This week I want to talk about deadheading flowers. As we roll into August, many annual and perennial flowers are blooming. This is the perfect time to get out in your flower beds to rejuvenate your plants and extend the season of color with this horticultural practice.

Deadheading is simply the process of pruning faded or dead flowers from plants to promote new growth and re-flowering. It is one of the most effective tools a backyard gardener can use to keep plants blooming longer, healthier, and more vibrantly.

Keep in mind it is important to keep up with deadheading in the garden throughout the growing season for healthier plants and continual blooms. It not only tidies up the appearance of your garden but also redirects the plant’s energy from seed production back into blooming.

The ultimate goal of a plant is to complete its life cycle through successful reproduction, in this case, by seed. If you leave the old flowers in place, the plant thinks its job is done since seeds have formed, so it stops producing new buds. Removing those spent blooms sends a signal to the plant to keep up the flower production.

As blooms fade, pinch or cut off the flower stems below the spent flowers and just above the first set of full, healthy leaves. Always check plants carefully to be sure that no flower buds are hiding amid the faded blooms before you shear off the top of the plant.

The best time to deadhead a flower is when its appearance begins to decline. The frequency of deadheading a particular plant depends on the life span of its blooms. This can range from a day to several weeks, depending on the species. Furthermore, weather greatly affects a flower’s longevity, as torrential rains and unseasonably hot weather can take a toll on blooms.

Deadheading is easy to do by hand, but here are a few suggestions. Locate the faded bloom and follow the stem down to the first set of healthy leaves or a new bud. For deadheading flowers, lightweight garden snips, small floral bypass pruners or mini floral snips work well, cutting just above the node. Make clean cuts to avoid tearing or damaging the plant.

Get in the habit of evaluating your garden frequently to determine if there are any deadheading needs. Spending a short time in the garden each day will make this task much easier.

Deadheading is a maintenance practice that can be done throughout the growing season and many gardeners find it enjoyable, relaxing and downright therapeutic.

Making a decision about deadheading can be difficult because it is advantageous for some plants and detrimental for others. Many perennials benefit from being deadheaded. These include yarrow (Achillea), false spirea (Astilbe), bellflower (Campanula), tickseed (Coreopsis), larkspur (Delphinium), blanket flower (gaillardia), bee balm (Monarda), evening primrose (Oenothera), and garden phlox (Phlox paniculata). Taller varieties of Sedum, such as Autumn Joy, should be cut back to prevent spindly branches and to promote compact growth.

However, some perennials are great self-seeders and should not be deadheaded. For example, columbine loves to spread and scatter its seedlings to places away from the parent plant. New plants can help fill in areas of your garden or allow you to share plants with other gardeners.

Deadheading is required maintenance for a show stopping garden, and there are a few methods you can use. The first is simply pinching off. If the flower stalks are thin and soft enough, pinch them off between your fingers or with your fingernails. This allows you to deadhead individual blooms on a plant very quickly.

Pinching back also encourages encourage branching and bushier growth, particularly in young or fast-growing plants. Instead of waiting for a flower to fade, you remove the tip of a growing stem, which redirects energy to the side shoots. This results in a fuller plant with more blooming stems later.

This method that works well with many annual flowers such as geraniums, zinnia, salvia, coleus and snapdragons. Pinching should be done when the plant has at least 6 inches of growth and several sets of leaves. Use your fingers or clean snips to remove the top inch of new growth, just above a leaf node.

When deadheading larger annuals or perennial plants with thicker stems such as daylilies and coneflowers, using a hand pruner is recommended so you have nice, clean cuts on the stems. In addition, this prevents plant-tissue injury that could become an entry point for disease.

Many perennials set flowers on stalks over an extended period of time. If there are still unopened buds lower on the stalk, then just remove the dead flower on top. If all blooms on a flower stock have opened, remove the entire stalk at the base of the plant.

When deadheading roses, make your cut right above a stem with five (not three) leaflets to stimulate reblooming. You might want to leave the last set of spent blooms on the plant at the end of the season to allow rose hips to form, as many are very attractive into the fall and winter.

Backyard gardeners should recognize that many perennial plants, such as the peony, only bloom once in a growing season and removing faded blooms will not promote new flowers.

Hollyhocks and foxglove are both biennials, so avoid deadheading these plants to allow them to set seed. If these plants are grown from seed in your garden, you will likely not see blooms until the second season of growth. These seeds will drop in the garden and germinate in the next year.

Some hybrid annuals have been bred to not set seed. This mechanism allows them to continue flowering throughout the growing season. It is not necessary to deadhead continuous bloomers, and you might sometimes hear these plants referred to as “self-cleaning.” Impatiens, vinca and begonia are “self-cleaning” and do not require deadheading.

