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Counting the days until the session ends

Starting with my first regular legislative session back as a reporter for this newspaper in 2019 (my first session back was the special session on impeachment of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in the summer of 2018), I would title my columns “Week x at the Legislature.” I haven’t done that this session. Because honestly, this session has not been worth writing about in my weekly “Reporter’s Notebook” column except in a couple instances (the Governor’s State of the State address, the bill lifting criminal liability protections from librarians). This has been ...

Voters and candidates need to prepare

We are coming into the end of February, and, thus, the beginning of March. That puts us a few weeks closer to the start of spring. It also means we are only a bit over two months before West Virginia’s primary election. We have an interesting mix of candidates this year, with many of our local incumbents facing off against candidates new to running for public office, as well as some who previously served as public officials but now are looking at different positions. There also are some who have run previously, but have never been elected. Through this newspaper, we always ...

The Public Service Commission needs you

Some of you might remember those old posters where a stern, bearded picture of Uncle Sam looks out solemnly over a caption that says, “I want YOU for U.S. Army.” Like Uncle Sam, I would like to say that the Public Service Commission needs you, too. If you are looking for an interesting place to work, you couldn’t find better than the Commission. Looking for the exotic? Yes, we have it. Looking for a place that will challenge your talents? Couldn’t find a better place. Want to work at a place where you can have a real impact and make a difference in the lives of many people? ...

Calendar needs a little updating, in my opinion

On those rare winter days when the temperature somehow finds a way to reach the upper ‘50s or low ‘60s, I say a small, quiet prayer that it will remain permanent until summer. Like so many others, I am so ready for this season to be over. Actually, I was ready for winter to be done with in October — even though it was technically still autumn. At least according to the calendar. I am fairly certain that whoever was the creator of today’s calendar, well … they pretty-much got it all wrong. So, I did an Internet search to discover who this creator of the calendar was ...

Trump card played against Capito family

Trump has entered the chat as the kids say, but it’s not the Trump you think. Donald Trump Jr. - the son of former Republican president Donald Trump who is the likely GOP nominee for president in 2024 – took a swipe at both U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Republican candidate for governor of West Virginia Moore Capito on social media last week. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., voted for the amended national security supplemental last week that contained funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, as well as funding to replenish U.S. military munition stockpiles. Some on the MAGA ...

How much harder will we have to fight?

Like many in our area, I woke up Thursday morning to news none of us ever wanted to hear. Cleveland-Cliffs, the current owner of what is left of our once-thriving steel mill, announced its plans to idle “indefinitely” the tinplate production facilities located in Weirton. Company officials pointed to a decision by the U.S. International Trade Commission from a couple of weeks ago, determining the domestic tinplate industry was not being damaged by imports from a select group of countries. The idling is expected to happen sometime in mid to late April. We know the history of the ...