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Let there be light

The holiday season should be a time for reflection. We have much to be thankful for at this time of year. But sometimes we forget. First of all, I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a prosperous new year. I think back on all the sacrifices our ancestors made to get us to where we are today. What a hardy bunch they were. This was especially true in our state, where access to the land was never easy. Many families came down the Ohio River from the Pittsburgh area. My family eventually settled in the Ohio River town of St. Marys. Or else, they hacked their way ...

Tell businesses to procure their own electricity –– it will build a stronger economy and protect West Virginians’ pockets

The cold days of winter have barely set in, and electricity is already one of the biggest concerns in West Virginia. At kitchen tables, in campaign speeches, and at national energy forums, people are asking the same questions: How do we keep power affordable? reliable? All while demand grows? At local hearings, residents are worried about rising bills. At economic-development meetings, leaders are debating how to power energy-hungry data centers. And just the other week in Charleston, energy experts at the West Virginia Energy Summit outlined a stark reality: demand is climbing, costs ...

Continuing to smile … the mask we all wear

It’s Sunday morning. The coffee is brewing. The newspaper is spread out on the kitchen table. And maybe, just maybe, you have somehow found a way to manage a moment of peace before the week’s anxieties begin. But in this one, single moment … let us be honest. How many of you reading this right now, are sitting there knowing how tomorrow you will once again be forced to wear the disguise of a smile on your face? Because just beneath the surface, your entire world feels as if it is a house of cards ready to crumble at any moment? For those of you who understand, I want ...

A stocking filled with old-fashioned penny candy

The wonderful Nutcracker Village in downtown Steubenville continues to evoke a feeling of joy, goodwill and generosity experienced during this holiday season, like Christmastime, which is part of the festive traditions, Tchaikovsky’s dance of the sugar plum fairy, a kindness, and spending time with loved ones. This cavalier Toy Soldier world of the Mouse king is cultivated by decorating, listening to Dean Martin sing “White Christmas” and a Sunday School Choral performing, baking fresh ginger bread cookies, and general positive cinnamon in the air feelings, giving a new ...

Remembering where the buck stops

I was very pleased last Monday to hear Gov. Patrick Morrisey say that the decision to leave behind a volunteer contingent of West Virginia National Guard members was his. “I made the decision to have the word come down that we would ask the people if they wanted to volunteer,” Morrisey said during his first press conference with West Virginia media since the shooting on Nov. 26 of two Guard members during their Washington, D.C., deployment by an Afghan national, one of whom died. I was pleased because the weekend after the shooting, a number of social media posts were made on the ...

Journalism can also be like a box of chocolates

I had an entirely different thought for this column leading in the end of the week, and then Friday happened. That’s not to say that Friday was a disaster of a day necessarily, but it was a reminder of just how a typical day in this business can be anything but typical by most standards. Sure, there are some routine meetings. I know when school board and council meetings are, and can put them on my schedule, but, most of the time, we never really know what’s going to happen at any given point. I got into the office at around my usual time, having taken a few extra minutes to ...