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Be aware, make the appointment

Pink is a prevalent color around our communities this time of year — it serves as a reminder that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. One in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer in her lifetime, according to medical experts, and the most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender — being a woman — and growing older. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in women, behind only lung cancer. Breast cancer remains a killer of women, but, as always, early detection and treatment remain the best ...

Follansbee showing the holiday spirit

Follansbee’s Christmas in the Park event always has stood for a couple of things. The festival, which was started in 2003, has offered a reminder that the Christmas season is a little more than two months away. It also has helped to raise money for local children with special medical needs and the Follansbee R.E.A.C.H. Program food pantry. Those who attend the festival, set to run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, will know that proceeds will go in the traditional directions. But they also will be able to support others in another way — money ...

Some lawmakers are holding us back

Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates did the right thing Monday by passing a child and dependent care credit against the personal income tax. Though some believe we should be doing even more on the child care front, getting the ball rolling was essential. All but five House lawmakers understood that. It should have been a no-brainer. “We’re mirroring the image of the federal program … to help parents be able to do child care along the same lines of the federal guidelines,” said House Finance Committee Chairman Vernon Criss, R-Wood. But knowing how hard it is ...

Make smoke alarms work for you

This week serves as an annual reminder of the dangers of fires in our homes, and also what we can each do to help prevent them from happening. While Fire Prevention Week often has activities aimed at our youth, with visits from firefighters to local schools providing educational materials and activities, it is a time we all should keep in mind, no matter our age, as those lessons have the potential to save lives. This year’s theme is “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!” According to the National Fire Protection Association, working smoke alarms reduce the risk of dying in ...

Poll workers are important

No matter your political leanings, everyone can agree the Nov. 5 general election is an unusually important one for our communities, states and country. There are calls from all sides to ensure this is a fair, legal, accurate election in which there is no room for doubt when the results are tallied. But who makes that happen? Poll workers and state/local elections officials. Theirs is an enormously important job. But, in the Mountain State anyway, there are not enough poll workers. Last week, West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner issued a plea. Poll worker recruitment efforts ...

Nursing program showing success

One of the reasons for West Virginia’s challenges in ensuring everyone has access to affordable, quality health care has been the shortage in health care workers. Nurses are in incredibly short supply. But two years ago, the Nursing Workforce Expansion Program was launched. Now, officials are celebrating its early successes. Between 2022 and 2023 there was a nearly 15% increase in the number of registered nurses graduating with associate degrees. The 676 graduates from that year represent a record number of nursing graduates in the Mountain State. Funded projects for the program ...