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Maybe itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s a coincidence, but this expensive project got nowhere until Huntington had the first three-term mayor allowed by its charter, which took effect in 1985. It would have taken a lot of political courage for a mayor facing reelection to push for such a large increase in householdsÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ utility bills, but the work is about to begin under Mayor Steve WilliamsÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ watch.

Maybe itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s not a coincidence, but increasing utility bills is rarely a good move politically.

SEWERS, PART 2: Heavy rains force the combined stormwater and sanitary sewers to back up and flood streets in the area between 20th and 29th streets. In the late 1990s or early 2000s, I was headed back to Huntington from covering a story at the Capitol in Charleston when one of those downpours struck. A couple of streets in the West End were flooded, too. Some people were surprised when I walked into the newsroom as if nothing had happened.

I explained that instead of fighting my way through flooded streets and underpasses in town, I stayed on Interstate 64, crossed the West 17th Street bridge into Ohio, headed back up to the 6th Street bridge and entered town that way.

Now, though, with the long, long work on the access bridges at the West 17th Street bridge, I might have to think twice about that strategy. The approaches to that bridge are scary enough in good weather. I try to avoid them when rain limits visibility.

BRIDGE WORK: Speaking of which, isnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t the work on those bridges on the West Virginia approach to the West 17th Street bridge taking an awfully long time?

NOVELS: I canÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t decide if my favorite novel of the 20th century is ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œ1984ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� by George Orwell or ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œJurassic ParkÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� by Michael Crichton. Both contain warnings that were ahead of their time. I donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t read much modern fiction, so I donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t have a favorite novel of the 21st century yet. I made it halfway through the first chapter of the first book in the series that became ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œGame of ThronesÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� on TV, but I decided I didnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t have time to read the whole series, so I set it down and never went back.

FERRIES: This is the first year in a long time that I havenÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t ridden a ferry, either at Sistersville, West Virginia, Augusta, Kentucky, or Cincinnati. There are only a few weeks left, so if thereÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s good weather predicted soon, IÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ll need to burn a vacation day and get down to Augusta. I would go on a weekend, but those are reserved for the grandkids. ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s a shame the Sistersville ferry is underfunded compared to the Augusta ferry. The Legislature surely could find a few more dollars to support that tourism draw. ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s cheaper than building and maintaining a bridge.

Tyler County is one of two West Virginia counties along the Ohio River that doesnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t have a bridge to the other side. The other is Wayne County, but that shouldnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t count because of the proximity of the bridges at Huntington and because of the bridges over the Big Sandy River to Catlettsburg and Louisa in Kentucky.