James “Jim” Cochran, affectionately known as “Bugs,” passed away on August 15, 2025, at the age of 90.

A pillar of Marshall County, Jim dedicated over seven decades to journalism, community service, and chronicling the life of the Ohio Valley, leaving a lasting legacy in the region he loved.

Born in 1934 to Ezra and Alberta Cochran in Moundsville, West Virginia, Jim was the youngest of three siblings. He attended Moundsville Senior High School (class of 1952) while also working part-time at The Echo newspaper. This early experience launched a remarkable career, leading to his inclusion on the John Marshall Wall of Fame. In the early 1950s, he joined The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register as a copy boy under Editor Harry Hamm, who hired him after a phone interview. Jim quickly trans

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