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Enjoy the holiday fireworks safely

The Fourth of July is a time traditionally shared with family picnics and get-togethers. Many of those celebrations will be accompanied by a few bangs, booms and splashes of color and sparks. And, while we hope everyone will have a good time, we ask, once again, that you leave the fireworks to the professionals. Summer, especially the weeks that surround the Independence Day holiday, offers the promise of relaxing, care-free enjoyment, but this time of year can be dangerous. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were an estimated 14,700 fireworks-related ...

Ruby a diamond for West Virginia

During this week’s legislative interim meetings, lawmakers got a glimpse at the drive — and success — of Chelsea Ruby, who was reappointed as cabinet secretary for the Department of Tourism by Gov. Patrick Morrisey after having already served in that capacity for eight years under Gov. Jim Justice. During those years, Ruby has guided the department through changes in the tourism industry and state government’s approach to it as a priority. “I will say that the mission of the Department of Tourism has changed over the years,” Ruby said. “You’ve seen over the last eight ...

Some help saving our skin

As we’ve all been surviving under the rays of the hot summer sun in recent days, one organization has been working to offer some extra protection for area residents who are spending their days outdoors. The Hancock County Family Support Center, a division of the Brooke Hancock Family Resource Network, has installed portable sunscreen stations at five area parks. Throughout much of the year, visitors to Chester City Park, Clarke Field in Newell, New Cumberland City Park, as well as Marland Heights Park and Starvaggi Memorial Park in Weirton, will be able to find the yellow, ...

Take proper steps to beat the heat

Along with the arrival of astronomical summer — which happened at 10:42 p.m. Friday — has come a brutal heat wave, a stretch of extreme weather that means we all should be aware of the potential for severe health risks. According to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, the Tri-State Area will be under a heat advisory or an extreme heat warning through Wednesday. While the air temperature is expected to reach into the 90s, the heat index likely will be climbing into the 100s. That extreme heat and high humidity can lead to serious health issues. More people in this ...

Don’t make our health worse

Gov. Patrick Morrisey appears determined to turn around West Virginia’s hideous statistics when it comes to our health. Whether it be food dyes, the Mountaineer Mile or improvements in the ways SNAP recipients can access fresh produce, there have been plenty of announcements to indicate a desire to improve our health and health outcomes. But according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, the Mountain State is still ranked a pitiful 47th in the country for overall health system performance. That assessment comes before the effects of any possible changes to Medicaid that might make ...

Utilities are getting the math wrong

It’s always jarring when those representing corporations on which so many of us depend display their total disconnect from the real world most of us must navigate. Those of us who have to budget for utility payments — whether it be for a household or an industrial facility — could only laugh at Appalachian Power President and CEO Aaron Walker’s assessment of a 72% increase in residential customers’ rates since 2018. “I don’t think I’d say substantial. I don’t know what you mean by substantial,” he said during a West Virginia Public Service Commission hearing this ...