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Keep pressure on for broadband funds

Editorials

Despite a pause in March, progress has restarted with some of the broadband expansion projects on which 10 West Virginia counties had been waiting. Money from the American Rescue Plan Act will go to CityNet, Comcast, Digital Connections Inc., Spruce Knob Seneca Rocks Telephone and Micrologic — $34 million for Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Lewis, Jackson, Mason, Putnam, Preston, Pendleton and Grant counties. A big deal, right? But it is just the start of what was meant to be a much larger effort in West Virginia. West Virginia was awarded $1.2 billion through the Broadband Equity, ...

Some more state government potpourri

Local Columns

Last week, I wrote about the tendency of Gov. Patrick Morrisey to continue on as if he is still trying to win a GOP primary by taking certain actions and making certain statements aimed at keeping his base in his corner. But I still don’t know who the base is that he keeps playing to on this issue of religious exemptions to West Virginia’s school-age immunization program required by State Code. I just went back to Morrisey’s website for his campaign for governor and I can’t find anything showing me he campaigned specifically on this issue. While a bill to allow for religious ...

Great places for road trips

Editorials

A stretch of suffocatingly hot weather may have made it tempting to just stay indoors as much as possible, but a recent study reminds us West Virginia and surrounding states have a great deal to offer outside. The best part is, it just takes a switch from the air conditioning in your house to the air conditioning in your car to go enjoy it. WalletHub’s 2025’s Best and Worst States for Summer Road Trips placed the Buckeye State at an impressive third in the country. The idea for this particular group of researchers was to find road trips that were fun and budget-friendly, which is a ...

We blinked ... and more than half the year is gone

Local Columns

I cannot believe that on Friday, it will be the Fourth of July. How has more than half of the year already passed us by? Evidently, we blinked. You know, I may have to super glue my eyes open so that life slows down a little. How can it be that when you are young, the days, the weeks, the years drag on and on? Why does it seem like time moves so slowly? When you are young, it’s as if the hands on the clock stand still or are stuck in the same position, day in, day out. And then, when we are older, we can never get those same clock hands to slow down? Not for a ...

Celebrating our nation’s independence

Local Columns

By this time next week, many of our local communities will be wrapping up the celebration of the birth of our nation. The Independence Day holiday often involves parades, fireworks, street festivals, family picnics, or a variety of races. Wellsburg’s festivities already began, with a block party Friday night. The community will offer free concerts in Wellsburg’s Central Park several nights over the next week. Sunday is scheduled for a fishing tournament, with registration at the 12th Street boat ramp from 7 to 9 a.m., and a cornhole tournament at Central Park later in the ...

Guest column: Improving health outcomes for West Virginia’s veterans

Local Columns

Mesothelioma is a rare malignancy affecting people exposed to asbestos. Each year, across all cancer diagnoses, mesothelioma accounts for fewer than 3,000 cases. As a result, research interest in this condition is limited, with dire consequences for patients. Of all cases identified, veterans account for a substantial portion, as during the Cold War era, asbestos was extensively used by the U.S. Military throughout all its divisions. Among these, Navy veterans carry the highest burden of asbestos-related diseases, as they often worked in confined spaces below decks, where the ...