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Follow rules for outdoor burning

With resources tighter all around, local and state firefighting agencies already have their hands full. That is why it is essential West Virginia residents follow the burning restrictions of the spring fire season, which kicked off March 1. Due to the conditions at this time of year, outdoor burning must be confined to 5 p.m. to 7 a.m., with fires set during that time put out before 7 a.m. Other rules include ensuring all fires have a 10-feet wide safety strip cleared of burnable materials. All fires must be attended until fully extinguished. Only leaves, brush and yard clippings ...

Pack’s term limit proposal a good start

One of the more intriguing ideas to come out of Charleston this legislative session involves proposed term limits for some elected officials. What’s interesting is the idea did not come from the governor or a sitting member of the Legislature but instead from first-term state Treasurer Larry Pack, who is planning legislation that would limit those elected to the Board of Public Works — treasurer, auditor, secretary of state, agricultural commissioner and attorney general — to only three terms in office, or 12 years. That’s an excellent idea — and one that should have been ...

Making sure we get our money back

West Virginia’s state treasurers have a pretty good track record lately of working to ensure residents’ money does not stay locked in the coffers of state government. The Unclaimed Property Division has returned many millions of dollars to those who were unaware the state had their money. State Treasurer Larry Pack has continued that tradition, and announced that in February alone more than $5 million was returned to individuals, businesses and other organizations. It was the fourth-highest monthly figure in the program’s history. “My Office is thrilled to continue returning ...

Prepare for pothole season

They appear before the flowers bloom. They are fed by road salt in the winter and begin to appear after the short warm spells that tease the arrival of spring. They are potholes, that annual curse on motorists and municipalities. The onset of potholes is something that is not to be taken lightly. They happen every year, and every year they become an increasing problem as motorists play dodge-the-hole in an effort to prevent damage to their vehicles. It can be a dangerous situation as drivers try to avoid potholes, sometimes swerving into the paths of oncoming vehicles or ...

Stay safe with the time change

Daylight saving time returns at 2 a.m. Sunday, when we move our clocks ahead one hour. While that means we will have an extra hour of sunshine to enjoy outdoor activities, it also represents a good time to check the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. The National Fire Protection Association and the National Safety Council report that in 2023, fire departments across the United States responded to 332,000 home fires. Those blazes resulted in 2,890 deaths and 10,190 injuries, the numbers show. Property damage from those fires totaled $11 billion. Overall, there were ...

Most of us think of the American Red Cross for one of two reasons: Blood donations and disaster response. But as the organization points out, its founder Clara Barton was a nursing pioneer who cared deeply about humans and their health care. Here in Appalachia, one of the larger health care concerns is diabetes — and access to affordable, quality health care. But in March, the Red Cross is “helping to bridge access to health care for blood donors by providing free A1C testing, commonly used to screen for diabetes and prediabetes, on all successful blood, platelet and plasma ...