Tag: newspaper writing
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JOE’S HAIR AND THE FLOWBEE? IT’S NOT A JOKE SENATOR’S WIFE CALLS HAIRCUTTING GADGET ‘A PRETTY NIFTY DEVICE’
This story was originally published in the Charleston Daily Mail on September 26, 2012. U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s latest ad claims his wife, Gayle, has cut his hair for more than 20 years. What the ad fails to mention is Gayle routinely receives assistance during those ear-lowering sessions. Joe Manchin – former W.Va. governor and […]
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‘BROKEN SYSTEM’ CAUSES HOLDUPS OFFICIAL SAYS CONTRACTOR IS TAKING TOO LONG TO PROCESS BACKGROUND CHECKS
This story was originally published in the Charleston Daily Mail on January 9, 2013. Problems with a contractor hired to process state background checks are leaving job seekers in limbo for months and costing state businesses lots of money. The holdups have even slowed the adoption process for some children. Speaking at a legislative interim […]
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‘THIS MAY DO ME IN, I MAY RETIRE’
This story originally appeared in the Charleston Daily Mail on April 07, 2010. WHITESVILLE – Ed Runyon, 83, walked to the flag pole in his front yard shortly before noon Tuesday and raised his American flag for the first time this year. He tied it off at half-staff. Although he didn’t know any of the victims […]
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Moonshiner’s Got Nothing to Hide
This story originally appeared in the Charleston Daily Mail on August 27, 2014. RIPLEY — Dwayne Freeman makes his moonshine almost the same way as the old-timers. He uses big sacks of corn and a kettle connected to shiny copper lines. There are a few minor differences, however. First, Freeman doesn’t make his whiskey in the moonlight. […]
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The making of Robert C. Byrd’s “Mountain Fiddler”
This story originally appeared in the July 6, 2010 edition of the Charleston Daily Mail. In all of the obituaries written about the late Sen. Robert Byrd over the last week, there’s one detail nearly everyone made sure to include alongside his political victories and infamous missteps—his love of traditional mountain music. A longtime fiddler […]
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They Keep Old Trains A-Rolling
This story originally appeared in the June 4, 2012 edition of the Charleston Daily Mail. CASS — When something breaks on a train at Cass Scenic Railroad, whether it’s as small as a bracket or as big as a boiler, the men and women in the park’s locomotive shops fix it. They have to. Chances […]
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The Quest Gets Tougher
This story originally appeared in the May 4, 2012 edition of the Charleston Daily Mail. Becoming a knight or lady of the Golden Horseshoe has never been a small feat, but winning the state history award now requires an even deeper understanding of West Virginia’s past. Every West Virginia student takes the Golden Horseshoe test […]
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W.Va. Knights, Ladies Honored: Rumors Surround Golden Horseshoe Artifact
This story originally appeared in the May 7, 2010 edition of the Charleston Daily Mail. This morning, State Schools Superintendent Steve Paine will dub more than 200 West Virginia eighth-graders “knights and ladies of the Golden Horseshoe” for their knowledge of state history. But there’s one question none of these adolescent history aces, or anybody […]
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Protectors of the Forest
This story originally appeared in the Charleston Daily Mail on Thursday, May 3, 2012. LANSING — Zeus has been growing in Mill Creek canyon for four centuries. The massive hemlock tree stood watch as white explorers moved in, replacing the land’s native inhabitants. Zeus was there as the descendants of those explorers formed a new […]
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Coffee keeps friendships warm
This column originally appeared in the Charleston Daily Mail on January 2, 2015. I remember the day I became a coffee drinker. I stayed home from school with a blazing sore throat. That afternoon, as I laid on my grandmother’s couch in misery, I got an idea. I went to the kitchen, grabbed one of her green […]