Breaking News

Local Columns

Guest column: Real West Virginia men do mental health check‑ins

We’ve all heard it: “Real men don’t cry.” It’s become a badge of toughness but it’s also a barrier. Too many men learn to internalize pain and stay silent. At the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) in West Virginia, we say something different: real men check in. They check their blood pressure. They check on their families. And they check in on their mental health. June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month and West Virginia needs us to talk. Our state’s adjusted suicide rate is 18.3 per 100,000, above the national average of 14.3, and men make up nearly ...

Helping others: The best dollar I have ever spent

It isn’t often I feel as if I have made any real difference in this world. In other words, no real contribution of which to speak. If you think about it, there have been so many people who have made some kind of a change in another person’s life. Think of all of the inventions there have been — the everyday things we use which assist us in some small way. Yeah, somebody created that. It’s amazing. Think about all of the people who have made a difference. The ones who have done a good deed for another and never asking for anything in return. The volunteers who have ...

History in the Hills: The power of objects

I love how these articles develop. Sometimes I think about a topic for days and nothing comes together and finally in the course of a conversation, a word or phrase will hit me, and I have a topic just like that. For instance, this week’s piece came together in a similar way. I spoke to someone about something and wham — topic. In this case, the topic was discovered while talking about one of my favorite things — antiques. I love antiques, and the more the merrier, as far as I am concerned. Sometimes though, practicality and space is a concern, not to mention money. With that ...

A requiem for Doug Skaff, a complicated man

I really wasn’t expecting to have to write, in essence, an obituary for former lawmaker and politician Doug Skaff last Tuesday. The accident that killed him remains under investigation, but by all reports it was a freak accident on I-79 near Weston. Skaff’s SUV went into the back of a semi-truck and despite trying to brake in time, it was too late. Skaff was only five years older than me at 48. I had known him since his first stint in the House of Delegates in what was once the largest of the multi-member districts covering Kanawha County. He was a rising star in Democratic ...

The potential of our future leaders

The most recent class of Leadership Ohio Valley has completed its program, and now the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce is looking for individuals interested in taking their own journey on the path of leadership. Every event and program organized by the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce has at its core an element of networking for our area professionals, and Leadership is no different. There is an opportunity within to get to know the men and women who are part of our local business communities, assisting in the development of connections which could aid in your own career. More than ...

Guest column: West Virginia is taking a stand against China

The Communist Party of China (CCP) wants to unseat the United States as the number one global power. For decades, the CCP has stolen American trade secrets, used our data against our own citizens, and artificially unbalanced trade in their favor. Chinese Communist leaders understand by accomplishing this feat, they gain significant leverage to push their policies and influence on countries around the world. Therefore, it is crucial for America to take a stand. I applaud President Donald Trump’s efforts to hold China accountable and rebalance unfair trade agreements that put our country ...