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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 ...

Guest column: Mediation: A huge step in the right direction

We strive at the Public Service Commission to resolve complaints in the simplest, fairest, and most expedient manner possible, consistent with your concerns. One very handy tool we have been able to use is the mediation process, which is handled by the Commission’s Division of Administrative Law Judges. The dedicated lawyers who populate this office handle any number of cases that are referred to them by the three-member Commission. The cases before the judges involve many different issues and are often complex. The Division also resolves cases through mediation. In Mediation, ...

Guest column: Tax credit program will be good for all West Virginians

I am proud to be the Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 53, representing construction workers in the finishing trades in parts of Ohio, Maryland, Kentucky, Virginia, and right here in West Virginia. Workers in our state have a long and storied history of working hard, organizing for our rights, and contributing to the entire nation’s energy stores and economy. We are also no stranger to changing industries and, unfortunately, to job loss. But our state’s workers are some of the most determined and ...

Guest column: Fix the GOP tax bill before it hurts West Virginian families

In my work across West Virginia as a deacon and nonprofit director, I meet families every day who are doing everything right—raising kids, working long hours, pinching pennies—yet they still struggle to put food on the table. That’s why I’m so troubled by proposals in the tax bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that would cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid in our state. For thousands of families in West Virginia, SNAP is the difference between a parent putting food on the table and an entire household going to bed hungry. But ...

To Whom it May Concern … Happy Father’s Day

To Whom it May Concern … I would like to wish you a Happy Father’s Day. I want to thank you for all of the years you awoke before dawn — before the sun even thought about rising in the morning sky … if only for the sake of your family. For the years that somehow became decades doing a job you didn’t much care for. One that was not only physically tolling — but mentally exhausting. Yet, you never complained. Never thought about quitting, despite the fact it took you away from the people you loved the most in this world. I thank you for being the kind of father who ...