Breaking News

Columns

Things Are Looking Up

I heard the familiar rumble above me, and then the couch began to shake a bit. Sitting in my living room, I’ve become accustomed to routine military helicopter maneuvers flying over our Ohio County home. Only lately have I experienced the minor quivering of the couch as the “birds” fly over the house. Sometimes I run to the window to see these magnificent pieces of military hardware as they swoop and wing their way around the airspace. The first time I heard them after dark I actually flipped on and off the porch light to let them know we were down here and maybe they should ...

Oglebay Insitute’s Museum Committee Invites You to Secret Gardens

It’s been a little over a year now since everything shut down and most public events were quarantined due to the pandemic. So, it’s with great joy that I’m writing a column today to let you know that the Museums of Oglebay Institute is having its Secret Gardens of Wheeling Tour and Garden Market this spring! “The pandemic curtailed most of the museum’s traditional programming and fundraising events for the past year, and we are excited to dip our toes back in the water with a long-time popular event,” said Christin Byrum, director of museums. “The outdoor garden ...

Mixed Emotions On Mother’s Day

It’s an undeniable fact: we all have or have had a mother. That doesn’t mean everyone born has known his or her mother — for various reasons. Celebrating Mother’s Day each May can be a time of warm and fuzzy emotions for moms and their offspring. It’s a day of flowers, cards, dinners and spending time with family. However, it also can be a most difficult 24 hours for women who have lost a child whether from miscarriage, illness, accident, violence, drug overdose or suicide. Birth mothers forced to relinquish a child — for whatever reason — also suffer emotional ...

Looking Back on Some Antiques That Mom Loved

If you’re like me, you were introduced to antiques by your mom, so Happy Mother’s Day to all moms and grandmothers who pass down the love of antiques and collectibles to the next generation. Not that dads don’t play a part in passing down appreciation for the finer things in life, but it does seem that when I talk to collectors about antiques and how they got interested in the hobby, it is typical that they recall their mom or grandmother’s house and style. For me, it was listening to my mom Margaret O’Malley Bierkortte tell me the history of a piece of furniture, painting ...

Don’t Take Library For Granted

I’m not much of a gambler. That’s not to say I don’t purchase an occasional lottery ticket or take chances on church raffles or other benefit games of chance. Over the decades of this career in journalism, I have taken many chances when it comes to meeting newspaper deadlines. Deadlines are an important part of this business or your work is not worth the ink. When I was in high school, teachers believed term papers were a must in just about every class other than math. I tried not to drag my feet on such tasks because I was pretty good at writing, and it wasn’t as ...

Have a Seat in Beautiful Antique Chairs

As I was going through old copies of Southern Living magazine and trying to part with the 10-year or older copies, I came across an article that remains solid advice. The article refers to chairs with style and it covers the variety of big names in chair styles over the years (18th and 19th centuries). These names are good to know and understand if you’re into antiques and even if you’re not — yet. I’ve always thought that antique furniture adds character to a room. Blending the past with today’s fashions gives your home a strength of character and a timeless look. So, it ...