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Many West Virginians paid the price in the Vietnam War
West Virginians had a higher death rate per capita compared to other states during the Vietnam War. The Mountain State sent 36,578 troops to Vietnam, with 1,182 of them dying. This rate was higher than the national average, with West Virginia suffering the highest casualty rate in the nation. Kentucky had 1,024 soldiers killed in…
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If you do not use it, you will lose it
BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE Risk is a part of your everyday life. A drive to the grocery store is risky. Sitting in your recliner too long is risky. Eating too much is risky. Eating too little is risky. Driving too fast is risky and driving too slowly can be risky in certain scenarios. Moving to…
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Freedom carries a cost
Every year, Americans gather for cookouts, ballgames, family reunions and the unofficial beginning of summer. Flags wave from porches. Cemeteries bloom with fresh flowers while veterans stand quietly beside memorials bearing names etched in stone. But Memorial Day is not ultimately about a long weekend. Rather, it is about absence, the empty chair at the…
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Dear Editor: Memorial Day
BY CLETIS MILLS Our country has celebrated Memorial Day on various dates over the years, but in 1971, Congress declared the last Monday of May to be the official day of remembrance for our fallen military heroes. And so it is with sadness, but with deep gratitude, and enduring respect, we honor their memory. They…
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Kids do not play outside anymore
Have you noticed you do not see kids playing outside these days as in years past? The courts, fields and yards are mostly vacant these days. I do not know about you, but when I was young and the weather permitted, we were always playing outside. Neighborhood kids would play basketball, whiffle ball or football,…
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Dead noses smell no roses
BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE May is a busy month with Mother’s Day, graduations and Memorial Day weekend activities. Hopefully these occasions have presented or are presenting you with opportunities to connect with friends and family. Too often our connection time with people is at the funeral home. Back in the old days, social family gatherings…
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Show up. Vote. Be heard.
The final week of the 2026 Primary Election has arrived, and Martin County voters now have multiple opportunities to make their voices heard. No-excuse early voting begins Thursday at the Martin County Clerk’s Office. Election Day follows May 19. Between early voting, absentee voting and traditional Election Day polling places, access to the ballot box…
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Old sayings and their meanings
If you are like me, you probably grew up hearing a lot of old sayings that were more like proverbs. Their meanings made you think or were very logical when you thought about them. I thought I would whip out a few that I still use or have heard throughout the years. “The squeaky wheel…
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Political jobs and all-around nice people
BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE Men and women who run for political office must be men and women of the people, for the people. Political jobs are jobs for the people. A person who holds a political office must know that he or she is serving a massive number of people. Holding office comes with a…
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When the creek runs orange, trust runs dry
When a creek turns the color of “tomato soup,” something is wrong and everyone knows it. In Delbarton and Ragland, West Virginia, residents did what responsible citizens do. They looked, they asked, they documented. And when answers did not come quickly enough, they began testing the water themselves. That alone should trouble us. No community…
