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It’s time for West Virginia’s second quarter

As December 2025 draws to a close, we find ourselves at a historic milestone. One fourth of the 21st Century is now behind us. For many, the last 25 years have flown by, as it inevitably does, but with a speed that’s hard to fathom. Even so, the years in West Virginia have been marked by progress. At the dawn of this millennium, West Virginia faced what many called “insurmountable” financial hurdles. Our state had massive unfunded liabilities in retirement plans maintained for schoolteachers and other state retirees. We were, quite literally, mortgaging our future to pay for our ...

Electric power demand, coal and natural gas should rise in 2026

The Public Service Commission of West Virginia hopes, on behalf of its staff, that you have a healthy and prosperous new year in 2026. We here are hopeful for a robust economy in the new year, with an influx of business developments and population to help expand the Mountain State economy. Some of our chief concerns, of course, include energy development and ensuring that electric power is available at prices we can afford in this new year. So far, the outlook looks robust, particularly for the production and usage of coal and natural gas. The U.S. Energy Information ...

Well, we blinked. And just like that, another year has slipped through our fingers, joining the long line of years that came before it. But I’ll be honest with you ... this time around, I didn’t even bother keeping an eye on the clock. I didn’t hold my breath for the countdown, nor did I wait for that glittering ball to descend over a crowded Times Square. I’ve performed that dance more times than I can count. I’ve finally learned a hard-won truth: The simple turning of a page on a calendar has never actually mended a heart or fixed a problem. Not for me, ...

History in the Hills: Looking back on new years

One of my favorite movies of all time is Woody Allen’s classic 1987 film “Radio Days.” This movie is a delightful blend of history, radio, music and nostalgia from the late 1930s and 1940s. It takes place in Rockaway, N.Y., in the outskirts of New York City on the Atlantic coast, not too far from where my wife grew up. I always loved this film because of the glimpse into the past and the great music that was popular at the time. That is my favorite genre of music, so that is part of the reason I like it. One of the last scenes of the movie shows many of the radio personalities ...

Heading back to the future in West Virginia

By the end of this week, we will all travel forward to the future, to the year 2026, and we will have moved past the first quarter of the 21st century. It wasn’t until last week putting together my roundup of top West Virginia statehouse stories that I stopped to think about us getting through the past 25 years. It seems like yesterday that I was part of the Class of 2000 preparing for all of the computers to crash. I was born in 1982, so it’s weird to think that I have lived longer in the 21st century than I had in the 20th century. Yet, still no flying cars, still no ...

2025: Looking back at the year that was

We only have a few days remaining in 2025, and, for many, the last year certainly has been active. In Weirton, and some surrounding areas, the year began much as the previous one ended, with a series of line breaks and boil orders affecting the municipal water system and resulting in a lack of expected service. Water had to be brought in to allow for some of the schools to be open, distributions were made for residents, and there was a great deal of anger and frustration expressed. Eventually, the West Virginia Public Service Commission held a hearing, with a study finding various ...