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Opinion

Just enjoy the holiday

Letters to the Editor

To the Editor, Autumn deepens, temperatures cool; Halloween draws nigh. Like vampires at dusk, the religious dogmatists begin stirring. Internet posts appear from these cheerless killjoys, warning spooky merrymakers of dangers presented to their eternal souls by All Hallow’s E’en, having nothing to do with ghosts, ghouls or monsters. “Satanism!” they charge, in baleful warning. “Pagan celebration! If it doesn’t glorify God,” they scowl, “…it glorifies Satan! Witchcraft!” From that perspective, they’re absolutely right. Our Halloween indeed draws its origins ...

Can Halloween and football coexist?

Local Columns

The youth of our area, no doubt, are looking forward to their opportunity to roam around their neighborhoods (with parental supervision) to seek their fill of candy as part of the trick-or-treating tradition. We’ve published a list of local times in several editions in recent days to help our readership know when their local trick-or-treating has been scheduled. I know this year has probably been a little more confusing than usual when it comes to the practice. In recent years, we’ve noticed many of our communities have begun to communicate with each other when planning their ...

Guest Opinion: Electricity prices are soaring — and coal is a key solution

Local Columns

Electricity bills are climbing almost everywhere, and the reasons have little to do with ideology. Three forces are driving prices higher: Massive new utility spending on infrastructure, rising natural gas costs and growing capacity shortages in electricity markets as power demand soars from the AI revolution. In some states, prices have jumped more than 60 percent since 2022. The Trump administration inherited this mess and now has its work cut out for it. The strategy the administration has embraced is built around reinforcing dispatchable power—the generating resources that run ...

Properly dispose of your old medications

Editorials

Looking for an extra way to be productive and make a difference on Saturday? How about clearing out your drawers and cabinets of any unused or expired prescription drugs that should be thrown away? Saturday is National Prescription Drug Takeback Day, during which law enforcement agencies provide a safe way to anonymously dispose of medications as a means to prevent drug misuse and abuse. “When each of us takes responsibility for safely disposing of medications, we take a meaningful step toward ending the cycle of addiction,” said Jonathan Board, West Virginia First Foundation ...

Guest Opinion: October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Local Columns

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month — a nationwide initiative to raise awareness about the importance of protecting our digital lives. In an era where nearly every aspect of our personal, professional, and civic life is connected to the internet, cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue; it’s a personal responsibility. From phishing scams and ransomware attacks to identity theft and data breaches, cyber threats are growing in both frequency and sophistication. The good news? There are simple, proactive steps every person can take to protect themselves, their families, and ...

Taking the bad with the good

Editorials

If the folks in Charleston want to take credit for positive reports from ratings agencies such as S&P Global, they’d better be ready to be held accountable for the negatives. While reminding elected officials they must be ready to make corresponding adjustments if there are negative revenue effects from Medicaid changes, S&P Global Ratings went on to express great concern over the sustained loss of population over the past 75 years. Combine our hemorrhaging of people with the fact that a high percentage of those who DO stay are living below the poverty line, and/or growing older ...