroskey May 16, 2020 Back in 1970-71 in Miss Sharon Miller’s third-grade classroom at Valley Grove School, we budding writers were asked to hone our skills by completing a weekly journal of sorts that Miss Miller dubbed “Things to ...
COVID Reopening a Tricky Business Nora Edinger May 15, 2020 As West Virginia reopens from a COVID-19 shutdown that began in mid-March, three area businesses gave Weelunk a peek at their alternately perplexing and feisty path back. A quick look: Flipping the door sign...
NATIONAL NURSES WEEK: Chante Gonzales, Wheeling Hospital Kelly Strautmann May 13, 2020 Editor’s note: We owe our nurses everywhere a big thank you and more appreciation than ever for helping us through this pandemic. Look for Weelunk’s Q&A stories with several Ohio Valley nurses in the c...
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 ...
Tips for Remote School Success: We Are Learning Together Stacey Miller Sacco May 12, 2020 Editor’s note: We’ve been at home with our kids for over seven weeks now, and heading to the end of the school year. But, here are some tips to get you through the homestretch. No one was prepared for the ch...