UP: To longtime Wood County Magistrate Donna Jackson, who announced this week she will retire when her term ends this year. Jackson, a Democrat, has worked in the magistrate's office for 36 years, 16 as a deputy clerk and the past 20 as a magistrate. Her experience and her knowledge of the law will be hard to replace, but we wish her the best on her retirement.
DOWN: To West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant for her selective approach in interpreting the state's election laws. Tennant certified Frank Deem's candidacy for the state Senate District 3 despite the West Virginia Constitution stating no two senators can be from the same county in the same district. Tennant says she does not have the authority to keep Deem from running; however, she rejected the candidacy of Bob Buchanan of Walker who filed as a candidate for the House of Delegates District 8 because Buchanan also was a candidate for the non-salaried conservation district supervisor in Wood County and law prevents a candidate for two offices on the same ballot. We are not questioning Tennant's action in the Buchanan case, but wonder why the Deem situation is different?
UP: To the Washington County Sheriff's Office for the arrest of three suspects in the recent copper theft from Eramet Marietta. Three area men, Richard Lee Nolan, 38, of Parkersburg, John Wyatt, 55, of Belpre and Jonathan Paul Stringer, 31, of Parkersburg were arrested earlier this week after they were found in a Belpre garage stripping the wire. The three are accused of taking 15,000 pounds of copper cable from the plant on Feb. 3. Sheriff Larry Mincks said 95 percent of the copper had been recovered.
UP: To Mike Flanagan, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg, who announced this week he will retire on July 29 after 18 years at the helm. Flanagan, 65, has provided a steady hand during his tenure and we wish him well.
UP: To Carter Rice, 16, a Parkersburg High School junior invited to the Washington Journalism and Media Conference July 8-13 at George Mason University as a national youth correspondent.
UP: To the news all of the items stolen from the Veterans Museum of the Mid-Ohio Valley have been returned. The final missing items, three bayonets and five knives, were discovered on Feb. 11 in the basement of an abandoned house at 1226 Lynn St., Parkersburg.
