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History in the Hills: Happy birthday, baron

As a historian, I enjoy commemorating the past. Events such as anniversaries, birthdays, dates of battles and the like, always have grabbed my attention and have been of particular interest to me. These events give us a good excuse to bring to mind our past. I am sure if one tried hard enough, every day could be a day that has some special historical significance. The very first commemoration one celebrates, is none other than a birthday. This month, we celebrate a very important birthday of an American hero and the namesake of the city of Steubenville, Friedrich Wilhelm August ...

A good man: Remembering Tim Armstead

West Virginia is a small state, and state government is not large, so the longer you cover certain politicians, the more chances you have to see the human side of the people you cover and even become friends. That’s the way it was with Tim Armstead, the late justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and the former minority leader who rose to become the first Republican speaker of the House of Delegates in nearly 83 years. I attended the visitation for Armstead last Tuesday in the chambers of the House of Delegates, not as a news reporter but as a friend. I have a ...

Living united in the Upper Ohio Valley

The United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley kicked off its campaign this week with a couple of big events. Thursday evening saw the organization’s Jackpot Jubilee, with food, games, and more, at Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack. Then, during Saturday’s football game on the campus of West Liberty University, when the Hilltoppers take on the Seton Hill University (Pa.) Griffins, the United Way was set to be well represented, with the WL team running through a United Way sign, representatives taking part in the coin toss, with a 50/50 drawing and field goal contest planned as well ...

Guest Opinion: We cannot lose another one

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and here in West Virginia, the urgency couldn’t be higher. Our state is no stranger to hardship, but the current mental health crisis demands clear-eyed attention and bold action. In 2023, West Virginia’s age-adjusted suicide rate stood at 18.6 per 100,000 people, among the highest in the nation and significantly above the national average. That is 349 West Virginians we have lost in one year alone. Though this is slightly less than 2022, West Virginians deserve more. The numbers are more than data — they are human lives. In the ...

Guest Opinion: Some information about carbon capture

I’ve lived in the Ohio River Valley for 70 years, in Jefferson and Harrison counties. For decades, the residents of the Ohio Valley have been paying for the aftermath of extractive industries. That “beautiful clean coal” Presidnet Donald Trump refers to took lives, and left a legacy of mine shafts and acid mine run-off. Taxpayers continue to foot the bills to plug orphan oil and gas wells and clean-up un-reclaimed strip mined lands. Recently, the Ohio River Valley was targeted to become a carbon capture and sequestration hub. This hub will consist of a series of pipelines and ...

Guest Opinion: The executive secretary’s office

I can think of few things that pass through the Public Service Commission, coming in or going out, that aren’t touched by the executive secretary’s office. This office handles all of our mail, whether coming in or going out. If a utility files a case with the Commission, that must be made through the executive secretary and must be addressed to the executive secretary. Those filing documents are processed in her office. From that office, new cases are disbursed through the building. In fact, a case cannot get started without the executive secretary giving it a formal tracking ...