Not painting a pretty picture

The city of Fairmont is getting an artistic touch in the interest of promoting healthier lifestyles.

Project Canvas is an initiative to promote walking downtown. It is part of a grant meant to make healthy lifestyles a priority in West Virginia.

Several crosswalks are being painted to achieve this goal. Schools and other organizations are taking part.

2 are completed and at least 6 more will be painted in the coming weeks.

There’s good reason to promote better health in the state. West Virginia is No. 1 in the nation in adult obesity, at 35.1%; diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks and coronary heart disease and No. 2 in arthritis.