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With the beginning of every year comes a sense of hope and the feeling that the future ahead of us is at least a little brighter than the past that is behind us.
That's the case as we bid 2022 farewell and welcomes in 2023.
We see that there are plenty of positive things on the horizon. Just last week, for instance we learned that Form Energy, a Massachusetts-based company, will be building a manufacturing facility that will produce specialty batteries on former Weirton Steel property in Weirton. The expectation is that the plant will bring in more than 700 jobs and serve as a catalyst for other manufacturers to open facilities on that property.
That word came not too long after it was revealed that Pure Watercraft was planning to build a manufacturing facility for its electric boats in Beech Bottom.
Those announcements were good news for our region and show why there are expectations for continued growth along both sides of the Ohio River. In addition to the old Weirton Steel property, there are plans in place for further development along Three Springs Drive in Weirton and at the Jefferson County Industrial Park and the Geary A. Bates Jefferson County Airpark.
Work will continue on the Christ the Teacher Academic Building on the campus of the Franciscan University of Steubenville. When completed, the $50 million, 110,000-square-foot building will be the largest on campus, and will transform the look of the school.
Also under construction is the St. Paul Center for Biblical Study, a 25,000-square-foot building located just above Franciscan Square along University Boulevard. When finished, the building will allow the center to have a permanent home, according to Scott Hahn, one of the center's founders.
Steubenville City Schools expects to open its new baseball and softball complex that sits above Hollywood Plaza, and will continue to work toward building its new STEM complex which will create a campus that will extend for nearly two blocks along Fourth Street.
The first vehicles will be able to cross the new Ohio River bridge linking Brilliant and Wellsburg this year. It will provide an additional river crossing between Steubenville and Wheeling, and officials are predicting it will lead to increased economic activity in southern Jefferson County on the Ohio side and southern Brooke County on the West Virginia side.
Helping to drive that growth will be the Jefferson County Port Authority and the Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle.
Government will have a new look on many levels. Ohio will have a new U.S. senator -- J.D. Vance, a Republican, who will replace retiring Republican Rob Portman. While U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, handily won re-election to represent Ohio's 6th Congressional District, residents of the northern portion of West Virginia now will be represented by U.S. Rep. Bill Mooney, R-Charles Town.
And, while residents in Ohio re-elected state Rep. Ron Ferguson, R-Wintersville, and residents in West Virginia re-elected state Delegates Pat McGeehan, R-Chester, and Mark Zatezalo, R-Weirton, newcomer Jimmy Willis, R-Bethany, will be representing the 3rd District in the House of Delegates. And, Laura Wakim-Chapman, a Republican, will be the new representative in West Virginia's 1st Senate District.
Brooke County will have a new commissioner after Tom Diserio defeated longtime incumbent Tim Ennis in November.
Members of Steubenville City Council will be looking to replace Eric Timmons in the 3rd Ward, after Timmons, a Republican, was elected to a seat on the Jefferson County commissioners, replacing longtime commissioner Democrat Thomas Graham.
We will be the first the tell you that our crystal ball has been, well, a little dysfunctional in the past, which means we will not be making any firm predictions about what you can expect. That said, we can safely say there will be twists and turns along the way that residents of the Tri-State Area will be talking about for years to come.
Everything points to 2023 as being an interesting year.
We hope it's a good one for all of us.