Kindergarten classes and 12th grade art students can enter their stocking ornaments

First Lady Gayle Manchin is encouraging all kindergarten classes and 12th grade art students to create a stocking ornament to be displayed

on the State Capitol Christmas Tree, which will be in the Capitol Rotunda later this year.

"The more you look into [the UFO phenomenon], and the more people that you talk to and read about that have done serious investigations, the more you know that this stuff is real." —Wayne Green, founder of Byte Magazine

(Editor’s Note: The following is from an actual interview. This story and fifteen others will soon be released as a book, Appalachian Case Study: UFO Sightings, Alien Encounters and Other Phenomena, to be published by Woodland Press, LLC)

Burning incense is one tip that might help you thumb your nose at high heating bills.  That’s the advice of experts who say you can use an incense stick to search out small cracks, holes and other openings in your home. If the smoke travels horizontally, you have found a leak that may need caulking, sealing or weather-stripping.
 
Finding such leaks and then weatherizing can save you as much as 10 percent on your home energy bill.

Writers in Southern West Virginia will have a rare opportunity in the coming months as nationally recognized author and editor Michael Knost will teach a creative writing course at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College.

While the winter forecast may put a damper on outdoor fix-ups, Northern winds and cold temperatures are no reason to put your DIY talents on the workshop shelf. In fact, some home maintenance projects are best suited for cooler weather. For instance, according to the DIY Network, winter is actually the best time to install new floors because humidity levels are at their lowest.
 

After manhandling the Tug Valley Panthers a couple of weeks ago, the Chapmanville Tigers improved their record to an impressive 8-0 heading down the home stretch of the schedule.

Coach George Barker’s squad went into the bye week ranked No. 3 in the Class AA WVSSAC rating poll.

Is it true that Southern West Virginia’s most popular specter continues to haunt this region and seek justice for an unspeakable act of violence? Due to a mysterious crime, the Holden #22 region of Logan County has been described as a hotbed of paranormal activity for well over seven decades.
 

 
Surprising to many  Americans is the fact that 25 million homes are at needless risk due to worn or missing smoke detectors, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Though 96 percent of American homes have smoke alarms, 19 percent do not have at least one smoke alarm that works, mostly due to dead or missing batteries.
 

The choices you make in your employer-sponsored group benefits can be much more important than many realize. Having too little life and disability income insurance might have severe, lasting effects on your family if something were to happen to you or your spouse.
 

As far back as he can remember, Serafino Nolletti spent time at the family’s bakery located beside the old Capitol Theater on Stratton Street in Logan.

Small businesses often find they can’t get the credit they deserve—or need. Many consumers might be surprised to learn that an estimated seven out of 10 small businesses in America don’t qualify for traditional bank loans and must look elsewhere for capital. 
 

Do-it-yourself (DIY) enthusiasts know to seek advice from friends, hardware store owners and television to learn how to make home improvements. But Web sites provide another option with even more customized designs and “how-to” advice.
 

Diehard Parrotheads in Southern West Virginia are already rejoicing. Parrotheads, for those who don't know, are exuberant fans of singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffet, and they're in for a big treat. Parrots of the Caribbean, the ultimate salute to Jimmy Buffet, will be coming to the Coalfield Jamboree, on Friday, Sept. 12th. The restored MGM theater is located on Main Street, in downtown Logan.

Over the centuries, particular regions of the most rugged and secluded areas of Appalachia have earned eerie reputations for having inexplicable—some would say paranormal—occurrences ... or yes, being haunted. These dark and foreboding stretches of hill country are known to be chilling backdrops to some of West Virginia's most frightening urban legends and ghastly ghost tales. 
 

With the grand opening of Gatti’s Pizza in July, Italian food lovers gained a new and exciting place to dine. The timing must have been perfect because the community immediately embraced the new eatery and, according to restaurant management, the mammoth pizzaria continues to grow in popularity.
 

