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Artificial intelligence is upending the job market, but this industry is hiring

Local Columns

Today’s college graduates face a startling reality. Many of the jobs they were hoping for are rapidly disappearing because of AI (artificial intelligence). As Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs” fame recently observed, “We’ve been telling kids for 15 years to learn to code. Well, AI is coming for the coders.” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg agrees. He predicts that most Meta code will be written by AI in the next 12-18 months. The great disruption is here. Many entry-level office jobs—from coders and analysts to researchers and writers—are being eaten by AI. The unemployment rate ...

Already falling behind in the brawl?

Editorials

Since the start of his term, Gov. Patrick Morrisey has promoted an “Economic Backyard Brawl” between West Virginia and its neighboring states. The mission, he said, is to make the Mountain State “the most attractive state to live, work, learn, play and run a business.” He likely didn’t expect one of those neighboring states to take the opening kickoff and run it back 90 yards for a touchdown. President Donald Trump recently visited Pittsburgh to announce more than $90 billion in new investments in energy and artificial intelligence in Pennsylvania. Nearly two dozen ...

Building a future for West Virginia

Local Columns

Hello, West Virginia, If we haven’t met, I would like to introduce myself. I am Michael T. Benson — you can call me “Mike” — president of West Virginia University. I officially started July 15 and I am amazed at how three decades of work in higher education across the United States have brought me, step by step, to the place I belong — the beautiful state of West Virginia in a position to lead its flagship, land-grant institution into a new era. My wife, Debi, is especially looking forward to experiencing the four seasons the Mountain State offers after our time under the ...

Stay informed of your government’s actions

Local Columns

All too often, people take an interest in the dealings of their local governments only when they feel it affects them directly. A handful of residents have been consistently attending Weirton Council meetings this year, speaking about the water issue. In the last month, between 20 and 25 residents took part in meetings held by the Weirton Zoning Board of Appeals over a proposed timbering project located on the hillside between Marland Heights and Freedom Way. The Hancock County Commission meetings were packed a few months back when it was announced there would be budgetary cuts to ...

Getting ready for the school year

Editorials

Ohio and West Virginia are preparing to welcome back-to-school shoppers with sales tax holidays. And while residents of both states have become accustomed to that yearly break as they prepare to send their children back to the classrooms, Ohioans will see one big change: This year’s tax holiday has been expanded, and will run from midnight Aug. 1 through 11:59 p.m. Aug. 14. That’s two weeks for families to take advantage of tax-free purchases — made in-person or online — of eligible items up to $500. West Virginians, meanwhile, will get their sales tax holiday from midnight ...

Keep the lines of dialogue open

Editorials

Bethany’s new mayor, Thom Furbee, is hitting the ground running only a few weeks into his new position. While no stranger to local politics, having previously served as a member of the town’s council for 10 years and holding a prior appointment to the sanitation commission, Furbee has noted he doesn’t have all of the answers and is looking to the community he serves for suggestions. This week, he hosted a town hall meeting at Bethany Memorial Church, inviting town residents to sit down and talk about their concerns, ask questions, and offer suggestions for possible projects the ...