At the end of next week, Donald Trump will take office as the nation’s 44th president (Grover Cleveland having served twice). I, for one, am glad about this. Not because Trump won the election, but because the transfer of power from Barack Obama will proceed peacefully. Just as it did when Obama replaced George W.…
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In just over a week (the same day that the nation observes Martin Luther King Day), Jim Justice will be sworn in as West Virginia’s newest governor. There is no telling how successful he will be; we’ll have to check back in four years and see what developed during the interim. Yet, I have to…
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With 2016 about to sink into the rear-view mirror, it’s worth reflecting on what gives life meaning. I found myself thinking about that more this year, especially after a repeat viewing of Cast Away, the popular movie starring Tom Hanks. We had watched the film more than a decade ago after our daughter loaned us…
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A Charlie Brown Christmas celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. When it premiered I doubt TV executives expected the 30-minute special to still be airing annually. Since DVDs and the Internet hadn’t been invented, they sure didn’t think it would still be selling copies online during the 21st century. Several years ago, my wife picked up…
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The last time Christmas fell on Sunday (as it does this year), in 2011, I remember seeing a news story about a significant percentage of churches that weren’t holding services. That’s one reason I’m pleased that ours will meet on Dec. 25. I know there are all kinds of reasons that some don’t meet on…
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It’s that time of year when millions go searching for good Christmas movies. We have certain favorites, especially August Rush, whose primary tie to the season is the fact it debuted in our area in early December of 2007. It’s one of those films that never grows old. Because it is so inspiring and the…
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Whether Obamacare’s 22 percent premium hikes announced shortly before the presidential election helped sink Hillary Clinton’s campaign will be parsed by political commentators for years to come. However, this much is certain: no matter what Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress do next year, the die is already cast for 2017. What you see now…
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We’re only one week away from Thanksgiving, a day for which rabid football fans are grateful. With an NFL triple-header, that means—if you include the pre-game chat—one can watch gridiron action from noon until nearly midnight. However, the thing that no pigskin aficionado appreciates is the prospect, no matter how small, that the Vikings-Lions, Redskins-Cowboys,…
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Until I read about the pending opening of a Clean Eatz franchise in Huntington over the summer, I had never heard of the North Carolina-based restaurant chain. I was impressed with their proclamation that menu items are a maximum 500 calories, and that the owners’ goal is to help people adjust to a healthy lifestyle.…
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Unless you’ve already taken advantage of early voting, Tuesday will mark the latest venture into selecting our nation’s next president. And if you’re like a large swath of the American public, you may be filled with dismay over the choices. It was the third such event I had attended this year. The first two,…
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