We Found Ohio Valley Pics From the 50s! Look how things have changed!

Yesterday, OVN sat down with the Ohio Valley History Museum in Moundsville and we got an exclusive look into the past, all without a time machine! We were able to do this with the help of a cool little gadget called a camera, which is a piece of glass at the end of a tube! It was neat! Anyhow we decided to compare some old-time photos of the Valley to new ones and tell you how things sure have changed around these parts.

Wheeling - 1950s

Wheeling - 2015

What a barbaric era the 50s were in Wheeling! As you can see, the city's population according to the 1950 census was 39 MILLION people! It was so crowded that people couldn't even raise their arms in the air to helplessly signal airplanes to come rescue them from wild packs of animals running amok! Now that the population has fizzled out, people can finally drive cars around town.

Steubenville - 1950

Steubenville - 2015

As you can see, over the years color was spread to the Ohio Valley. Things were bleak 60 years ago! One of the biggest differences, according to the museum's curators, is that there were 1950s-style vehicles in 1950s Steubenville. As time went by, these cars were replaced with newer model cars. Interesting!

Bellaire - 1950

Bellaire - 2015

As you can see, 60 years ago Bellaire looked a lot like Chicago. Scary, right!? One thing that sticks out about the modern picture is that Bellaire now does not look like Chicago anymore! Is that amazing or what?

Local Student's Homemade AK-47 Wins Science Fair

BEALLSVILLE - The annual Switzerland of Ohio science fair has concluded, and the winner of this year's grand prize is Beallsville's Barney Schwartz. Schwartz built a custom AK-47 assault rifle using parts from broken video game systems and kitchen utensils.

"It's a masterpiece," said superintendent John Hall, who served as the head judge. "He put accessories on that gun that I've never seen on modern weaponry."

Schwartz's AK-47 features a retractable bayonet, holographic sights with x-ray vision, an elastic barrel that can shoot around corners, another barrel that shoots enemies behind you, a fingerprint detector on the trigger, and an IR blaster so the gun can be used as a remote control.

"I used a ton of parts from my old Xbox 360 controller," Schwartz told Ohio Valley News. "So it has the entire auto-aim system from Call of Duty built in."

Schwartz said that he wasn't even going to enter his gun in the fair until his English teacher recommended it.

"He brought it to class to show me one day," said the teacher, Ncvltrd Prctrsdf. "It was way better than the time bomb that he brought in to get approved."

Second place was awarded to second-grader Madison Delaney, who invented a blender that ferments smoothies. Schwartz will receive a scholarship and his own parking spot at the Riesbeck's in Woodsfield. Delaney won a $100 Itunes gift card.

Only two other students entered the contest, and they each received a $10 gas card. Lewis Reindeer invented a cup that desalinates ocean water. Peyton Tweed discovered the cure for leukemia.

9 Things People Need to Quit Saying About the Ohio Valley

Let's face it, you've told someone that you're from somewhere in the Ohio Valley before. Then you always get the same stupid, ignorant replies. While these troglodytes mean well, they don't realize the emotional roller coaster they put you on. Here's a list of replies that need to stop.

1. "That's cool! I'm 1/2 Ohio Valley myself. My mom was born there."

2. "Oh I bet you eat a lot of rigatoni."

3. "Near Steubenville? I don't know where that is. Close to Wheeling? Where's that? Oh close to Pittsburgh? You're from Pennsylvania?"

4. "So is your last name Yoder or something?"

5. "Me too! I'm from Bellaire!"

6. "That's cool. I'm from Atlanta."

7. "Oh my god! Ew why? Get away from me you filthy inbred hillbilly scum!"

8. "I don't care! Stop following me around! I'm not interested in you! Can't you take a hint? I'm calling the police!"

9. "I'm from a small town too. Lancaster. It's south of Columbus."

Robert Murray Joins ISIS

ST CLAIRSVILLE - Murray Energy CEO Robert Murray announced on Fox News this morning that he is moving his company to Syria so he can join the Islamic State.

"I hate Barack Obama," Murray told Fox's Neil Cavuto. "The caliphate is the only entity that is doing anything about him. That's important to me. Also, I respect their disregard for basic human rights."

