It is neighbor helping neighbor that makes life special in this rural community, including the outreach extended by community organizations.

Surviving without opportunity is a blow to our families who have a work gene, but most Calhouners do have a survival gene, thank God.

While Washington continues to create hubris and diversion, the American Middle Class is at the end of the rope, but still seems to be entertained by some notion they're not.

There is little ownership by America's money-changers about their greed that cost the nation several trillion dollars, trillion dollar wars, or Washington's plan to help America by globalizaing millions of jobs.

These issues are rarely discussed by politicians or corporate media who continue to campaign against the decisions they made.

Here are a few of the Herald's top Calhoun stories of 2011, many reporting on serious challenges that Calhoun people face to make things better, considering that many of them are trickle down problems with little power to change:

NEW ARNOLDSBURG SCHOOL BECOMING REALITY - SBA Grants Funds To Make It Happen, Calhoun Voters Approved $2.8 Mil

STATE LIST SAYS CALHOUN SCHOOL 'WORST' PERFORMING OF WEST VIRGINIA'S 55 COUNTIES

CALHOUN FACING STAGGERING TEEN CHILDBIRTH RATE - WV Only State With 17% Increased Teen Childbirth Rate

CALHOUN AMONG TOP 50 COUNTIES IN USA RECEIVING MOST SOCIAL SECURITY

JOHN DALE CYRUS VICTIM OF CALHOUN SHOOTING - Complaint Describes Encounter, Husk Charged With 2nd Degree Murder

TRIO BARELY ESCAPES TRAGEDY ON WEST FORK LOW-WATER BRIDGE - Car Nearly Swept Downstream

NICHOLSON CHARGED WITH 11 OFFENSES FOLLOWING SIX VEHICLE CRASH - During Chase "Never Hit His Brakes," Reaching 95 MPH

DENMARK YET TO BE INDICTED FOR BEACH MURDER

WATER COMING WITH LONG-AWAITED $5.2 MIL PROJECT - Completion Six Months Behind

CALHOUN HAS HIGH RATE OF CHILD NEGLECT AND ABUSE CASES

CALHOUN RANKS 20TH IN WV GAS PRODUCTION - Marcellus Drilling Yet To Pick Up Speed Locally

INVESTIGATION OF MT. ZION PSD TAKES NEW TURN

CALHOUN RANKS 34TH WITH CHILDREN'S WELL-BEING - Kid's Count Says One-Third Calhoun Children Living In Poverty

$5.6 ANNAMORIAH BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION MOVING AHEAD

UPDATE: PATH POWER LINE PROJECT COMES TO A HALT - Citizen Activism Stopped Project

ACCUSED BANK ROBBER'S TRIAL HITS A SNAG - Attorney Asks For Dismissal, 'Egregious Case Over Denial Of Due Process'

CALHOUN HAS WORST WV 'BROADBAND' SPEED - Frontier Hedges On Broadband Plans For Regional Counties

(01/21/2011) BIGGER NOT BETTER: CHRONICLE EDITOR'S OBSERVATIONS 50 YEARS AGO RIGHT ON