Late fall can change deadheading practices for many flowering plants. Seed pods can provide food for wildlife to enjoy during the winter months. In addition, some plants have very decorative seed pods and present a beautiful display in the garden during the winter.

Birds enjoy perching on coneflowers and snacking on the seed heads. Plants such as Black-eyed Susan and sunflowers are great for attracting goldfinches with their seeds. This is crucial food for them in the winter.

Deadheading may seem like a simple chore, but it is a powerful tool to help you extend the life and beauty of your summer garden. Contact me at the Wood County WVU Extension Office (304)-424-1960 or e-mail me at jj.barrett@mail.wvu.edu with questions. Good Luck and until next time, Happy Gardening!

You know what I love? OK, OK, enough guessing out there! Let me just tell you…

I love a good piece of symbolism. I know what you are thinking, too: What a sophisticated and textured thing to say, Mr. Moore! I told you that you don’t have to call me “Mr. Moore,” but I appreciate the flattery.

In reality, you were probably thinking: What a loser, English-teachery thing to say!

I own that. Heck, I am proud of that! I love my dorky side. Here’s what I love about symbolism: By saying something so simple and easy, you can communicate something so profound and cosmically attainable. By making something humbly relatable, you can guide the listener into depths previously thought inaccessible. Symbolism is a gateway to endless understanding!

For example: a Trojan horse. Ever heard of it? Sure you have. In Homer’s epic, “The Iliad,” Odysseus invents and enacts the ruse that ends the 10-year bloody battle. It was his keen mind, not a warrior’s huge muscles, that opened the gates of Troy. Odysseus’s plan was to use the Greeks’ oldest (and most trusted) custom of gracious hospitality, or “xenia.” When the Greeks appear to have retreated, the Trojans find a gift awaiting them on the beach – a large wooden horse.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: “When life hands you an enormous lumber equine, you politely redecorate your living room.” Ask my kids – I say it all the time!

The Trojans have no reason to question the gift; the Greeks, after 10 long years on Trojan soil, are now calling a truce. It is a peace-offering. It is a “sorry-for-killing-all-your-young-men” present. The impenetrable gates of Troy are opened as the symbol is wheeled in.

Under the cover of night, Odysseus and his men, who have been hiding in the unassuming offering, sneak out and butcher the sleeping, defenseless and unprepared Trojans. In their homes, in their comfy jammies, the Trojans are annihilated.

Because history is written by the victors, Odysseus is lauded as a hero … but the fact remains: He gained triumph by trickery – he slaughtered helpless humans using their honest hospitality.

Since ancient Greece, the phrase “Trojan horse” has become a symbol for deception and destruction against an unwitting host. A famous modern example of the usage is a “Trojan horse virus” – a virus that disguises itself as safe, preying on the trusting clicks of the unprepared. In true Trojan horse style, it cannot invade on its own; it needs to be welcomed in.

The power of a symbolism is thus: A simple phrase invokes centuries of meaning, rich stories and substance at your disposal. Choose your words carefully … and dear gods, be careful when accepting gifts from strangers!

<<< Now that the Trojan War is finally won, all of the amassed Greek army is beyond desperate to return home to their separate lands. Odysseus (Matt Damon), our hero, longs for Ithaca’s shores and the embrace of his family so long removed … but he does not travel alone. He is graced with many soldiers under his command to have survived the 10-year war, but they are lost and doomed if not aggressively guided. He also carries a dark passenger through the winds and waves: a guilt surpassing expression and without escape. Odysseus’s decisions may have won the war, but they have lost him much that cannot be replaced. As one day turns to 100 and the weeks fade into years, Odysseus’s resolve is washed by shame. The thought of home is paramount, but the remorse is paralyzing. With each man lost to a cruel fate, the trip becomes a depressing reality: Odysseus will never reach his ancestral sand. Not gonna happen! After 10 years, all hope seems lost, but intervention is introduced, and the wind begins to shift toward reunion and retribution… <<< I taught “The Odyssey” for 13 years, so this is not a normal story to me. It is one that I have memorized, internalized, studied, dissected … it is one that has become part of me. When the movie was announced in 2024, I was exceedingly excited! Christopher Nolan writing and directing one of my favorite stories … yes, please! For whatever reason, Hollywood has shied away from this epic masterpiece. I knew it would finally get its due treatment! Flash forward a few years, and it is now a fully-realized vision nearly 3,000 years in the making. As I had hoped, Nolan is the perfect person to truly bring this story to life. His insatiable desire for practical effects is inspiring, innovative and incredible; his refusal to “take the easy way out” makes all the difference. Instead of manufacturing ancient Greece, his team of magicians unearths it. Nolan’s imagination and execution are unlike anything Hollywood has ever seen. To make Nolan’s creative concepts exist takes a huge team of collaborative artists. Special effects supervisor Scott R. Fisher creates some real movie magic. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema seizes every moment and opportunity. Production designer Ruth De Jong is transportive in detail and execution. Supervising location manager Janice Polley found planet Earth’s best kept secrets. Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick gave immense thought to the subtle and the bold. Visually, “The Odyssey” was an extraordinary treat! Sonically, the movie was grand. The music by Ludwig Göransson was diverse, decisive and dictated so much of the movie’s epic dignity. The sound design by Craig Henighan was majestic and painstakingly sharp. Matt Damon as Odysseus is an inspired choice! He has the grit, that is apparent, but the soul of Damon has always impressed me, as well. He brings to light the internal struggles, the shame and rejection and defeat and pain and lingering hope, with an ease and earnestness that gives the film its depth. Robert Pattinson was interestingly menacing as Antinous, the lead suitor. Tom Holland was OK as Telemachus, the son in turmoil. Anne Hathaway was a worthy opposite as Penelope, the faithful yet heart-sick wife. John Leguizamo was effective as Eumaeus, the trusted servant. Charlize Theron was wonderful as Calypso, the wishful lover. Jon Bernthal was a pleasant surprise as Menelaus, the mentor-king. Samantha Morton was amazing as Circe, the mighty-yet-misunderstood witch. My favorite part is Nolan’s script. Although it skips some pieces I would have included and simplifies some of Homer’s complexity, Nolan injects this ancient piece with something sorely missing: humanity. Real emotion. Real empathy. Nolan paints a worthy picture of regret. For all the criticism he has received in the past about shallow characterization, I think with “The Odyssey” and “Oppenheimer,” he has silenced those critics. “The Odyssey” can be seen now in theaters. See it on the big screen! REPORT CARD: The Odyssey

