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Full effects of school decision yet to come

There was, no doubt, shock following the decision Friday morning of the West Virginia Board of Education to take over control of the Hancock County Schools system. There have been many questions since October, when financial issues were made public, as to the future of the local school district. It began with the seemingly sudden termination of the former finance director, with the board then contracting with a financial consultant to help review the budgets of the current and previous fiscal years. As revealed during Friday’s state meeting, though, problems were known in ...

PSC at forefront of promoting broadband growth

One of the major issues the Public Service Commission has grappled with in recent years involves our effort to support the expansion in this state of high-speed internet service, commonly called broadband. Because of the mountainous terrain of the state, broadband is often accessed through provider service lines strung on utility poles. Our Commission regulates those poles and what can be attached to them. It is estimated that the state has more than 2.5 million poles, mostly owned by the two major power companies, but also by telephone carriers like Frontier. We have been tasked ...

A knock on my door that takes me back …

Those small pair of tennis shoes sitting by the front door can change the entire temperature of my house. Not literally, of course. The thermostat remains exactly where it always is. But the temperature shifts in that quiet, unseen way — a kind of happiness that has a way of sneaking in and warming corners of your home and your heart that you never even realized had grown cold. Yes, that is what happens every time my 3-year-old grandson, Layne, comes to spend time at my house. It is especially true on those rare nights he gets to spend the entire night. It is as if the ...

History in the Hills: A ride back in time

I started my previous article about one of my favorite Woody Allen movies, “Radio Days.” While that is in fact my favorite, I also like a newer film of Allen’s called “Midnight in Paris.” This film debuted in 2011 and is about a man who visits Paris with his fiancée and falls in love with the city, but longs for the Paris of the past. He gets his wish because, while walking in the city at midnight, he is picked up by an antique car of the 1920s that takes him back in time. While in the 1920s, he meets all the movers and shakers of that time, like Ernest Hemingway, Scott and ...

The 2026 election candidate filing period is officially open

With the start of the new year, the 2026 election cycle is just around the corner. The May 12th Primary Election is now 4 months away, beginning with the candidate filing period on January 12th. For just over two weeks, West Virginians seeking their party’s nomination to the General Election must file certificates of announcement to officially become candidates. Elections are the voices of the people. Elected officials make decisions at the national, state, and local levels that affect our daily lives, future, and our next generations. Perhaps some of the most important decisions we ...

The lions and lambs of the WVa Senate

The West Virginia Senate is losing two giants with the resignation of Senate President Pro Tempore Donna Boley, R-Pleasants, and the retirement at the end of 2026 of Senate Minority Leader Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell. Boley, 90, has been a state senator since her appointment by the then-Gov. Arch Moore in 1985 and has remained there for 41 years and through 11 elections. She has been a force in West Virginia Republican politics and played a large role in slowly turning West Virginia into a red state. She’s the longest serving state senator in West Virginia history and at one point was ...