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Take precautions from sun dangers

The summer season means many of us are spending more time in the sun. Before you head out, though, we ask that you take a few moments to pause and think about the toll all of those ultraviolet rays can do to your skin and your health. It’s especially important this time of year. The Skin Cancer Foundation reminds us that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. More than 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer each day — and more than two people will die of the disease each hour. Around 20 percent of Americans will develop skin cancer by the time ...

How many hoops must we jump through?

What happened in Texas on July 4 was unfathomable. Flash flooding and its aftermath took the lives of —at this writing — approximately 120 people. Families and communities are devastated. Help from all corners is still desperately needed. And it is coming, even from the federal government, which rightly wasted NO time in quickly delivering a robust response. President Donald Trump approved Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s request for a major disaster declaration only one day after it was submitted. That activated Federal Emergency Management Agency resources and help for survivors and ...

Honoring those who make the ultimate sacrifice

Our Ohio Valley has a tradition of honoring its sons and daughters who have stepped up to serve the nation through military service. Through various active veterans organizations, to numerous monuments and memorials, to community services and more, our residents always strive to honor that service and show our appreciation. Approximately 10 years ago, that effort took another step when a handful of residents in Weirton launched a veterans banner program as a way to visually display our civic pride for those who have served. In the years since, Weirton’s banner program has grown to ...

Buckle up!

Seat belts. For the vast majority of us, putting on a seat belt when entering the car is second nature. But for some, apparently, the act remains optional — and that’s leading to fatal results. In West Virginia, the latest figures for seat belt use come from the end of 2024, where a 91.98 percent usage rate was recorded by the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program. That means 8 percent of West Virginians — that’s more than 100,000 people — don’t wear seat belts on a regular basis. It’s worse in Ohio, where the statewide seatbelt usage rate of 85.2 percent ...

Keeping the tradition alive

While the once-great facilities of Weirton Steel, and their successors, appear to be no more, that doesn’t take away from the history and traditions for which they stood. That includes an annual picnic where long-time steelworkers gather to reconnect and relive their experiences as they contributed to the building of America and the rest of the world. The Weirton Steel 25 Year Club has existed for more than 75 years, and, for much of that history, has organized a picnic for employees and retirees with at least 25 years in the local steel mill. It is a summer tradition which has ...

Get our judicial priorities in order

In an era when too many in state and federal government seem more bent on protecting themselves than those they are meant to serve, it is encouraging to hear from someone as esteemed as former Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Margaret Workman, who understands the damage done after two circuit court judges were admonished for speaking out regarding child abuse and foster care problems in the state. “The recent disciplinary actions against Circuit Court Judges Maryclaire Akers and Tim Sweeney for their public criticism of the failures of child abuse and neglect ...