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The perfect Fourth of July that wasn’t

Lisa Resnick Column

I know we’re well past the Fourth of July. Most of us have already shifted gears into back-to-school shopping, thinking about the Canfield Fair and making plans for Labor Day weekend. Yet here I am writing about something that feels like it happened eons ago. Maybe that’s exactly why. Some moments deserve to be revisited because what matters never truly disappears. It simply changes form. Kind of like rain. Water evaporates after a storm, rises into the clouds and eventually finds its way back to the earth. It never really leaves. It just continues the cycle, reminding us that ...

Masi 50th

Society

Jim and Melanie Masi, of Lexington, North Carolina, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on July 17. A celebration for friends and family was hosted by Sarah and Jessie Sexton, daughter and son-in-law, at Triad Baptist Church, Kernersville, North Carolina, on July 18. Jim and Melanie were united in marriage July 17, 1976. Melanie is a retired medical transcriptionist, nanny and preschool teacher. Jim, a former Valley resident, is a retired budget analyst with the federal government. The couple have four children, Jolyn of Tennessee, Steven of Michigan, Andrew of Phoenix, ...

Couple ministers to war weary from Ukraine

Lifestyles

Most Americans receive news about the war in Ukraine through their local newspaper or occasionally on the television network news. Meeting Ukrainians living amid the now four-year war is another story. I recently returned from a volunteer-in-mission trip to Christian Camp Gideon in Estonia, ...

Warren churches take part in Holy Convocation

Lifestyles

WARREN — Members of churches from Ohio and other states gathered this summer for the 2026 Holy Convocation hosted by the Ohio Central East Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ. Bishop David Herron Sr.,.Prelate, led the convocation, which is an annual gathering that ...

Eh, what’s up with talking animals, doc?

Burton Cole column

Woodland creatures, jungle beasts and other critters molded my childhood. I learned from the comics that rabbits are smart alecs, mice build Magic Kingdoms and ducks are obnoxious — except for Yakky Doodle, and he had his moments, too. My first superhero was a canine named Underdog, who ...

Warning signs of social isolation

Lifestyles

Human beings are wired for social connection, but millions of people confront isolation every day. Many of those people are seniors who lose contact with loved ones as time goes by. While temporary loneliness can be tolerated, prolonged isolation can be very harmful. Research by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine found roughly one-quarter of American adults age 65 and older live in isolation. Identifying the early warning signs of isolation may help to prevent the physiological and psychological toll isolation can take. Here are some signs of social ...