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 say farewell to 2024 and welcome 2025.

We see that there are plenty of positive things on the horizon. Construction work continues at the site of Form Energy — the Massachusetts-based company is looking forward to opening a manufacturing facility that will produce specialty batteries on former Weirton Steel property in Weirton.

Full production is scheduled to start later this year at the plant, which is expected to employ more than 700 workers. Plus, officials already are looking at expansion on the site, and plans are in place to reconfigure the roads in that area to make the property more attractive.

Expansion work also is planned at the Jefferson County Industrial Park, and growth is expected to continue at the Jefferson County Airpark.

All of that s good news from our region and communities on both sides of the Ohio River.

Infrastructure improvements will continue, with work on the Steubenville’s modernized water system expected to be completed by the end of 2025. The city also has more than $4 million in paving projects planned in the coming year, the biggest of which will involve the portion of Sunset Boulevard that runs from about Linduff Avenue to the West End.

Other major projects are planned in community’s throughout the region.

Franciscan Square in Steubenville and the Three Springs Drive area in Weirton should continue to experience growth, as local retail and commercial businesses look to move into the area or expand their operations.

A great deal of the development on both sides of the river will be the result of the work done by the Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle and the Jefferson County Port Authority.

Local officials on both sides of the Ohio River are hopeful that the push will continue to build a replacement for the Market Street Bridge. It’s a much-needed project — and money already has been allocated to get the preliminary work started. That needs to happen — the reality is the Market Street Bridge, which has served the area well for more than 120 years, has carried its last traffic, having been closed since Dec. 21, 2023, after failing an inspection.

Several of the elected officials who helped obtain the preliminary money during this past year were replaced during the November election.

Those who now hold those seats must continue to understand the importance of the river crossing to local, state and interstate commerce and continue to work to see the new bridge built.

The Jefferson County commissioners will have a different look — Ron “Jake” Kleineke will be joining the board, replacing Dave Maple, who did not seek re-election to a post he held for 20 years.

City government in Weirton will have a fresh look as well, with Dean Harris returning as mayor after a break of more than 20 years. And, the Hancock County commissioners will see a new member in Tommy Ogden, who will be replacing Jeff Davis, who did not seek re-election.

We will be the first to 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 during the next 365 days. 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 2025 as being an interesting year.

We hope it’s a good one for all of us.