Mount Wood Marvel Will Not Be Overlooked Steve Novotney July 15, 2015 8 It’s been abused by vandals, and it’s crumbling with age, but the members of the Wheeling Arts and Cultural Commission believe the Mount Wood Overlook can be transformed in a popular destination. The Arts Co...
The Moose Abides Alice Eastman July 13, 2015 “Hi, this is Taylor at the front desk at Oglebay. There’s a gentleman here trying to deliver a moose to the Nature Center.” In all fairness, I knew the moose arrival was imminent. I just didn’t know exactly ...
Is Pluto a Planet? Robert E. Strong July 12, 2015 Do you know what a planet is? Most of us can tell the difference between a planet and a star and the difference between a planet and an asteroid or comet. Astronomers, like everyone else, like to group/class...
Improved ‘Walkability’ Is A Two-Way Street Steve Novotney July 8, 2015 15 Walkable? What’s not walkable? Downtown Wheeling? Not walkable? But there are sidewalks and crosswalks and push-button “I-wanna-walk’ buttons at every intersection, and trekking to DiCarlo’s or Depasqu...
Elmhurst: The House of Friends Tom Rinkes July 5, 2015 I’m 62 years old now, and when my time comes, I’m packing up and heading for this village. In fact, I’m already on the waiting list. Read on, and I’ll tell you why. Elmhurst, the House of Friendship, is ...
Visiting the Mound in Moundsville Glynis Board July 5, 2015 Photos by Glynis Board Story courtesy of Weelunk partner West Virginia Public Broadcasting Accompanying story here: Listen Scattered across the state, often just under the surface veneer of W...
Public Key in Preserving Historic Span Steve Novotney July 4, 2015 12 I sat on the sidewalk Wednesday morning near the downtown Wheeling end of the historic Suspension Bridge with a pen and a notebook in my hands, and I counted cars and vans and trucks that were either exiting or...
Gala Fourth Celebration Set For Heritage Port Steve Novotney July 3, 2015 Thousands of residents of the Upper Ohio Valley converge on Heritage Port in downtown Wheeling each year for the annual Fourth of July Celebration presented by the Wheeling Symphony and the city of Wheeling, an...
West Virginian: A Poem Aaron P. Kittle July 1, 2015 Your river veins, your heart of coal Seneca’s body, Spruce’s soul A quiet perfection–to some, unknown It is you, my God, my home Quivering dewdrop tracing stem Shaded eaves for root and limb ...
The Mabel Files: A Working Dog’s Story Gerry Griffith June 30, 2015 Feature Picture from paintlater.wordpress.com Mabel Files 17 When I was a young dog just trying to survive on the streets of Wheeling in the early 1930s, few people ever paid any attention to me except, o...
Keeping the Kids A Goal in Wheeling Steve Novotney June 29, 2015 "Retaining our youth." We hear the phrase all of the time in the Upper Ohio Valley, and that’s because it’s one of the most important aspects of a reviving community that is attempting to reverse population ...
Navigating Yesterday – A Haibun Poem Alice Hembra June 27, 2015 Navigating Yesterday memories birthed in the Ohio swim to the surface Pap Pap, why did you have to tell us what your neighbor was carrying in that brown paper bag. You could have lied o...
Vagabond Tales: A Trip to D.C. Matt Welsch June 26, 2015 Like many adventures, this one began with a question: Would you like to come to D.C. for our event? The question is ever-changing. My answer, a constant, “Yes!” I first heard of the West Virginia State So...
DC Ventures Has A Vision For Wheeling Steve Novotney June 26, 2015 3 They have a vision, and they believe it’s a dream that can come true. Vince DeCrease is one of three partners of DC Ventures, LLC, a development company found a dozen years ago. He along with Charlie Savage ...
Will the Homecomings Continue for Wheeling? Steve Novotney June 24, 2015 4 They left here, and greener pastures, better employment opportunities, and warmer temperatures are the most popular reasons why they chose to do so. Census statistics indicate that the city of Wheeling has b...
The Mabel Files: Wheeling Men in Aleutian Islands Gerry Griffith June 22, 2015 Wheeling Men Endure Isolation, Cold, Grueling Labor, and Air Attacks in the Aleutian Islands In the early days of World War II, the military masterminds of both Japan and the United States cast strategic eye...
“Anything’s A Blessing.” Or Is It? Steve Novotney June 19, 2015 37 I want to believe him. I want to believe my $5 will go toward food and water and better clothing. I don’t want to think it was used to buy heroin for him to shoot under a bridge. I don’t want to believe it w...
