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Common sense and decency needed in debate

West Virginia’s Prosecuting Attorneys Association injected a little common sense and decency into a conversation that reached intrusive absurdity after Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Tom Truman earlier this month made the chilling claim that women could face potential criminal charges if they do not inform law enforcement of miscarriages. “Call your doctor. Call law enforcement, or 911, and just say, ‘I miscarried. I want you to know,’” Truman said to WVNS-TV in a June 2 interview. Ludicrous, isn’t it? To be sure Truman’s claim didn’t do any more damage than it ...

Invest your time to help others

Area residents will have an opportunity to perform a simple and selfless act Wednesday. That’s when this year’s Jefferson County Media Day Blood Drive is scheduled to be held at the St. Florian Event Center in Wintersville. The doors will be open from noon to 5:30 p.m., and we hope that everyone who is eligible will participate in the annual event. Late spring and early summer often bring a need for blood that sometimes isn’t met. Regular donors might be on vacation or involved with other activities that keep them away from donation centers. That said, the need for blood does ...

The important parts of fatherhood

Fathers don’t always receive the attention they deserve, often because many fathers garner attention that isn’t so good. Tales of single fathers and stay-at-home dads are not as common as tales of fathers gone wrong, fathers who succumb to the terrible pressures of supporting a family in a tight economy or fathers who simply never even tried to meet those pressures in the first place. But all fathers don’t simply act as a genetic donor who then goes away or goes wrong. The fathers who stick around, who work at the job of caring for and supporting children while trying to ...

Remember what our flag represents

It proudly flies in front of schools. It is raised in front of public and private buildings. It is displayed from the porches and in the front yards of countless homes around the nation. It stands near the podium when speeches are delivered. It is raised each day at outposts in the far reaches of the world. It stands tall and is recognized before the start of sporting events. It stirs patriotism as it is marched past us at the front of parades. It draws salutes from battle-tested men and women who remember what sacrifices must be made to defend it. It covers the caskets ...

Stay vigilant against fraud, abuse

Mirroring the landscape of the state itself, monthly tax collection figures can be a matter of ups and downs in West Virginia. The trick is for state officials not to go overboard when there are ups and not to be surprised when there are downs. Last month, we got an “April surprise” in the form of tax collections 26.8% above estimates. May’s numbers, however, came in shy of projections — $154,000 below what revenue officials had expected. (While some segments continued to be up, May personal income tax collections were 6.5% below the estimate for the month). An overall ...

Martin memories take center stage

Visitors from around the Tri-State Area, the nation and the world are gathering in Steubenville this week to celebrate the memory of Dean Martin. His name still carries that touch of magic, and will forever be associated with the cocktail-cool era. And, while the world remembers him as one of the greatest performers of all time, residents of our area still sometimes think of him as Dino Crocetti, the guy who was born in Steubenville on June 7, 1917. Martin, and his pals in the Rat Pack — Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford — helped set the tone for ...