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, ...

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 ...