Community Murals To Better Wheeling Bianca Benson June 17, 2015 Architects of Change, a community mural project, is promoting positive change for adults with mental illness who attend the Marian House and clients at Catholic Charities Neighborhood Center by giving them the ...
“The Mabel Files” Part 15: Japan “Casts the Die” Gerry Griffith June 15, 2015 1 Wheeling’s Centre Market, and the shops nearby like Tom and Lizzie Minns’ Confectionary on Market Street, were at rest on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 7, 1941, while the USS West Virginia and USS Tennessee were on fi...
Q & A: Kathy Shapell – “What We Do Works.” Steve Novotney June 14, 2015 She was this little, old lady. White hair. Hunched over. She was getting off the public bus at a grocery store in a suburb of Washington, D.C., carrying her pink backpack, and Kathy Shapell felt sorry for he...
The Wallaston Kimberly Tragedy At Wheeling’s Wharf Rich Knoblich June 13, 2015 2 Note: This is a fictional tale. Rich Knoblich, WV storyteller and a regular winner of the Liar Contest at the annual Vandalia Gathering hosted by the WV Dept. of Arts and Culture, likes to add some dr...
C3 Camp Is For Every Kid Chad Adams June 11, 2015 For one week each year, people in Wheeling gather together to do something great. The mission is simple: serve the kids in this valley with no price tag attached. Volunteers show up from every corner of thi...
The “Father of West Virginia” Returns Jackie McDermott June 10, 2015 The installation of the statue of Francis H. Pierpont, the “Father of West Virginia,” will begin on Wednesday, June 10, at Wheeling’s West Virginia Independence Hall, the historic site of the state’s founding, ...
A Wheeling Steak Fry Is Not Rare, But Well Done Steve Novotney June 9, 2015 15 You get a baked potato, a salad, draft beer, and a raw steak. And you have to cook it. All by yourself. On a grill. Fired by charcoal. There are hot spots, perfect spots, and those that struggle, and attenti...
Nothing’s Cheesy About Gilson’s Cheese Melt Steve Novotney June 5, 2015 5 He’s been a juvenile probation officer and a private investigator. He’s sold insurance, worked in the gas and oil fields, and served as a security guard. Today, though, he’s making grilled cheese sandwiches ...
Mmm . . . Popcorn Opens at Market Plaza Christina Fisanick June 3, 2015 7 My son insisted he could smell the popcorn by the time we hit the former Kaufman’s storefront. He held fast to his dad’s hand as he skipped down the alley and into Market Plaza. We were heading out to our first...
W.Va. Executive Aims to Ignite the Mountain State Amy Arnett June 1, 2015 From financial bumps in the road to the worlds of marketing and social media, getting a business started is no easy task. But small business drives our economy in West Virginia because, according to federal sta...
Interesting Flora of Ohio County Bearcub May 29, 2015 1 Creek-Side Flora This time of year is the perfect time to go out looking for interesting plants. There are so many to find, and flora is constantly changing. I especially enjoy identifying those with special u...
Weelunk Weekender Rochambeau May 28, 2015 1 After a busy Memorial Day weekend, the city is taking a bit of a breather. No huge events this weekend, but lots of quality smaller ones. If you've always wanted to see a minstrel show, your chance is here. ...
One Month Remains Until 5th Annual Arts Fest Steve Novotney May 20, 2015 Childhood experiences led the chairperson of the Wheeling Arts and Cultural Commission to become involved with the local arts community, and she wishes to offer the same opportunities to children and adults ali...
The Mabel Files: Tale of the Sweeney Punchbowls Gerry Griffith May 18, 2015 2 “Young lady,” whispered the old man to Mabel Minns as he moved slowly and quietly between weathered gravestones and pointed a bent, wrinkled finger toward an unusual mass of granite and glass. “Do you know what...
Fascinating History Haunts Inside The Walls Of W.Va. Pen Steve Novotney May 16, 2015 27 It was hard core. The criminals, the conditions, and the administered punishments earned the West Virginia Penitentiary a nationwide reputation for standing as a brutal institution in the corrections system dur...
First Wheeling History Trivia Challenge Set For May 19 Steve Novotney May 13, 2015 1 The city of Wheeling has been a municipality in two different states and has twice served as the capital of West Virginia, but those facts represent a mere sprinkling of the rich history accumulated through the...
