The following column was originally published in the March 17th Edition of The Herald Dispatch. For more information, go to www.herald-dispatch.com.
Today’s column is going to begin with a little reader interaction. To do this, I’ll need you to put down your coffee. Now, raise your hand if you have complained that the leaders in the 60’s and 70’s let the Interstate bypass downtown Huntington. I imagine there are lots of hands raised and many of you saying how much better our City would be if we just had high speed …

This is the last week for the Regular Legislative Session and Generation WV needs your help to make sure that the remaining bill moves forward through the WV House of Delegates.
This is SB 324 also known as the Brains for Business Bill. This bill would exempt recent college graduates that reside in West Virginia from state taxes on their first $10,000 of income, for a period of two years. The bill passed the WV State Senate, but now needs to pass through the House of Delegates.
If it is not added …

 HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University Forensic Science Center, in conjunction with the Department of Integrated Science and Technology, has announced two agreements with a world leader in digital forensic software.
According to the first Memorandum of Understanding, Marshall University will conduct research for AccessData, a pioneer in digital investigations for more than 20 years. The company’s software empowers law enforcement, government agencies and corporations to perform computer investigations of any kind.
As a part of the MOU, Marshall students will conduct research on new browsers, instant messenger clients, and other Internet-related applications. …

The following was originally published in the February 4th edition of  The Herald Dispatch. It is part of a regular series describing the activities of Create Huntington. For more information, go to www.herald-dispatch.com.
The idea of community is an interesting one. I use the word several times each week in my column, often as a way to describe the collection of homes, office buildings, streets and stores we call Huntington. I use it as synonym for “town.” While Webster’s Dictionary lists this as one of its meanings, I wonder if that …

The following column was published in the January 27th issue of The Herald-Dispatch. It is part of a regular series of columns on Create Huntington. For more information, go to www.herald-dispatch.com.
Every now and then someone brings an idea to a Chat ‘n Chew that makes people say, “Wow!” That happened last week.  
As background for those who haven’t made it out for a Thursday night Chat ‘n Chew, they are forums where people brainstorm and work on projects they believe will improve the quality of life here. Among its many other …

As I was reading Why Huntington this morning it struck me that there are several stories about the arts and sciences (all very good things!) but nothing about college sports. Let’s take care of that. Huntingtonians love sports. As everyone knows, we have a long, wonderful and sad history with college sports. That history is part of what makes Huntington … Huntington; and part of what makes it great.
I remember growing up in the 70’s and going to the Veteran’s Memorial Field House to watch Marshall basketball teams. The place was …

The following was published in The Herald-Dispatch (www.herald-dispatch.com) on January 20, 2010. It is part of a regular series of columns presented by Create Huntington.
Create Huntington Launches Micro Grant Program
Get ready for an amazing year.
Let’s be honest, when we began the Chat ‘n Chews in November 2008 we had no idea if anyone would participate or if we’d be able to complete a single project. Frankly, we couldn’t find any other communities that had tried (or at least published information on) this type of grassroots community development venture.
To say that …

The following as originally published in the January 13th edition of The Herald Dispatch. It is part of a regular series of columns published about Create Huntington.
 I had the good fortune of sitting down with a friend, Jacqueline Proctor, West Virginia’s Deputy Commissioner of Culture and History, on a cold evening last week. Our conversation eventually strayed to the upcoming Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. She reminded me of a portion of Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” I had forgotten. In the Letter, Dr. King described the nation’s need …

Marshall Theatre Alliance presents: A CHRISTMAS CAROL a one-man play adapted by Greg Oliver Bodine.
Charles Dickens’ 1867 American Reading Tour is off to a rough start.  Due to an inexplicable loss of his luggage, he regretfully announces that he will be unable to read from his beloved classic, A Christmas Carol.  All is not lost however; Dickens delivers what he promised by performing from memory the magical story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey from miserliness to redemption with warmth and humor.  This one-man play is based on the condensed version Dickens …

People around these parts can’t help but be reminded when we come in last in a poll or survey that says we are doing something wrong becuase the national media always lets us know. However, it isn’t always the case that we come in last. In fact, in a great new graphic put up by wired.com we are kicking but in a bunch of categories. Wired has done an analysis of each states statistics relating to the seven deadly sins and, WV is near the top in …