Motorcycle riders from several southern counties joined together on Sun., Aug. 10th to ride together and, thereby, support a nonprofit organization that assists the terminally ill in the region. 
 
The biker event, a first in Logan County, was sponsored and organized by area dealerships to support Dignity Hospice of Chapmanville.

 
Gov. Joe Manchin along with West Virginia Bureau of Senior Services Commissioner Sandy Vanin today presented 17 new hot/cold delivery trucks that will be used to provide meals to West Virginia senior citizens statewide. 
 

 
It’s been said that true, sincere community involvement isn’t about padding one’s resume — nor is it about performing kind gestures to receive public accolades, awards or bragging rights.  According to the management of a local car dealership, commitment to the region and community service is best demonstrated through a commitment to integrity and business ethics, and by being a good neighbor to the people it serves.

Several new and expanded programs are being offered this fall at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, including an associate degree in Mine Management. 
 

The West Virginia School Building Authority has sold approximately $103 million in excess lottery revenue bonds, resulting in substantial funding to improve the state’s public school facilities. This is the first bond issue for ongoing funding of West Virginia’s public school infrastructure.
 

Build it and they will come:  As in the famous line from Field of Dreams, local owners of Best Western Logan Inn were also confident that if they designed and built a modern, state-of-the-art hotel and provided service excellence, visitors would indeed come. They were right.

Perhaps not since the beautiful Joanne Dru, who was born in the City of Logan and the lead actress in the movie “She Wore A Yellow Ribbon,” have the people of our area had bragging rights that a movie star actually lived amongst them.

Yet, they now have another starlet to boast about.

Our seniors have contributed to West Virginia throughout their lives, and we owe it to them to provide fair taxation options that can help them enjoy the quality of life they deserve. By providing options that allow senior citizens to choose when they can pay increases in their household property taxes – now or later – we are assisting without placing unnecessary burden on other taxpayers.

One of the greatest things about our area is the wildlife that abounds in our mountainous region. It’s been quite a few years now since I hunted in the deep woods of Logan, Lincoln or Boone County. And even when I did, I mostly hunted squirrel, whitetail deer and wild boar in the fall of the year.

As a fairly general rule, homes appreciate about five percent a year. Some years will be more, some less. The figure will vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, and region to region.

Five percent may not seem like that much at first. Stocks (at times) appreciate much more, and you could earn over six percent with the safest investment of all, treasury bonds.
But take a second look…

Presumably, if you bought a $200,000 house, you did not pay cash for the home. You got a mortgage, too. Suppose you put as much as twenty percent down – that would be an investment of $40,000.

When you rent a place to live, you can certainly expect your rent to increase each year, or even more often. If you get a fixed rate mortgage when you buy a home, you have the same monthly payment amount for thirty years. Even if you get an adjustable rate mortgage, your payment will stay within a certain range for the entire life of the mortgage – and interest rates aren’t as volatile now as they were in the late seventies and early eighties.

Imagine how much rent might be ten, fifteen, or even thirty years from now? Which makes more sense?

Adding grace and beauty to the shady side of your lawn may be easier than you think. Because hostas are easy to grow and to plant and do best in nonsunny areas of the yard, even the most inexperienced gardeners may use them to add beauty to their landscaping.

Any good garden soil is appropriate for growing hostas, which remain the most popular and best perennial in existence today for shady areas. The gardening experts at Gilbert H. Wild and Son, who just received the Mastergardening.com Seal of Approval, offer these tips to get your hostas off to a good start:

It's a beautiful time in Logan, Boone and Mingo Counties. It’s also a great time for us all to spruce up our yards.

According to David Beaulieu, columnist for About.com, there are a number of variables to consider in do-it-yourself landscaping projects: budget, skills, local climate, personal design tastes, etc. Above all, your project, regardless of the size, should begin with healthy doses of passion and vision.

Beaulieu then suggests some hot tips for do-it-yourselfers that can help begin the important mission of yard beautification.