Grade: A+

Assessment: As epic as it is earnest.

My driveway, and your driveway, can lead many more places. In fact it can lead to virtually every corner of the United States, and it all starts with how you decide to turn at the end of the driveway.

In 50 years of driving I figure I have driven around 750,000 miles, those miles and dozens of flights have taken me to all the corners of the country, until finally a few months ago I joined the 50 states club when the turn at the end of my driveway took me to Wisconsin.

The 50 states club is not really a club per se. Although it does have rules. The biggest, generally accepted rule is that airports do not count. You must step on the earth and breathe the air of the state. I have done this. Others believe that you must do something meaningful, or have a meal. Those people are just making it too complicated. My rule is simply that I visited the state and walked around a bit. I have spent 15 minutes in some states and 50 years in others.

As a child I camped up and down the eastern seaboard with my family, camping in a tent, on the ground. You almost become one with the states. As an adult, I have revisited most of the eastern states many times.

I have also driven to the west coast, twice. When you do this, you pass through what many call the flyover states, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and others. You haven’t lived until you spend the night sleeping in your car at a Kansas rest stop or tried to get your car fixed at a New Mexico gas station.

Those two trips allowed me to knock out a lot of states at an early age. Work helped me fill in some others. I’m not sure I would have gone to Marshall, Minn., if I hadn’t visited our sister newspaper, The Independent, there. Marshall is near the western edge of the state, so when I got there early, I took a side trip to South Dakota.

A different trip took me to the Minot Daily News. On the northern edge of North Dakota, Minot is home to a giant Air Force and missile base, built there to protect us from threats from the north. Minot is on the Great Plains, an area that is as flat as any I’ve seen. Odd to me was the fact that the city was sliced into two by a valley formed by the Souris River. Once you reach the top of the hill though, it is flat as far as you can see.

The trip to Minot got me thinking that I was pretty close to all the states. A later trip with my family took us to Colorado and Yellowstone to the north. While driving past Laramie, Wyo., we passed the same Motel 6 I had stayed at in 1982 when I had driven I-70 all the way across the country. Yellowstone sits in the corner of Wyoming next to Idaho and Montana. A short side trip into Montana gave us views of both a herd of bison crossing a river and a black bear crossing the highway.

I got the 49th state last summer when my family and I visited Alaska and got to see firsthand the magic that is that state.

I think my wife Lori and I have passed the love of travel down to our now adult children, who now do the lion’s share of planning on the adventures we take, and have traveled much farther than we have.

I’m up for any trip as long as I get to be with the people I care about. Just tell me what to pack and let me know which direction to turn when I get to the end of my driveway.

Art Smith is online manager of The Marietta Times and The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. He can be reached at asmith@mariettatimes.com.

Last week, the Department of Human Services announced that after being open only a week, the application window was closed for the back-to-school clothing voucher program funded through the TANF program due to running out of money. Families still had 20 days left to apply before the program was closed.

DoHS and the governor’s office have pointed to disclaimers stating that the clothing voucher program would be open until Aug. 15 or if the funding was exhausted, whichever came first. But the program application period opened only on July 20. It’s out of TANF funding in eight days?

