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Making changes in the state’s capital

Last week, Governor-Elect Patrick Morrisey provide the press and public a sneak peak of sorts on his transition plans for the next two months as he prepares to move into the Governor’s Mansion on Kanawha Boulevard East in Charleston. That’s an interesting sentence to read again: a governor who is actually going to reside in Charleston as constitutionally required and live in the Governor’s Mansion. What a thought! Morrisey spoke to media at an open, in-person press conference – again, it’s amazing to write that – announcing his seven-person transition team, two ...

Voters sound alarm on rising energy costs

American voters soundly rejected Bidenflation at the ballot box on Nov. 5. In an ABC exit poll, 67 percent of Americans said the economy is in “bad shape.” That shouldn’t be too surprising, though, since inflation is wiping out many family budgets. In fact, a half-gallon of milk now sells for as much as $10 in parts of the United States. But what’s driving all of this budget-busting inflation? And what to do about it? Much of the problem stems from higher energy costs. CBS News reports that the price of electricity in the U.S. has jumped 28.5 percent since 2019. In some ...

A look at the election by the numbers

I think I’ve finally caught up on my sleep following the general election, and can mentally handle taking a look back to offer some analysis. I won’t go into great detail on the results as far as who won the races, except to say there were some I was glad to see and others resulted in disappointment. Yes, I’m a journalist, and work to be as impartial as possible in my reporting, but I’m also a voter. Like all of you, I do have certain hopes when casting my ballot. At the end of the day, though, I have to deal with most of the individuals who will be taking their oaths of ...

Facing off against the challenges of progress

West Virginia has approximately 500 water and sewer utilities. The Public Service Commission of West Virginia is often asked to examine the operations of these essential systems and to determine whether the public is being provided safe and reliable service. The Commission gets requests regarding systems that can no longer function safely. In some cases, managers of a system determine they need help. They tell the Commission someone else must run their operations. Sometimes systems need help, but won’t admit it. Concern for public health caused the Legislature to pass a law in 2020 ...

Experiences growing up in Chestnut Woods

If you grew up on one of the many streets bordering Culler Road, you probably were referred to as a Chestnut Woods kid. Chestnut Woods began near Penco Road, where Mr. Zagula ran the Chestnut Lanes bowling alley, ran past the 7-11 to Sabu’s Lounge and included the streets below Palm Drive, ending at the Culler Road and Pleasantview Drive intersection. Mike Orrechio and I grew up as Chestnut Woods kids. His house bordered Pleasantview and Mellon streets. Our sprawling, 900-square-foot house was on the left-hand side near the middle of Mellon Street. We had seven boys, of which I was ...

What I would like every veteran to know

I am not quite sure how it even happened, but on Monday, I served as the guest speaker for the Jefferson County Veterans Association’s Veterans Day service at Friendship Park in Smithfield. First of all, I was late in arriving. I walked in when the national anthem was playing. I was already a nervous wreck as it was and me trying to get there on time only made matters worse. I have no idea how I got to be the speaker for this important occasion, but then again, I oftentimes find myself in situations that I never saw coming. Everyone in attendance was so very kind to me. All of ...