Journalists were in the hot seat about two months ago, when national headlines made a coal mining tragedy here in West Virginia much worse. Everyone knows that. But what many people may not know is that some of those journalists came to Morgantown six weeks after the Sago Mine disaster, Read more
When doctors released Sago miner Randal McCloy on March 30, a news conference was held at the Waterfront Radisson, here in Morgantown. Satellite trucks lined up next to the Monongahela River behind the hotel, and media came from near and far to cover the story. I wanted to be there, Read more
NOTE: The following Vintage Berry Wine column was never published; it was written in February 1993, after the author found out how addictive her son, Zach’s, electronic toys could be. Zach was then eight. The expression “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” has been echoed many times, for various Read more
THE deaths of 12 miners in the Sago Mine disaster and then four additional miners in other mines made international headlines. But below the radar, unemployment and uncertainty in the U.S. coal mining industry leak an invisible poison, claiming silent and stoic victims in the frustration and rage of domestic Read more
Samantha, whom I affectionately call “Sam-I-am,” after the character in the 1960 classic Green Eggs and Ham, by one of my favorite authors, told me that students are wearing black and red to school today in honor of Dr. Seuss. In pursuit of the poetry that has often eluded me, Read more
Last October, Chris talked nonstop about this book she spent an entire weekend reading. Now Chris, a mother of three, holds down a job, plus she has a really hectic schedule at home, but this book caught her attention and held it, until she turned the very last page. I Read more
NOTE: A portion of this was broadcast on WVPB on January 10, the day family and friends buried Sago miner and Newburg resident Terry Helms. When I went to bed just before 2 a.m. on January 4, I thought that 12 coal miners trapped beneath the earth in a town Read more
NOTE: The following Vintage Berry Wine never appeared in print; this is the original publication. However, it really did happen, on any given night of the week, between the years 1990-98.
For years I had the same problem. It didn’t matter if I was married or single, although it has gotten worse since I began tucking the kids in alone, but bedtime is a real chore around my house. It is the one thing I think I dread more than anything else.
My kids, as with most children I know, have something I do not – limitless energy. In fact, their energy levels peak around, oh, 8 p.m. That’s when they’re supposed to be taking their baths. Instead, I will find them bouncing off the walls (and each other), or chasing a sibling around the house. It takes me at least 15 minutes to persuade them that taking a bath really does have some health advantages – in addition to being a good habit to get into. Then they hop in the tub and I leave the room, with strict instructions that bath time is 15 minutes ONLY.
Welcome back … to Vintage Berry Wine! After 15 long years, it is returning in a new and more modern format – online, for the world to see. Born in 1987 in Preston County, West Virginia, during my first job as a newspaper reporter, “Vintage Berry Wine” was my weekly Read more
Sister Of Silence is truly an inspirational account of one woman whose indomitable spirit led her on a journey to self-discovery and empowerment, where she refused to be silenced. This memoir tells the story of one abused woman who nearly reached the point of no return, while exploring one of Read more