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During his years on the air, Willard Earle became a trusted voice in the community - a voice that not only became a comforting daily sharer of community news but would be a source of necessary information for four days as the waters rose during the Flood of 1985. Earle was the broadcaster for WELD FM 101.7 and AM 690, sharing Community News, which invited nonprofits to send in upcoming events/fundraisers to be announced twice a day, The Trading Post (individuals or organizations could send items for sale, trade or give away), Pet Corner (which reported lost or found pets and pets for sale or to give away) and morning obituaries. Earle also broadcasted local sports from the nearby high schools, covering over 1,000 school games during his time on air.

Even on a cloudy night, it’s easy to be awestruck standing under a Grant County sky. The clouds may hide the stars, but nothing can dim what we have here — one of the darkest night skies on the entire eastern seaboard. Saturday night’s Dark Skies event at Dam Site 7 was a reminder of that. Though the weather kept telescopes capped, it didn’t stop the learning. Scientists Libby and Robert Strong of the SMART Center in Wheeling shared how Grant County has become a centerpiece in West Virginia’s growing Dark Sky Awareness movement — and why it matters more than most realize.

South Side Studios welcomed a new artist to their gallery earlier this year, bringing a little more color and beauty to the ever-growing Grant County art community. Visitors to the studio can now enjoy the work of Kristian Yeager, a local artist who specializes in abstract art, specifically pointillism. Pointillism is a painting technique that uses a series of tiny dots applied in patterns to create an image.