Last’s year’s clothing voucher program served approximately 55,000 applicants, according to the governor’s office. So far, the program has processed only 52,000 applications for the eight-day period; a number they say could go up once pending applications are processed. Last year’s clothing voucher cost the state $11.4 million.

The clothing voucher program provides $200 per eligible child for back-to-school clothing and supplies. It’s unclear to me if the number of program applicants includes multiple children per application. But let’s assume each application is one child. To get to last year’s clothing voucher applicant number, it would only cost the state an additional $600,000, or $200 per child.

According to the invoices I’ve seen so far from Morrisey’s America 250 Capitol City Celebration, we paid more than $737,000 out of the Governor’s Civil Contingency Fund just for the four-day light show on the front of the Capitol.

A few columns ago, I defended the state for celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. But I can’t fault anyone for being upset with the $2 million budgeted for the Capitol City Celebration when $1 million would likely keep the clothing voucher program at least able to get to last year’s applicant number.

Morrisey has been touting what he calls a structure deficit for TANF since May. I’ve talked with the governor in more detail about this and while I broadly understand what he is talking about, I’m still not understanding why this is an issue for the current fiscal year.

In short, an overreliance on COVID-19 federal dollars that dumped additional funding into several programs, such as TANF, caused the state to increase funding into certain TANF-funded programs. Federal TANF funding has largely returned to pre-COVID levels, but spending on state TANF programs has not changed, causing the state to spend more to maintain these TANF-funded programs and use unspent TANF carryover funds to bridge the gap. Those TANF carryover funds are dwindling and could be gone in the next 13 months, causing the state to review TANF-funded programs and make some hard choices.

TANF is made up mostly of federal funding, but the state also is required to include matching funds, usually an 80/20 split. The Legislature amended and approved the governor’s recommended general revenue budget line item for TANF for fiscal year 2027 beginning on July 1, which is $177.1 million. But the governor’s office argues that this amount is merely spending authority and not indicative of how much the TANF program has for FY27.

That explanation is not making sense to the lawmakers I have talked to on-the-record for stories or in private conversations. If there was going to be an issue with TANF funding for the current fiscal year, they wonder why the issue was not raised during the 2026 legislative session when the general revenue budget was being crafted instead of Morrisey announcing the issue in May.

Plus, DoHS has a great deal of flexibility to move funds around within its budget despite attempts by the Legislature to limit this authority. Lawmakers wonder why DoHS is not moving money around to deal with the clothing voucher issue. If more money is needed, the governor could call lawmakers into a special session to pass supplemental appropriations.

The issue is putting some Republican lawmakers facing contested elections in November into the position of being on the defensive. Democratic statehouse candidates already have wedge issues, such as the controversy over data centers and lack of local control through House Bill 2014. If I was a Democratic candidate for the House of Delegates or state Senate, I’d be pointing to the TANF issue even though it seems clear to me this was not the fault of the Legislature.

And for Morrisey, the TANF issue is already being used by a potential 2028 GOP primary challenger: State Treasurer Larry Pack, who criticized Morrisey for allowing the clothing voucher to go dry. Now, to be clear, the treasurer’s office has no real role in TANF, so I leave it up to you to decide if it is appropriate for Pack to comment on this issue through his official office instead of in his private capacity. But why hand your political rivals a metaphorical weapon?

When Morrisey first took office, he brought out a white board to explain why his revenue people were projecting a $400 million structural deficit in the FY26 general revenue budget unless he got spending under control. I would urge Morrisey to once again break out the white board and provide additional information on this TANF structure deficit to lawmakers and the general public.

***

Wood County Residents of the Revolution, continued…

(Taken from grave marking activities of the Captain James Neal Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution.)

∫ John Gard — Born in 1742, served as a private in the Continental army for one year and had been a wagon master in the N.J. militia. It is not known when he and his wife, Nancy Watson Gard, came to Wood County. He died December 1824 and was interred in the Burnt Hill Church Cemetery.

* John Hill — Born 1750 in Pennsylvania, served in the war from October 1776 until January 1779. He was married to Agnes Stuart. He was originally buried at the Hill Cemetery but was moved to Mt. Zion Cemetery at Mineral Wells. His tombstone inscription reads: John Hill, Leech’s Co. PA. Mil, Rev. War.

* John James — Born c. 1745, following his Revolutionary War service Captain James and his family moved to Blennerhassett Island, living there for several years. He then bought 700 acres on Stillwell Creek and the Little Kanawha River. He died in May of 1799, and though the exact site is unknown, he is reportedly buried in Riverview Cemetery. It is also possible that James was buried on his farm on Stillwell Creek.

