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Celebrate homecoming safely

Editorials

Homecoming celebrations for area high schools have begun. The festivities give students the opportunity to get out and enjoy themselves during this time of year, joining friends, family and alumni as they cheer on their team hopefully to victory, getting dressed up and dancing the night away. But they also should remember to do all of these things as safely as possible. There is certain to be lots of fanfare surrounding all of these events, but precautions must be taken. As during any time when students are out on their own, they must make certain to be careful if they are driving. ...

Here’s to your healthcare, West Virginia

Local Columns

Last week marked the first legislative interim meetings since the end of June, with lawmakers getting a two-month summer break. Well, some lawmakers. Much of Republican legislative leadership spent their summer in planning meetings for a possible special session that did not happen. At one point, there was a hard date set for a special session in July. But then that was moved back to September coinciding with last week’s interims. It should be obvious that a special session – which was to be focused on the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) – did not occur. While ...

History in the Hills: Happy birthday, baron

Local Columns

As a historian, I enjoy commemorating the past. Events such as anniversaries, birthdays, dates of battles and the like, always have grabbed my attention and have been of particular interest to me. These events give us a good excuse to bring to mind our past. I am sure if one tried hard enough, every day could be a day that has some special historical significance. The very first commemoration one celebrates, is none other than a birthday. This month, we celebrate a very important birthday of an American hero and the namesake of the city of Steubenville, Friedrich Wilhelm August ...

School attendance matters — much more than you may think

Local Columns

There is no “secret sauce” when it comes to performing well in school, but a good place to start is the data that tells us students who show up tend to do better. An increased focus on school attendance in West Virginia would likely have positive results, as we work toward the further development of economic diversity in the state. We have many contributing factors to low educational performance, but we need a solid starting point. With the new school year here, a focus on attendance could be the momentum we need to address those other issues. Attendance is a particularly ...

Wrapping up one season, beginning another

Local Columns

This weekend, for all intents and purposes, served as the end of the summer season – at least when it comes to local events. Friday saw the final installment of the City of Weirton’s inaugural summer event series, with a performance by Let’s Groove Tonight, an Earth, Wind, and Fire tribute group. The concert had been scheduled for earlier in the summer season, but was postponed out of concern for potential weather that never really arrived in the area. Saturday (today for some of you reading this) brought us the final Second Saturday event of the year, organized by the Top of ...

A reminder of what you don’t hear enough of

Local Columns

This week, I would like to tell you something you do not hear enough of. Something that perhaps no one ever bothered to ever tell you. Or, something some of you may already know. Today, I want to tell you … the world is a good place. Yes, you can go back and reread that sentence again, if you’d like. The world is a good place. You see, we always talk about, think about and hear about the negatives. And there are a lot of negatives. But, for the most part, the world is a good place. Think about what is our source in discovering what is going on in this world? For the ...