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Appreciate our teachers

While the landscape of our education systems has gone through many changes in recent years – from increased state support for private schools and charter schools, to ongoing efforts at the federal level to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education – there is one thing that remains true; our teachers deserve appreciation and respect. Educators play an important role in our society, providing guidance and advice, often not just in the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, but also in possible pathways for youth to accomplish their goals. Tuesday was recognized as National ...

The Ohio Valley comes together

One week ago, our region experienced what meteorologists classified as a derecho – a large-scale storm producing straight-line winds – which left thousands of area residents without power, many for multiple days. First, we wish to take this opportunity to offer thanks to the employees of FirstEnergy/MonPower and AEP, as well as all of the outside crews brought into our area to assist in restoring electricity and other services for our residents and businesses. The fact few areas were spared from damage, and it took several days to address every need, shows just how widespread the ...

Understanding data vital to the effort

Members of the West Virginia First Foundation are not taking a “mission accomplished, time to call it a day” approach to recent data that shows a continued decrease in drug overdose deaths in the Mountain State. Instead, they are working to understand the data and build on each victory. Foundation Executive Director Jonathan Board spoke on WAJR about the launch of a New Horizons Committee that will explore strategies for implementing the best methods, research and innovations in substance abuse treatment, according to a report by WV MetroNews. “We want to bolster those efforts, ...

State in need of honest priorities

“We know West Virginia has some real challenges,” Gov. Patrick Morrisey said last month, on his 100th day in office. And, as he said, he HAS been busy during those early days of his term. Unfortunately, we learned during this year’s legislative regular session, the sense of urgency in addressing the state’s genuine challenges was sorely lacking for too many elected officials. Morrisey was correct to note our struggles in education, economic development, health and health care, infrastructure, population loss and so much more. He would have been right to add that very little ...

Limiting access to help our youth

Though a step behind some of our neighboring states, lawmakers and Gov. Patrick Morrisey did an important thing with House Bill 2003 this year. It bans the use of cell phones and other personal electronic devices in K-12 classrooms during instructional time, and requires county boards of education to implement policies for storage of those devices during the school day and establish consequences for breaking the rules. “I think this is going to make a significant difference for teachers and students,” Morrisey said Tuesday. “We know that the use of personal electronic devices in ...

The Red Cross is ready to help

Our region is no stranger to natural disasters and other emergencies. And, as federal officials tell states more frequently that they are on their own after flooding and catastrophic storms, the assistance we can expect is changing. But while states such as West Virginia, Arkansas and Washington are figuring out how they will fend for themselves, residents know one thing is not changing. The Red Cross will be there to help. The American Red Cross depends on people helping people — mostly volunteers willing to do the work, lend a hand, and be there when someone else is in need. And ...