* Frances Langfitt — Born 1760 at Dumfries, Prince William County, Va. He enlisted 1777 in the 11th Regiment of Light Dragoons until honorably discharged in 1782. Received a pension in Wood County, Va. in 1826, at which time he was 65 years old. He lived in Wood County with his wife Emily and daughter Nancy Glasscock. Langfitt died 1847 and was buried in Parkersburg Memorial Gardens.

* Matthew Maddox — Born 1752 in Saint Mary’s County, Maryland. Married Rachael Bonnifield 1774. At the age of 28 he enlisted in the Colonial Army. While in battle he was shot in the leg and carried off to die. He did recover and received a full pension. He died c.1831. He and Rachael had 64 grandchildren and 115 great grandchildren. They are buried in the Maddox Cemetery.

* Richard Mayhew — Born 1754 in Trenton, N.J., after enlistment he served until the end of the war. His death occurred in 1841 in Wood Co. Va. on his farm below the L.K. River. He was the first person buried in Tracewell Cemetery.

* James Neal — He was born about 1738 in England. In 1778 he raised a company of men and supported George Washington at Valley Forge. He served as Captain of the 13th Va. Regiment for three years. Neal and his family immigrated to Wood County in 1785, forming the first permanent settlement, known as Neal’s Station. He died 1821, first buried in the Tavenner Cemetery. Later his remains were moved to Mt. Olivet. His original gravestone is in the Blennerhassett Museum.

* Charles Parsons — Born about 1745 in Maryland, later moving to a fertile farm on the South Branch of the Potomac River, which provided much food for the Continental Army. Following his service in the Revolution, he served as a military scout and Indian fighter. After a life of service and adventure, Parsons passed away in 1823 and was buried in what is now the Parsons Cemetery, a.k.a, the Baptist Grove Cemetery near Ripley, WV.

* Bailey Rice — Rice was born in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in 1753. During the Revolution he served in the Second Virginia Regiment. He applied for a pension in 1821 in Wood County. Papers attesting his war services were signed by James Neal. Rice’s death occurred in 1851. He and his wife, Elizabeth Morehead, are buried on what was his farm on the Old St. Mary’s Pike.

* Spencer Sharp — Born in 1762 in Fauquier Co., Va., he was at the surrender of Cornwallis. After the war, the 33-year-old married 22-year-old Nancy Arnold. They settled in Wood County in 1806. They had 11 children, all of whom reached maturity. Spencer Sharp died in 1851. Both are buried in the Sharp Cemetery off Corbitt Hill Road near Waverly, WV.

Concluded next week…

***

Bob Enoch is president of the Wood County Historical and Preservation Society. If you have comments or questions about Look Back items, please contact him at: roberteenoch@gmail.com, or by mail at WCHPS, PO Box 565, Parkersburg, WV 26102.

The recent storms demonstrated how quickly aging infrastructure can become overwhelmed. In some locations, rainfall reached an extraordinary level in less than an hour, overwhelming drainage systems and creating emergency rescue situations.

While our immediate focus is on supporting recovery in these communities, our state leaders must also prioritize flood resilience in the near future. Flood resilience is more than rebuilding after a disaster. It is a real investment in flood mitigation and storm water management infrastructure. That’s why WV Rivers continues to advocate for policies and investments that help communities prepare before disaster strikes.

Earlier this month, we presented on a flood resiliency webinar hosted by Reimagine Appalachia and the Appalachian Flood Resilience Coalition featuring experts and community leaders discussing practical solutions for reducing flood risk, strengthening infrastructure, and improving community prepared.

We’ll continue the conversation with another webinar “Responding While Recovering — Storm Recovery Futures Amid Ongoing Disaster” on Aug. 4 at 2 p.m., where we’ll explore additional tools, resources, and strategies that can help communities become safer and more resilient in the face of future flooding events with our regional partners. You can register for this webinar at wvrivers.org

Recovery takes all of us working together to inspire a lasting commitment to flood mitigation and a safer future for everyone.

Charlise Robinson is Ohio River Coordinator, West Virginia Rivers Coalition.

When someone gets sick, we all have hopes and pray for recovery, and that’s what I was doing for my dear, beloved husband. I was giving him hope, and I was telling him not to lose his faith. I knew that he was a very religious person, and I had no fear about that . He told us one night he had a dream and he saw Jesus. He was so excited, and he said the streets were full of thousands and thousands of people that followed him. He said that to everyone that was coming to his room in the hospital and in the rehab hospital to visit him.

Unfortunately, no one is prepared for something like that, the person that’s sick and his or her family. I never questioned why it’s happening to him, because we’re not better than anybody else, but at the same time I was praying all the time for a miracle.

Francis was a very religious man, businessman, musician, great teacher, great husband, great father, great grandfather and great friend to all. So many of you that came to visit him at the funeral home, you were able to see the love, the kind words everybody shared with us.