Spring Lauren Cuff May 12, 2015 1 A flush of green Lilac, lavender, sweet the soft puff of dandelion seeds A hawk gliding on a breeze Caterpillars bungee jump from trees Wheeling Creek hushed by leaves A couple sitting on its bank heads ...
Q&A: Four City Council Hopefuls Share Their Visions Steve Novotney May 10, 2015 3 They all have lived elsewhere. Three are natives, and one is a transplanted West Virginian who has been in Wheeling for the past decade. Each brings something different to the table: one has experience with ...
Depasquale’s Trattoria Keeps It All In The Family Steve Novotney May 10, 2015 The children of Simone and Caterina DePasquale learned a few things from their parents about Italian traditions, hard work, and food preparation, and now they bring those lessons to Market Street in downtown Wh...
Local Musician Pours His Soul Into New Album Steve Novotney May 8, 2015 Matt Heusel has been a hard-working musician in the Upper Ohio Valley for the past two decades, but only now does he feel as if he has produced his finest work. Heusel, the bandleader of “The Two Bridges,” w...
Captain Samuel Brady: Part 3, Conclusion Earl Nicodemus May 4, 2015 Brady’s Rangers were very effective in their pursuit of the Indian raiding parties. Numerous times, they rescued women and children who had been taken captive by the Indians. When Brady’s Rangers encountered an...
The Hempfield Haunting Rich Knoblich May 3, 2015 4 Note: This is a fictional tale. Rich Knoblich, WV storyteller and a regular winner of the Liar Contest at the annual Vandalia Gathering hosted by the WV Dept. of Arts and Culture, likes to add some dr...
WPHS’s Park Players to Perform Footloose Aimee Schultz May 2, 2015 Aimee Shultz is a WPHS senior and assistant director of the musical Anyone who was a young person in the 80’s remembers the Kenny Logins hit song, “Footloose”, as well as its movie counterpart star...
Local Woman Continues To Search For Missing Father Steve Novotney May 2, 2015 It was three years ago when Julie Wurtzbacher was last in the news because of her quest of finding her father, a man who vanished from her life when she was a little more than 3 years old. She was interviewed b...
The Mabel Files: Wheeling Boys Go to War Gerry Griffith May 1, 2015 4 Wheeling barber George Griffith was about to go to war in the Spring of 1941 and the Army fatigues he was issued and directed to wear from boot camp to deployment, just like the plain but tough uniform he had w...
Captain Samuel Brady: Part 2 Earl Nicodemus April 27, 2015 1 After living in a cabin in Wellsburg for a period of time, Sam and Drucilla obtained property in West Liberty, with assistance from Van Swearingon, where they built a large frame house. One of the photos with t...
Fahey Q&A: “I guess it’s in our DNA” Steve Novotney April 26, 2015 1 He’s a Fahey, and you know his name. You’re familiar with it because he and several of his family members have chosen to serve in roles in Wheeling and Ohio County. Gene Fahey is 51 years old, and he works t...
Local Birds Of Spring, A Photo Essay Wallis April 25, 2015 4 Spring has returned, and so have the birds (and the birds that didn't leave are happier). Local photographer Anna Fonner of Ark Photography has been busy snapping their photos all over Wheeling. Check out her b...
Yesterday: A Haibun Poem Alice Hembra April 24, 2015 3 Yesterday memories gather in the rear view mirror framing a rich past Wheeling, late 50's: A living breathing organism; the population on the verge of decline. The business di...
Weelunk Weekender Rochambeau April 23, 2015 A busy late-April weekend in Wheeling kicks off Thursday evening with the Charlie Daniels Band at the Capitol Theatre. Charlie always puts on a great show, so don't miss it. Friday noon brings us the ...
Only in Wheeling: “The Dog Ate My Homework” Steve Criniti April 20, 2015 1 Ed. Note: This is the third installment of an occasional column titled “Only in Wheeling.” The stories featured here are stories of the quaint, quirky, weirdly alluring things that happen in a unique town like ...
When Two Non-Profits Connect Tammy Kruse April 17, 2015 So the story goes … I walked in to the Alpha for lunch one day in 2014, and Jason Koegler introduces me to Junior League of Wheeling President Lori Kenamond. We had pleasant exchanges between stran...
Brand New Firm To Chisel Outside The Box Steve Novotney April 15, 2015 It simply made sense. That is why the owners of two downtown Wheeling businesses have decided to merge Redbeard Communication and Neue into a new branding management firm named “Chiselbox.” Nathan Blake, ...
