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College project will have benefits for our region

I’ve been fielding some questions lately about why the state of West Virginia awarded the College of Joseph the Worker an economic enhancement grant. Some people think it is odd that we gave money to a college based in Steubenville to expand its operations into our state. I thought I’d take a moment to clarify the reasoning behind the grant. The College of Joseph the Worker is a very innovative institution. It is a college that offers a robust education in the Western intellectual tradition, with students earning a bachelor’s degree that focuses on the meaning of work, the duty ...

Are you as safe as Washington during a winter storm?

Washington, D.C., got nearly 10 inches of snow recently. That was more than enough to shut down the nation’s capital. Thankfully, all of D.C.’s lobbyists and politicos stayed safe at home. Their local utility, Pepco—which relies on natural gas and coal for roughly half of its power generation—supplied the electricity needed to keep everyone warm. But what about the rest of the country? Are they as safe as Washington? Not necessarily. The North American Electric Reliability Corp.—which oversees the reliability and security of America’s bulk power system—believes the ...

Dogs are more important than you think

I miss my dogs. I know it’s been a while since I’ve mentioned it, but it seems to hit harder whenever I cover a story pertaining to the humane society. Don’t get me wrong, I like the dog I have now. I always thought goldendoodles were adorable. Like little teddy bears. Not real, but real, you know? But I have discovered that no dog, no matter how adorable, will ever take the place of the ones I have lost. For Christmas, my mom bought me a clear plastic tree ornament that shows the back of someone sitting on the ground between two dogs. She looks like me with the ...

Reflecting on the past, embracing the future

As I spent time reflecting during the holidays, I thought a great deal about how we never know what roads life will lead us down. When I was just a small business owner spending my days driving throughout the Eastern Panhandle, I didn’t realize then that the voices of Hoppy Kercheval, Don Marsh, and Stephen Reed would inspire me. They’d light a fire in me that would lead me to take a different and most rewarding path in my life that would lead me from Berkeley County to our state Capitol and the House of Delegates and finish with four years as the President of the West Virginia ...

Watching a game of political musical chairs

Some people continue to be upset that Gov. Jim Justice is waiting until Governor-Elect Patrick Morrisey’s inauguration on Monday, Jan. 13, to resign and take is place in the U.S. Senate to avoid having a total of four governors (two of those being Senate presidents acting as governor) in a 10-day span. However, there is at least two good reasons for the delay. First of all, it allowed former state treasurer Riley Moore to take his U.S. House of Representatives seat Friday when Congress returned from recess. While both the House and U.S. Senate have narrow GOP majorities for the new ...

Trying to set a few goals for the new year

We’re now a few days into the new year, and I’m wondering how many of us already have broken our resolutions? To be honest, I have a tendency not to set actual resolutions for that very reason. It’s the pressure we put on ourselves as part of the observance and tradition, and the disappointment we feel when we aren’t able to accomplish them. I don’t like making big lists at the beginning of the year, tending more to come up with a couple of goals every couple of months. Admittedly, that hasn’t helped much, especially in the last couple of years. However, there are a few ...