He taught music for 34 years, starting in Coolville, Ohio, teaching orchestra, and then started the Federal Hocking marching band in Stewart, Ohio, as many of you read in my article last week. He touched so many lives. His students who are adults now came to see him before he left this world.

If I just had three or four pages in the newspaper to write all the stories, all the great memories and the love they shared with our family, all his students, our friends, co-workers, businesspeople and relatives that came from all over – it was unbelievable. I just want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart that came to the visitation and the funeral the next day. I wish I could write everyone’s name to thank you personally for standing in line. Many told me that they waited one hour; others told me two hours and others two-and-a-half. At the end of the day, some of them had to sign their names and leave because it was too late to get in to say the last goodbye to Francis.

Also, I want to thank all of you that brought food to all our families, mailed an unbelievable number of cards and sent a huge, huge amount of beautiful, gorgeous flowers to honor him, and your generous donations made for Francis to the St. James Greek Orthodox Church building project. It was greatly appreciated, and each one of you touched my heart with your kindness and thoughtfulness. He will be deeply missed by all his loving family and everyone that knew him.

Before I forget, I would like to make a correction to my last week’s article that was misprinted: Sophia (Brian) Colombo.

Huge gratitude and appreciation from my whole family to all the amazing doctors that helped and provided the best care and offered their professional dedication to my dear Francis before he passed: Dr. Kelli Cawley, Dr. Sabir Hussain, Dr. Abiy Kelil, Dr. David Mendoza, Dr. Chris Miller and Dr. Steven Richards. All of you were a true blessing from above, and you tried the best you could.

Also a huge thanks to the Leavitt funeral home for the great service and help that they provided to our family in those difficult days.

Special thanks to the Rev. Father Mark Elliott from St. James Greek Orthodox Church, Belpre, Ohio. The chanters were Daniel Hess and Joanna Swann. A piano duet was played by Jane Linscott and Theresa Lackey. The violin was played by Ashley Clark.

It was a perfect funeral service for our special and loving pillar of our family Francis George Angelos. May he eternally rest in peace now. He has done his work on Earth. May God Bless him always. We will miss him soooo much. Hopefully we will see him again .

I hope I didn’t miss anyone, and if I did, please forgive me.

I will finish my article today by sharing with you something that comes out of my heart:

Dear Francis, I miss the times when it was just you and me, when everything felt simple and safe. Sixty years ago came by so fast. We celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary, and you wanted to be there with us so much to celebrate, but then the next day you passed. Goodbye came so suddenly, and I wasn’t ready to lose what we had.

Now, we’re standing on separate paths, pretending we’re OK, even when we’re not. I still replay our laughter, our late night talks, the quiet comfort of your presence. Though we are no longer together, my heart still holds you gently. Some love doesn’t fade. It stays forever till we meet again.

May your memory be eternal!

Till next week .

***

Deep dish quiche

Base mixture

1 10-inch unbaked pie shell at room temperature

6 eggs

3 cups whipping cream

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 tsp sugar

Carefully transfer the pastry to a 10-inch fluted deep tart pan.

A 10-inch Springform pan may be substituted.

Press the pastry to the edge of the pan, smoothing edges upward until level with the top of the pan.

Place cheese and your choice of fillings into the crust.

Mix together eggs, whipped cream, salt, pepper and sugar. Pour over filling in crust.

Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until the filling is set. Do not over brown.

Yield: 1 quiche , 6-8 portions

***

Filling variations

Turkey almond:

2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded

2 cups cooked turkey, diced

1/4 cup almonds, toasted

1 medium onion diced

Three-cheese quiche

1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Crab meat

1/2 bunch green onions, diced

2 cups surimi crab

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Quiche Lorraine

1/2 cup bunch green onions, diced

1 1/2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded

1/2 cup bacon, cooked, diced

Broccoli and ham

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

2 cups cooked ham, diced

10 oz broccoli, chopped (thaw and drain well if using frozen)

1 medium onion, diced

To quote Luc Triangle, acting general secretary of the ITUC, and Cathy Feingold, international director of the AFL-CIO, “The inclusion of the United States on the ITUC’s Watchlist is based on the pattern of backsliding of fundamental rights over the past year and serves as a troubling indicator of the country’s current state of affairs.” Triangle and Feingold continue, “The weakening of rights in the United States sets a dangerous precedent for the world. Governments, employers, and investors across the world are observing and some will feel encouraged to follow.”

Over 1 million federal employees have lost collective bargaining rights since March of 2025 as a result of executive orders issued by Donald Trump that blatantly violate the clear intent of Congress in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (litigation on the executive orders is ongoing). The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been severely hampered in its essential role in protecting workers’ rights, as has the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA). The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Office of Special Counsel (OSC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service (FMCS) and inspectors general across the federal government have had their statutory authorities and abilities to carry out the missions Congress gave them grossly inhibited, if not nullified.

