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Stay focused while behind the wheel

Plenty of us are guilty of hearing the alert from our phones and finding it difficult to resist the temptation to glance down, maybe even tap out a quick response. But during National Distracted Driving Month in April, law enforcement agencies are reminding us that it’s not just against the law, it could be deadly. Distracted driving can be anything from use of a cell phone to trying to feed a toddler in the back seat. It is anything that keeps a driver’s attention away from the road. According to the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, in 2022 there were 1,860 ...

Time to honor Weirton’s dedicated residents

When one looks at the names of those who have enshrined in the Weirton Hall of Fame since its founding in 2008, they get the sense of the history and dedication behind the community we have today. From the city’s namesake, E.T. Weir, to the city’s first mayor, Thomas Millsop, to longtime community volunteers like Nick Tranto, Deb Witkowski, Dr. J.K. Luthra, and Jim Pauchnik, to businesspeople such as Vanessa Beaver, George Kondik, educators like Tracy Ohalek and Louis Kuntupis, and many more, each has left a lasting impression on the city, whether through their efforts to build ...

Tackling Weirton’s BAD buildings

Many of our communities have an ongoing battle with abandoned and dilapidated properties. Houses and businesses left to decay, with no care, become a nuisance, creating health concerns, attracting rodents and other animals, and, often, becoming an issue of safety as they fall apart or become home for drug use or other activities. Those communities who are able, set aside funding each year, but as expenses increase, those dollars can only be stretched so far, and, as a result, fewer properties can be addressed. The City of Weirton, in its own efforts to address these concerns is ...

Possibilities are endless for our youth

We have well and truly entered spring, and with it will come thoughts of proms, graduations, summer jobs and post-secondary choices for high school seniors. It’s also time to brace for the inevitable “So, what are you going to study?” from friends and relatives curious about what comes next. It’s an overwhelming question, even for students who have a very good idea of what they want to do when they finish their education. For those who haven’t yet decided, it’s important to follow your interests and go into a field that makes you feel productive and content; but it’s ...

Keep state government out of the way

State Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, didn’t mince words Monday when his colleagues voted to try to wrest more control of local decision-making from municipalities across the state. “This is dumb,” he said. “ … Where is this a problem that we have to address? I haven’t heard of any.” That’s because there are none. But some lawmakers are so bothered that cities operating under the Municipal Home Rule Program are not entirely under state government’s thumb that they voted in favor of Senate Bill 579. The bill would amend state code to make all municipal non-discrimination ...

Overcome challenges by working together

“If that’s the only way I had to do it, how would I do it?” Veronica Taylor asked while speaking to an Associated Press reporter in Welch, W.Va., about requirements set to go into effect March 31 for interacting with the Social Security system. At the end of this month, recipients will no longer be able to verify their identity to the Social Security Administration over the phone. Those who are unable to verify using the “My Social Security” online service will be required to visit an agency field office. But in pockets of the country — rural Appalachia, for example — ...