More random thoughts from an overworked mind:
BLAME THE GRAIN: How did I go all these years and never hear the phrase ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œcorn sweatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ until this past weekend?
ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s dominating the news in the parts of the Midwest where they have thousands of acres of corn. It seems corn wants to be cool, too, so it draws water from the ground and secretes it from the upper parts of the plant. The scientific term is ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œevapotranspiration,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ but everyone calls it ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œcorn sweat.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
Experts in the Midwest say corn sweat can add 10 degrees to the heat index of an agricultural area if thereÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s enough corn.
There are some parts of this region where youÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ll find large acreages of corn, but not many, so corn sweat probably isnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t anything we need to worry about here.
Too bad. I so much want someone to complain about summer weather so I can reply, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s not the heat. ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s the corn.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
ROAD RACE: So, who gets a new and improved W.Va. 2 first: Mason County or the Northern Panhandle?
People in Mason County have wanted improvements to W.Va. 2 for decades, and the presence of Nucor Steel West Virginia has made that desire stronger. If other companies locate near Nucor to take advantage of its presence, the need for a wider highway along the Ohio River will increase.
People in the Northern Panhandle have made the same requests for decades, too. Back in 1999 another reporter and I spent two days driving the length of W.Va. 2 from Huntington the Chester and reporting on how people wanted a wider road.
According to a from WTOV-TV in Steubenville, Ohio, officials want Gov. Patrick Morrisey to support the I-68 Energy-Manufacturing Corridor, a decades-old plan to widen W.Va. 2 to four lanes from Chester to Parkersburg and extend Interstate 68 from Morgantown to W.Va. 2.
WouldnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t you know that Nucor says it is looking to develop a storage and shipping facility in the Weirton, West Virginia, area, but it has not released any concrete plans yet.
The problem in all this is that Morrisey has said he doesnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t support any new roads. Instead, he wants existing roads and bridges brought up to par ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” a huge and expensive proposition.
W.Va. 2 can be widened in several places in Mason County and up north. MorriseyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s answer could be determined by what he will accept as improving a road as opposed to building a new one from scratch, and how such work would be paid for without cutting back on his promise to bring existing roads and bridges up to par.
DOMINOES?: Higher education in West Virginia is a mix of institutions thatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s more diverse than commonly thought. There are the large state institutions ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” West Virginia University and Marshall University ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” along with smaller state four-year and masterÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s degree schools and the community and technical college system. On the private side are well-known schools such as the University of Charleston and others ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Bethany College, Davis & Elkins, West Virginia Wesleyan and Wheeling, formerly Wheeling Jesuit. And thereÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s the all-online American Public University System based in Charles Town.
In the past dozen years or so, three private schools have closed, mostly for financial reasons, and another is struggling; its future is uncertain. ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s logical to ask if or when this same problem will reach public colleges and universities.
If it does, will it affect what were formerly known as the four-year schools, such as West Virginia State University and Fairmont State, or will it erode the financial base of WVU and Marshall? WVU has had to cut back on its programs, and it must find new revenue sources for its athletic budget if it is to remain competitive as a Power 4 school. Marshall is dipping into its reserves as operating expenses exceed operating income. Its new athletic director likewise must balance resources against the desires of athletics supporters.
ROAD TRIPS: U.S. 52, Ohio 7 and other roads along the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Belpre, Ohio, offer some nice scenery if you can take the time to see the landscape slowly. ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s not easy for other people to travel with me on these roads because I always want to stop to check out a barn or a long-gone service station or grocery store.
U.S. 52 through Cincinnati wasnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t bad the last two times I drove it, and if you travel west toward Rising Sun, Indiana, the rural scenery turns excellent again once youÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re out of metropolitan Cincinnati.
When I drive down toward Cincinnati, I cross the river a few times on the ferry at Augusta, Kentucky. That makes the trip worth it.