This deliberate, forced collapse of administrative and other oversight capabilities has resulted in enormous caseload burdens on the federal courts and therein delayed and denied justice and accountability being delivered for countless civil servants in, and retirees from, the federal workforce, as well as other former civil servants. Parkersburg has certainly not been spared these burdens.

In addition to, and in part as a result of, loss of collective bargaining rights, federal employees have also been denied reasonable accommodations or renewal of those accommodations (litigation is ongoing), denied telework rights guaranteed under the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 (arbitration and other efforts are ongoing), and denied alternative work schedule rights guaranteed under the Federal Employees Flexible and Compressed Work Schedules Act of 1982. Unfair performance reviews that fail to justly reward strong performers have been implemented across the federal government and hiring has been at a complete standstill, all while arbitrary and capricious jobs cuts have been, and continue to be, made.

All of this stems directly from Project 2025 — the over 900-page playbook overseen by the Heritage Foundation to deliver fascist autocracy in the United States beginning with the second Trump regime. Mussolini, the original fascist, described fascism as the unfettered combination of corporate and government power. Trump’s second term has been a fascist free-for-all unlike any witnessed in this country’s history, except perhaps during the first Gilded Age.

While costs of everything rise (mostly because of the illegal war efforts being carried out in Iran in lapdog-like obedience to the fever dreams of Benjamin Netanyahu) and the social welfare state is dismantled (most notably a direct result of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” of 2025, which set in motion over $100 billion in SNAP cuts and over $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over the next decade), the working classes face wage and salary stagnation and decline, an increasingly failing jobs market and crippling debt loads, with no relief in sight.

Meanwhile, wealthy asset owners have never had it better. According to data from the Federal Reserve reported on by Reuters, the wealthiest 1% of Americans own over half the shares of capital markets (e.g., equities and mutual funds). Meanwhile, the bottom 50% of the wealth and income ladder in the U.S. owns just 1.1% of the shares of these markets. This just goes to show that stock market performance is not a measure of financial well-being for the vast majority of Americans.

Labor union organizing, collective bargaining rights and contracts with strong legal backing and strict enforcement mechanisms are absolutely essential for all working-class people, everywhere. Absent these crucial labor protections and the strong class solidarity that ensures their success and longevity, what’s left for workers? I do not encourage or condone violence or destruction of any kind, but the corporate world and anti-labor politicians and corporatist judges (like the majority of SCOTUS Justices) doing their bidding should study history carefully and pay close attention to what happens when laborers decide they’re through being treated as expendable and given no substantive, peaceful means for redress of grievances.

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Eric Engle is a resident of Parkersburg.

For Scotland, we flew out of Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C. Driving south on I-79 coming home, it felt like we were in a forest most of the way. West Virginia is an incredibly beautiful state. Its tree-covered mountains and valleys can easily be taken for granted. Our friends from Finland who selected Ohio told me they were surprised by all the trees in Ohio. One of the questions we get in Europe is, “Do you have any trees?” John Denver’s song, “Country Roads” is sung by people all over the world. In its lyrics, trees are mentioned only once. The lyrics “Miner’s lady, stranger to blue water, Dark and dusty painted on the sky,” send the wrong message. When the song was written in the 1970s that was true. Our entire region has changed dramatically for the better. We learned how to have energy, manufacturing and a clean environment coexist. Our neighborhood feels like an aviary and wildlife refuge. I just went for an evening walk and came face to face with one of our deer herds.

In Austin, NSA’s Influence was energizing, uplifting and educational. Don Yaeger did the opening keynote, “What Makes the Great Ones Great.” Don was a longtime associate editor of Sports Illustrated who interviewed hundreds of athletes and shared some of their stories. Champions are not always the most talented. They develop the talent they have. The great ones like Michael Jordon, hate to lose more than they love to win. They are positive thinkers who use adversity as fuel and don’t make excuses. Many Olympic athletes are NSA members. We had an Olympic swimmer from Australia at our table for the closing banquet. She was humble, not volunteering her background. We had to ask. There were no excuses for not winning a gold medal. The great ones think differently. From my high school soccer coaching, I learned my players need to change how they think before they can start winning championships. It will require a book to describe all the changes, which I am writing. Champions expect to succeed and train accordingly.

Ross Bernstein followed Don Yaeger telling us, “Five things I learned surviving stage four cancer that will help you grow your business.” He described in detail the past year of his life from right after last year’s Influence when he learned he had stage 4 cancer. It was an amazing and emotional journey. Ross decided from the beginning he was going to beat cancer. The odds were against him. He described all his chemo treatments and their side effects in detail. What amazed me, he continued to travel around the country and do his keynote speaking. When Ross had to miss a speech because of his illness, his NSA friends covered for him.

