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The problem with profanity in scholastic sports

Today, we have a serious problem in all high school sports. And that growing predicament is athlete profanity. Who is responsible for such inappropriate behavior? That’s easy — every adult who is involved directly or indirectly with sports — the parents. the coaches, the officials, the event organizers and even the school administrators. After watching people play the new blame game on various news media topics, I think I have a pretty good handle on what is a contributing factor regarding the profanity problem. Today, if something happens that doesn’t go one’s way, it is ...

Law enforcement officers should be exempt from income taxes

West Virginia has good law enforcement officers. We need more of them. Their pursuit of justice and peace serves the most vulnerable members of our community, forming an indispensable part of our shared project: that our people of West Virginia might flourish as the happiest in the union. Law enforcement officers routinely confront danger in order to guard their neighbors from the violence and injustice of wicked men. They have received, as their thankless task, a society suffering the breakdown — and even erasure — of its traditional forms of peacekeeping: strong families, active ...

Maybe it’s just me, but … I wish I would’ve …

Maybe it’s just me, but I wish I would have traveled and seen the world. Or at least certain parts of it. But I ended up staying in my hometown ... the very place I was born. I think the farthest I have moved was across town to the other end of the Gem City several years ago before I had my third son. Somehow, I ended up back at the end of the block from the house where I was born. Funny how that happens, although it isn’t really comical. How does life pass us by so quickly? Before we realize it, more than half or most of our time is in the rear view mirror of life. And ...

History in the Hills: Snowy and frozen

We have had some cold weather here lately. I am not sure how it stacks up with cold weather here in the past, but it certainly gets your attention if you have to be out in it. We have had many cold days recently. At the Visitor Center in Steubenville over Christmas, this past season was especially cold, and on some of those nights, not many folks were out. So far, this new year, the weather has not quite let up just yet, either. I can deal with the cold, but the snow is another thing all together. As long as I don’t need to drive or go out in it, I am OK. Snow can be fun, too. The ...

It’s time to restart the clock in Charleston

Today is the day, when Gov. Jim Justice hands over the wheel of the ship of state to the new governor, Patrick Morrisey. It is a true changing of the guard. Justice spent the prior week handing out more checks, traveling on treacherous roadways due to the snow/ice storm, receiving a polite goodbye from lawmakers who seem very ready for the new Morrisey administration to take over, and giving one final closed virtual briefing to reporters. I predict that Justice’s legacy over the last eight years will be mixed. There are many good things to point to, several bad things that took up ...

Elevating the local voices in our pages

One of my ongoing endeavors with this newspaper is to try to find ways to encourage more public discourse. I know most people prefer to go to their social media platforms to express themselves, as it’s an immediate way to share one’s thoughts, whether on your personal timeline, through a community page or one offered by a local business or organization. But let’s not forget the more traditional means of such vocal outreach. We continue to offer a section each week for letters to the editor, providing an opportunity for residents to express their thoughts on the matters of ...