UP: To the Parkersburg Police Department for the decision to open a police substation in a building at 13th and Avery streets. A police presence should help slow crime in what is a high-crime area of the city. The substation is expected to open by Sept. 10.
UP: To Friday evening's Beatles tribute concert at Point Park. The concert, with Beatles tribute band "1964", is the final in the inaugural Point Park Music Series. The four Fridays of music have been well attended and have given residents a chance to enjoy the revamped Point Park. We hope these concerts will be a fixture of the summer in coming years.
DOWN: To the West Virginia Fire Commission for proposing 90 changes to the state fire code that volunteer fire departments from all over the state said would be too expensive and force them to close. While the commission's aim is to make it safer for firefighters, implementing all these changes in training and equipment requirements all at once would have been too much for VFDs to implement at one time. The commission has backed off its plan and hopefully many of its proposals can be introduced in stages so it will be less expensive for the departments.
UP: To news Public Debt will be moving approximately 450 jobs from Washington, D.C., to Parkersburg. The move, coming in at least two stages, will be good for the area's economy and the local housing market.
UP: To the annual Washington County Fair, taking place at the fairgrounds in Marietta. The annual fair is always held over the Labor Day weekend and is a good time.
UP: To Dr. Mike Santer for his 40 years of service to the people of the Mid-Ohio Valley. Santer, a cardiologist at the Camden Clark Medical Center's St. Joseph's Campus, retired this past Wednesday. He was one of the early advocates in bringing cardiovascular surgery to the area, so much, in fact, Camden Clark CEO Mike King called him one of the "fathers of cardiology in this area." Congratulations to Dr. Santer and we wish him well in his retirement.