Ross’ schedule was full without the cancer treatments. We have friends who have gone through chemotherapy and found it difficult to work much less travel and work like Ross did. Ross has the attitude of a champion like Don Yaeger talked about. He kept a positive attitude throughout. Ross had the prayers and support of countless friends and NSA members around the country. He kept his passion and purpose making his audiences feel like rock stars. Ross focused on others rather than his own challenges. Keeping busy helped him maintain his positive attitude. Looking at Ross on stage and seeing him around the conference, he looks great. Ross gave us an example of how to get through adversity in addition to how to grow a business.

NSA is a diverse organization made up of people from around the world coming together to help each other become better at their craft and make the world a better place. It is not about how someone looks on the outside; it is what is on the inside that counts. NSA has a strict code of ethics and professional behavior. Its core values are; abundant generosity, elevating excellence, intentional language, honorable innovation and uplifting humanity. NSA encourages positive change, inspiring audiences, and colleagues to be their best and foster diversity, equity, justice, inclusion and belonging. Members commit to engage in behavior demonstrating equity or fairness to all, regardless of age, gender identity, race, ethnicity, creed, color, sexual orientation, physical or emotional ability, religion, national origin, or other human differences.

These aren’t just words. Prior to COVID, NSA was losing members and struggling financially. Diversity is a strength. Working together, problems were solved. Membership is growing. Our Ohio chapter more than doubled membership and meeting attendance. NSA National is strong financially and growing. Diverse viewpoints are a strength if people respect each other, effectively communicate and focus on a common goal not differences. NSA members who look different with diverse political views are friends routinely working together, like those who put together this year’s Influence Conference. NSA members don’t just coexist, they thrive together. We all can chose to do the same.

Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com, is the director of marketing for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a masters in environmental engineering and over 40 years of experience in the energy industry. Greg is a leadership expert, high school soccer coach, professional speaker, author of four books and many published articles.

It will pain you then, as it did me, to learn about what AI companies are doing, according to a report by Futurism.

AI large language models have become such monsters that they’ve already poisoned their own wells. There is a deficit of “pure” text from which to train them because so much available text has already been tainted with AI content (or is entirely AI content).

The solution? Companies like Anthropic are ingesting physical books.

“Print books from the pre-LLM era are structurally guaranteed to be free of this contamination. That alone is a significant advantage,” Futurism quotes 404 Media as reporting. “Physical books published before this date [pre-2022] are structurally clean of modern poisoning tools.”

ISBNdb is helping them do this, by the way — profiting by selling thousands of books per order to AI companies.

If you’re thinking it’s not so bad that bulk orders of books with thousands of copies lying around in warehouses are being consumed to feed AI, it gets much worse.

Futurism reports rare booksellers in the Netherlands are being “inundated with bulk purchases they believe are being made by AI companies, though they can’t know for sure.”

They can’t know for sure because facilitators of these sales, like ISBNdb, help the buyers hide their identities. After all, even the tech grunts in an AI lab understand destroying books is not something any company would want to advertise.

And they do destroy the books. According to one lawsuit, which has been settled, Anthropic used a hydraulic cutting machine to shear the pages out of their binding and then scan them using industrial-grade imaging equipment.

So back to those rare books: Futurism reports a small bookseller whose sales went from no more than 20 in a week to hundreds believes the customers may be AI labs — because of the random selection of the orders and because they all have ISBNs. He told Futurism his inventory is filled with rare and out-of-print books, meaning these AI labs could be destroying the last remaining copies.

Those books are just gone, with not a whiff of regret from the folks who want so desperately for the rest of us to believe we need AI more than we need old books. (And, again, by “old,” I’m talking about before 2022).

According to a Facebook post attributed to astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson — Meta felt like it needed to advertise its own bot by noting the titles for the post were generated from AI — the companies destroying these books are then turning them into pulp. The post also notes “One widely cited forecast estimated that at current scaling trends, the supply of quality human-written text could run out somewhere between 2026 and 2032, which is exactly the pressure driving AI companies to raid used bookstores instead of the open web.”

Mad about the proliferation of data centers? AI is the biggest reason for their explosive growth. Worried about the crumbling of students’ (and everyone else’s) ability to think and create for themselves because AI has made itself such a crutch?

Or worse, worried about people’s inability to tell what is real and what is AI-generated?

We don’t need it. (No, really. We just don’t.)

It hasn’t been around for even a decade. And the companies that make money because so many people DO believe they need it are destroying something that should be precious to all of us.

If that sounds familiar, it’s a cycle we humans just don’t seem to be able to break.

So, to circle back to “The Last Crusade,” I’m afraid one day, generations from now, someone will look back at how humans were captivated by the slop these AI companies turn out, and say “(They) chose poorly.”

They’ll be right.

Christina Myer is executive editor of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. She can be reached via e-mail at cmyer@newsandsentinel.com.