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The community comes together when it matters

One of the many things I’ve always loved about this community is how we find ways to take care and look out for each other. It’s something I learned from an early age, as National Steel decided to leave Weirton with many of our local steelworkers losing their jobs prior to the ESOP agreements and all that followed. People rallied to help their neighbors in whatever way they could, even if it was something as seemingly minor as sharing a meal. For many years, the Weirton United Way served this community through fundraisers and other efforts to support the dozen or so local ...

Don’t miss the chance to make Christmas memories

With the holidays approaching, my attention turns to remembering Christmases past — those years when I still had my dad and my grandparents. When my children were small and the wonder of Christmas morning simply made life completely worth living. While Christmas is the day to celebrate and reflect upon the greatest miracle God ever presented us with — his son, Jesus, I have always found myself partial to Christmas Eve — my favorite day of the year. Perhaps it is the anticipation of Christmas morning or the array of foods everyone would take part in sharing at my mother’s ...

History in the Hills: Riding the rails of history

If you were to ask me what my favorite job was during my career, I would have a hard time giving an answer. Worst job? That’s easy, but best job, that’s tough. Certainly one of my most favorite jobs was working for the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. My wife and I both worked there and it was a time in our life when we had no children and no real responsibilities, so it was a time to be young and fun. My wife worked in the USS Requin, a cold war era submarine that was on its way to the pacific when World War II ended. She gave tours, greeted visitors and worked in ...

More money more problems in the Senate race

I’ve talked a lot in this space about how far ahead Gov. Jim Justice is in various polls of the 2024 Republican primary for U.S. Senate, but U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney has at least one advantage: money. I’m not talking about a specific dollar amount, but I am talking about a potential shifting of resources by national groups trying to tip the Senate back to a majority GOP body. Justice, once the state’s only known billionaire according to Forbes, has seen his estimated wealth cut by more than half. And it’s likely worse than that based on his own financial disclosure report filed ...

The campaign surprises keep coming

There have been many reminders this year of why nothing is certain in political campaigns until the final date of candidate registration. Previously, I’ve written about the number of potential presidential candidates to make big-splash announcements early in the “pre-campaign” period, only to fizzle out and withdraw before anything really got going. We’ve had examples here in West Virginia, as well, with individuals touring the state in 2022 announcing plans to run for federal office only to switch to something on the state or local level once early filings started. We ...

Safe and reliable water for all

One of the most important laws ever enacted by the West Virginia Legislature is the Distressed and Failing Utilities Improvement Act. This 2020 statute gives the Public Service Commission crucial tools for improving water and sewer services. The law allows the Commission to determine whether a system can properly serve its customers. Systems fail or fall into disrepair for any number of reasons. A major issue is a declining customer base. Fewer customers mean less money for repairs, maintenance, and salaries. Running a water or sewer system takes expertise. Qualified operators often ...