Working our way from the back

January 15, 2026

As West Virginia lawmakers kick off this year’s legislative session with talk of kitchen table issues and “Jobs First — Opportunity Everywhere,” a recent report by WalletHub suggests they will have to do a lot of work to turn that focus into success. If the aim is to turn the Mountain State into the kind of place where people want to stay to raise their families, they’ll be working from (as usual) nearly the back of the pack. In WalletHub’s “Best and Worst States to Raise a Family 2026,” West Virginia ranked nearly last. Only New Mexico prevented it from being the ...

Questions continue with Hancock Schools

January 14, 2026

The next couple of weeks could very well determine much of the future for Hancock County Schools. A meeting held Tuesday between local officials and the West Virginia Department of Education included discussion as to whether the district will receive an advancement of funds to meet payroll; an issue Superintendent Dan Enich said was the result of a late drawdown of $475,000. On Jan. 26, the school board – and anyone else attending the board’s regular meeting – are scheduled to hear from Jeff Davis (not the former Hancock County commissioner) of Educational Consultants LLC, who ...

Protect yourself this tax season

January 13, 2026

As “political season” ramps up, election filings begin, tax preparation is underway, and any number of 2026 tasks come to mind at the start of the year, state officials are warning residents to beware of phishing campaigns and other cyber crimes in which deceptive website addresses and other techniques lead people to believe they are dealing with a state agency when they are not. Generally, the goal is to gain login credentials or other personal information — maybe even money. Criminals do so by creating web addresses that LOOK as though they came from state agencies, or send ...

Xylazine a danger in the Ohio Valley

January 12, 2026

It is breathtaking to watch the manner in which the substance abuse epidemic in our region continues to evolve. Just last month, officials in Gallia County, Ohio, warned a growing danger has reared its head — Xylazine. The powerful veterinary sedative, which is, of course, not intended for human use at all, has been found in the region; sometimes mixed with fentanyl and other opioids. This is a drug meant for large animals such as horses. There is no safe dosage of “tranq” for humans. In fact, overdosing is all too easy. The Gallia County Health Department says symptoms of an ...

A close look needed in tax disucssion

January 10, 2026

Gov. Patrick Morrisey is right to note West Virginians are “feeling the impact of inflation,” as he pointed out Monday. “People know that groceries cost more. Gas has (cost) more. Utilities have (cost) more,” he said. It is easy, then, to understand why he wants to find a way to do something about that by speeding up the state’s path to already approved cuts, and is proposing reducing the state’s personal income tax rates by between 5% and 10%. It’s exciting talk, but once lawmakers dig into the idea, they will likely have to pump the brakes. Revenue from the personal ...

A cautionary tale on artificial intelligence

January 9, 2026

It may not be Ultron or Skynet as some initially worried, but the latest wave of artificial intelligence technology has not turned out to be a perfect tool, either. In fact, a case out of Wood County Circuit Court reminds us there are big reasons NOT to rely on the technology. A petition seeking an injunction was denied by Circuit Judge J.D. Beane in part because the filing contained inaccurate citations generated by AI. He believed that because it was “riddled” with errors, it was unlikely to succeed. “The Court is left with the conclusion that this complaint was drafted, ...