Consider running for elected office

January 8, 2026

If you’re a West Virginia resident not satisfied with the status quo of the Mountain State — or if you are satisfied and would love to see what you consider positive momentum to continue — there’s a way for you to directly influence that. From Jan. 12 through midnight Jan. 31, West Virginia residents can file to run for elected office. Seats in government both large and small are up for grabs this year, and now is the time to throw your hat in the ring. Among the seats up for grabs this year are those in the United States Senate and House of Representatives, West Virginia ...

West Virginia still has a long way to go

January 7, 2026

Initiatives such as the Mountaineer Mile walking program or efforts against certain food dyes and sugary sodas may have West Virginians thinking more about their health habits these days, but a report last month from the West Virginia Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Task Force suggests we’ve got a long way to go to tackle our unusually high tobacco product usage rates. Tobacco and nicotine product use here is among the highest in the country, with MORE West Virginians (10.1%) reporting use in 2023 than in 2022 (9.3%). “While the use of traditional tobacco products in the ...

Don’t forget your flu shots

January 6, 2026

A new variant of the flu virus has been affecting people all over the world, and serving as a reminder to get your flu shot. According to an Associated Press report, that variant is known as “subclade K” and led to early outbreaks in the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada. In the United State, while flu season typically begins in December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported high or very high levels of illness in more than half the states. The CDC estimated there have been at least 7.5 million illnesses, 81,000 hospitalizations and 3,100 deaths from flu ...

Celebrating a much-needed service

January 5, 2026

It’s not often that a group is able to demonstrate exactly what kind of an impact it has had on a community. That’s not the case for A Child’s Place CASA, which recently observed its 25 years in operation. A Child’s Place is one of 939 Court-Appointed Special Advocates programs in the United States, and since it was established in February 2000 it’s contributions to Hancock and Brooke counties have been tremendous. CASA programs train volunteers to act as advocates for youth involved in abuse and neglect cases, and during the last 25 years, A Child’s Place has trained 106 ...

Give the gift of blood in the new year

January 3, 2026

If your New Year’s resolutions included finding small ways to do good more frequently, the American Red Cross has some ideas for you. You — yes, you — are needed, right now. A glance at the organization’s website reveals an alert that there is an “EMERGENCY NEED for type O blood” because winter weather has caused a decline in donations. There’s even a pitch that if you donate by Jan. 4, you will receive a Red Cross long-sleeved t-shirt; and if you give blood before Jan. 31, you can earn points to be used toward rewards. Local opportunities to give blood, according to ...

Putting the fight against opioids first

January 2, 2026

If money is what it will take to resolve the damage done by the substance abuse epidemic in the Mountain State, we are sitting on an enormous opportunity through funds distributed by the West Virginia First Foundation. Just this month nearly $18 million in Momentum Initiative Grants was awarded to tackle the problem. In this round, there are 76 projects — some statewide, some regional — that will focus on foster care and non-parental caregiver initiatives, youth prevention, recovery housing, behavioral health and workforce development, and reentry and diversion programs. The ...