Just three miles from where Shannon Stafford rested in her white casket Friday morning, there’s a huge billboard you can’t miss, just as you leave Masontown, W.Va. It urges Prestonians to help prevent child abuse, saying: “It’s your turn to make a difference.” Everyone who drives by is encouraged to Read more…
If I had a dollar for every woman I’ve met who never healed from the abuse heaped upon her at the hands of a man, I daresay I’d be pretty wealthy by now. As the hour draws near for tonight’s Grammy Awards, I keep asking myself: was Whitney Houston one Read more…
When Jerry Sandusky waived his right to a preliminary hearing last Tuesday, I could only think of one good reason: plea deal. Which is one of the worst things that can happen to a case like this. It’s also one of the best. Before I tell you what that is, Read more…
Regardless of the gender used, this applies to both sexes If you’ve had an alcoholic parent, or if you’ve been sexually victimized, you are more vulnerable to feelings of shame and self-doubt, along with the belief that all problems are your fault. These factors can also create a drive to Read more…
If you know anyone who needs to make some serious life changes, please buy them a copy of Sister of Silence. If you’re a therapist or have one on speed dial, tell them to download it from Amazon. If you’re a parent, a teacher or someone who still stumbles through Read more…
NOTE: This originally appeared as “Cassandra’s statement: July 15, 2008” and was first published several years ago. –Daleen I know some visitors to this site will be friends or even family members. Some of you will doubt the validity of my mother’s book; however, I can assure you, as one Read more…
The thing about working for the media is, you sometimes take all the “glitz” that goes with it for granted: tight security, rubbing shoulders with celebrities, or gaining access when other people can’t. But when you change places, you tend to notice these things. Or at least I did, when Read more…
Domestic violence is a term that has been replaced, to some extent, with the phrase “intimate partner violence.” That’s because such violence doesn’t just happen inside the home, and it isn’t only confined to spouses. IPV encompasses all types of intimate violence, in a variety of settings, and between people Read more…
Two more children dead, another mother on her way to jail. Maybe. Maybe not. But in all likelihood, 29-year-old Shaquan Duley will spend time behind bars. In 1985, if I had followed through with my own plan to drive my car over a hillside, or connect a hose from the Read more…
One of the most serious problems facing the world is the ongoing demise of journalism. As one newspaper after another makes its final print run, and reporters walk away wondering what to do next, a sad fact escapes the masses: If investigative journalism, that traditional method of gathering hard news, Read more…