It is sometimes difficult to come up with a topic for a weekly column. So there are notes I keep on various subjects that are not necessarily long enough for a column. But if I combine them, it can provide some interesting tidbits that readers may find informative or even useful.

So here we go with cleaning out the notebook.

… The Mingo County School System will be closing Dingess Elementary after this term. Starting next school year, in 2027, the Dingess students will be transported by bus to Lenore Pre-K8.

There has been a wave of school closures across many counties due to declining enrollment and inadequate funding. West Virginia has lost many students in certain districts due to declining population.

Dingess is the last grade school in the county. All the other schools are pre-K through eighth grade.

It is sad to think about all the old schools that have been closed and consolidated on both sides of the Tug River in our area over the past years.

I know many of my readers of a certain age went to various grade schools in the communities where they grew up. I went to Nolan Grade School for eight years and got a good, strong education in those formative years, not to mention I could walk to school and attend classes with my friends and neighbors.

Those times are long gone and we may never see them again.

… Speaking of school systems, students in Martin County will start classes Aug. 5, while Mingo County does not start until Aug. 26. In neighboring Pike County, schools start Aug. 6.

This is way earlier than when we started school back in the 1960s and 1970s. School did not start until after Labor Day back then, which gave us a little longer summer break than kids get today. In fact, they will now be attending classes during some of the year’s hottest weather.

… Speaking of hot weather and school, Kentucky high school football teams started practice in mid-July. They still have to get in a few sessions before going full pads, but this is way earlier than in years past.

However, in the Mountain State, they still do not officially start until the first Monday of August, which is Aug. 3 this season. Some West Virginia schools use “flex” days to get in some running and “getting in shape” workouts before the official start date, when they can don helmets and cleats.

The Bluegrass State gets a big early jump on their neighbors, but it also takes away much of the summer vacation break for student-athletes.

… It is almost unbelievable how many “transfers” there have been in high school athletics lately. Many of them are at local high schools and even middle schools. Some not only switched schools but also moved to different states and districts.

This goes for all major sports, including football, basketball, baseball and even softball.

…It has really baffled me how many socialist politicians are winning Democratic primaries in many states across the United States.

This is not the Democratic Party of our parents and grandparents. I use the term socialist, but some of those campaigning and winning are downright communist-thinking candidates.

The old saying goes, be careful what you wish for.

… As the Bob Dylan song says, “The Times They Are A-Changin’” and so have many other things we knew through the years. Brace yourself.

Until next time.

(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)