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Getting ready to go back to school

Ohio and West Virginia are preparing to welcome back-to-school shoppers with sales tax holidays. And while residents of both states have become accustomed to that yearly break as they prepare to send their children back to the classrooms, Ohioans will see one big change: This year’s tax holiday has been expanded, and will run from midnight Tuesday through 11:59 p.m. Aug. 8. That’s a week and a half for families to take advantage of tax-free purchases — made in-person or online — of eligible items up to $500. West Virginians, meanwhile, will get their sales tax holiday from ...

Blood donations are still needed

The need for blood is great throughout the year, and area residents always are willing to step up whenever a call for donors is made. And, while every collection is important, officials with the American Red Cross of the Ohio Valley are placing special emphasis on a drive that is scheduled to be held Monday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center on Market Street in Steubenville. All area residents are encouraged to donate, but the Red Cross is encouraging African Americans to participate. By doing so, they might be helping those who suffer from sickle cell ...

Cutting through the red tape

Bureaucracy exists to serve itself, rather than the taxpaying public. Bureaucrats can wield licenses, permits, deadlines and other forms of red tape like precision weapons. Their zeal in doing so has bogged down our economic diversification and growth for far too long. But a plan presented by U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., and John Barrasso, R-Wyo., could speed things back up, at least for one sector. The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 is meant to eliminate some of the time and hoops that stall energy projects of all kinds. “The United States of America is blessed with ...

Transformer project giving us a chance

The Ohio Valley awoke Monday to news of more opportunity coming to the Weirton area, with the announcement by Cleveland-Cliffs of plans to bring a new electrical distribution transformer production facility to the community. Set to begin operations sometime in the first half of 2026, the facility has a goal of employing 600 workers, with an investment of $150 million – including $50 million from the state. This will be an opportunity for much – but not all – of the 900 USW employees who lost their jobs with the idling of Weirton’s tin mill earlier this year to potentially ...

Manchin’s concerns are spot on

For a brief moment on Sunday following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would not seek re-election in November, Sen. Joe Manchin considered switching parties back to Democrat to explore running for office. That changed a short while later as support coalesced around Vice President Kamala Harris, but don’t expect Manchin, I-W.Va., to sit on the sidelines and simply toe the line for any nominee the Democrats put forth. “I am not running for office,” Manchin said Monday on CBS, comments he reiterated several times through the day. What Manchin said he would like to ...

Make a visit to our state parks this summer

Summer is flying by and many families are thinking of ways to squeeze in a relatively inexpensive vacation before thoughts turn to the start of the school year. It’s a good thing we’re surrounded by incredible (and close) spots to visit right here in West Virginia. In all corners of the state, our parks offer a chance to experience not only our natural wonders, but great food, luxurious spas, outdoor adventures — even stargazing cabins, coming soon to Coopers Rock State Forest. Here in the Upper Ohio Valley, we can visit Tomlinson Run State Park, Coopers Rock is less than two ...