Governor Manchin has awarded a $525,000 Economic Stimulus grant to the West Side Main Street program’s streetscape project.  The funding will launch a multi-phase initiative with the goal of renovating streetscapes along the program’s Washington Street West corridor.

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    Residents of Carroll Terrace, on Virginia Street East in Charleston, invite the public to come trick-or-treating at the complex’s community garden!  During Charleston’s designated trick-or-treat time – Thursday, October 29, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

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Cafeteria food is supposed to be healthy -- and cheap. But it's getting harder to be both, unless you get creative.

By now, we all have heard the gloomy statistics: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of overweight kids is some 17 percent for those ages 6-19. And research shows even higher rates for African American and Hispanic children. Obesity is considered a national epidemic, and concerned officials have begun to focus their attention on the school lunchroom.

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In flu season, what price for prevention? That's a question the Philadelphia Inquirer is asking as religious and medical leaders discuss the ethics of the handshake. While there is medical debate about avoiding the gesture -- some doctors say a ban is only minimally effective, others carry hand sanitizer in bottles with them -- some people fear a moral contagion.

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Obama uses the power of social media to get to the white house

Barack Obama was not only the first Black American to become the president of United States, but also the first social media president. Anyone who has noticed the way he used the web to his advantage would agree with this statement. Is social media so powerful that it can take a person to the winning podium?

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How Your Friends Affect Your Weight

by Michael O'Shea
published in Parade magazine: www.parade.com 10/18/2009

Forget the old saying "You are what you eat." These days, the theory is that you are, instead, what your friends eat. New research has looked at the effect that our loved ones' diet and exercise habits have on our own health.

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Extension Matters airs on the Library Television Network (Channel 17 for Suddenlink subscribers) every Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., 5:30 p.m., and 11:30 p.m.; Thursdays at 5:30 a.m.; and Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. 

In Logan and Mingo counties, catch it on Southern Channel 17 the third Wednesday of each month at 3:30 p.m. We’re also in Nicholas County; check local listings for air dates and times.

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Sleep on it

In addition to following a healthy diet and exercising regularly, getting a good night’s sleep is important for weight control in both adults and children.

Lack of sleep can affect how fast your body burns calories as well as how hungry you feel. In one study, men who were sleep deprived were more hungry and their cravings for foods like bread, pasta, cakes, and candy increased.

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Flu Fears: information to calm your fears

Businesses around the state are busy preparing for a possibly bad flu season, said Marsha Dadisman, spokeswoman for the West Virginia Division of Threat Preparedness. The Division, along with the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety operates the Web site www.wvflu.org.  "We started it several years ago," she said. "It was set up to help folks prepare for a pandemic."

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