– To the organizers and participants of the second annual “Gateway to the West” robotics tournament held last week at The Highlands Sports Complex. The event, a national qualifier for the VEX Robotics Championships, brought in 149 high school and middle school teams from 16 states and even teams from Canada, along with their families.

JoJo Shay, innovation coordinator for Ohio County Schools, deserves much of the credit for making this event a success. She and her team deserve a thank you for their efforts.

– To the Bordas & Bordas law firm in Wheeling for its continued efforts to end bullying. The firm, since 2014, has honored hundreds of students in Ohio, Marshall and Belmont counties for their anti-bullying efforts. Nominations are now being sought for this year.