Murray also said that all current employees will be forced to relocate to Iraq and Syria.

"I need employees that I know I can trust," Murray said. "They'll all have to convert to Islam though."

The Islamic State's laws require non-Muslims to pay a tax or face execution.

"Taxes are a fate worse than death," Murray continued. "If giving up my beliefs while forcing my subordinates to do the same, instigating genocide, committing treason, enforcing Sharia law and executing women and children is what it takes to avoid paying the IRS, then I'm with al-Baghdadi. Allahu Akbar."

Several notable people from around the Ohio Valley took to Facebook to share their thoughts.

This Smart-Mouthed Wheeling Teen Got Exactly What She Deserved!

WHEELING - An incredibly disrespectful teenager, 18-year-old Kelsey Anderson, posted the status above on Facebook yesterday and the backlash was swift and severe. Anderson was referencing the World War II LST ship (pictured right) that passed through the Ohio Valley yesterday.

Anderson, a student at Wheeling Park High School, was reportedly beat up at school because of her status.

"We put Kelsey outside the front doors and let the children of soldiers beat the hell out of her," said principal Amy Minch. "Then we dumped salt from the cafeteria all over her and then expelled her. There's no place for that kind of behavior in my school."

Anderson's parents reacted to their daughter's behavior like any responsible parent should.

"Oh we threw that little disrespectful rat out of our house when we heard what she said," said Anderson's mother, Pamela. "We also froze her bank account and shut off her phone so she would experience what it would be like if nobody fought for her freedom."

When Anderson tried to check into a local homeless shelter, she was promptly escorted from the premises and publicly shamed.

"What she said was despicable," said Lorna Brown, the director of the shelter. "There are veterans that live here. What kind of message would we be sending to them if we let that... that person stay here?"

OVN was told that Anderson tried to seek forgiveness at Saint James Lutheran Church on Chapline St, but was turned away there as well.

"Jesus died for our sins," said the Rev. Deborah Gable. "But not that one. No, not that sin."

To the delight of many around the Ohio Valley, Kelsey Anderson was arrested this Thursday afternoon. Wheeling Police say that they will likely send her to Syria so she can see how she likes fighting in a war.

"That'll show her," said police chief Shawn Schwertfeger. "I hope she rots over there."

Glass Wall Will Be Built Along Ohio River to Prevent Flooding

Artist's conception of the future wall

CHARLESTON, W.Va -- West Virginia governor Earl Ray Tomblin announced that the state will build a 100-ft. tall glass wall along the banks of the Ohio River to keep residents safe from flooding.

"I have a strange feeling that we're going to get some rain pretty soon," said Gov. Tomblin. "The safety of our citizens is our number one priority."

The West Virginia Department of Labor said that the project will add a job to the West Virginia economy.

"It's going to be a great job for someone," said Tomblin. "The wall's going to be about 256 miles. That's about 35 years of work for one lucky person."

Officials Say Entire Gas Pipeline Must Be Moved 10 Feet

COLUMBUS -- Ohio Department of Natural Resources director James Zehringer announced earlier today that Enterprise Liquids Pipeline, LLC must uncover and move its entire natural gas pipeline in Ohio 10 feet to the left. Zehringer claims that the company made an error with longitude points when they originally mapped out the project.

"It's a minor mistake, but the consequences are dire," he said. "On the bright side, it will create more jobs for temporary Ohioans."

Several local landowners have already voiced their displeasure, saying that the new requirement will destroy even more farmland.

"My fields were almost unusable for an entire year," said Bloomingdale ambrosia farmer Ralph Elliot. "Whatever. Farming's stupid anyhow."

The company's parent, Enterprise Products, said that the news was completely unexpected, and was not notified of the decision ahead of time.

"I'm not even sure what to make of all of this," said CEO Michael Creel. "They said it has to be moved to the left, not east or west. Which way is left?"

Zehringer said that in order to compensate for the enormous amount of money Enterprise will lose, the company will not be required to pay landowners in order to move the pipeline.

"Well that's nice of them at least," Creel said.

This latest announcement comes only three days after ODNR announced that the Spectra pipeline in Belmont county must add a 3-layer helix spiral around a sacred Native American burial ground in Colerain in order to comply with tribal traditions.