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Some odds and ends to close out August

Local Columns

It was a surprise to a lot of people Wednesday when crews showed up to begin paving Penco Road. It’s a project long in need, and there was word it was supposed to be done sometime in August, but no start date had been announced by the West Virginia Division of Highways. From talking to a few people this week, not even Weirton city officials were aware until some of them drove by the area and saw the work being done. We didn’t receive any notification until just before 1:30 p.m. Wednesday – seven hours after the WVDOH said the project was supposed to begin. Thankfully, the ...

Remember those who truly built this nation

Editorials

Labor Day is traditionally the end of the summer vacation season. Children are back in school for the long haul now. Football has resumed. The daylight hours are noticeably shorter. Thus, most take the day as a good day off for one last picnic, one last swim, one last day out in the backyard with the family while summer’s warmth is still in the air. But it is more. Labor leader Samuel Gompers sums up what will be celebrated Monday: “All other holidays are in a more-or-less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man’s prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed ...

Morrisey goes too far by ignoring the law

Editorials

“The President cannot decide major economic and political questions, or significantly alter the balance of power between the states and federal government, without clear authorization from Congress.” Those are the words of then-West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey back in 2021, when he was rightly continuing his fight against the illegal federal efforts and executive overreach of the Clean Power Plan. He was able to make his point because he understood then, “Thankfully, our Constitution stands in the way of (then-President Joe) Biden unilaterally pushing the country ...

Armstead was an example to W.Va.

Editorials

“He set an example of honesty, integrity, faith and service that was second to none. He was an example of leadership with grace, a man who had a deep faith in God, and loved his family with all of his heart.” Those words from State Senate President Randy E. Smith, R-Preston, must be close to what leapt to many West Virginians’ minds when they learned of the passing of State Supreme Court of Appeals Justice Tim Armstead Tuesday. Armstead was a state legislator for 20 years — minority leader from 2007 to 2014 and then Speaker of the House for four years as he very capably led ...

Be careful around school buses

Editorials

School is already in session for many students in Ohio and West Virginia. With the beginning of the school year comes the return of school buses and students riding them. Get back in the mindset of giving yourself plenty of time to get to your destination during pick-up and drop-off hours. School buses may be a little slower and make frequent stops, but the drivers are not out to get you, personally. Their job is to make sure kids get to and from school safely. And they can do that because (most) drivers follow a few rules. Never pass a bus while the stop arm is extended and the red ...

West Virginia is moving to offense in the ‘Backyard Brawl’

Local Columns

For too long, West Virginia has sat at the bottom of health, education, and economic rankings. Policymakers have spent decades trying to solve these problems, but frustratingly little progress has occurred. Action, not platitudes, is needed for true growth. If we want to truly move the needle, we must stop treating the symptoms and instead focus on the real disease: for too long, our state simply didn’t do enough to create an attractive enough investment and regulatory climate. That’s why I signed an Executive Order establishing an economic Backyard Brawl on my first day in ...