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Cutting through the red tape

Bureaucracy exists to serve itself, rather than the taxpaying public. Bureaucrats can wield licenses, permits, deadlines and other forms of red tape like precision weapons. Their zeal in doing so has bogged down our economic diversification and growth for far too long. But a plan presented by U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., and John Barrasso, R-Wyo., could speed things back up, at least for one sector. The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 is meant to eliminate some of the time and hoops that stall energy projects of all kinds. “The United States of America is blessed with ...

Transformer project giving us a chance

The Ohio Valley awoke Monday to news of more opportunity coming to the Weirton area, with the announcement by Cleveland-Cliffs of plans to bring a new electrical distribution transformer production facility to the community. Set to begin operations sometime in the first half of 2026, the facility has a goal of employing 600 workers, with an investment of $150 million – including $50 million from the state. This will be an opportunity for much – but not all – of the 900 USW employees who lost their jobs with the idling of Weirton’s tin mill earlier this year to potentially ...

Manchin’s concerns are spot on

For a brief moment on Sunday following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would not seek re-election in November, Sen. Joe Manchin considered switching parties back to Democrat to explore running for office. That changed a short while later as support coalesced around Vice President Kamala Harris, but don’t expect Manchin, I-W.Va., to sit on the sidelines and simply toe the line for any nominee the Democrats put forth. “I am not running for office,” Manchin said Monday on CBS, comments he reiterated several times through the day. What Manchin said he would like to ...

Make a visit to our state parks this summer

Summer is flying by and many families are thinking of ways to squeeze in a relatively inexpensive vacation before thoughts turn to the start of the school year. It’s a good thing we’re surrounded by incredible (and close) spots to visit right here in West Virginia. In all corners of the state, our parks offer a chance to experience not only our natural wonders, but great food, luxurious spas, outdoor adventures — even stargazing cabins, coming soon to Coopers Rock State Forest. Here in the Upper Ohio Valley, we can visit Tomlinson Run State Park, Coopers Rock is less than two ...

Helping neighbors during the hot temps

As temperatures have hovered in the 90s in recent weeks, heat is becoming as deadly as cold in some parts of the country, while keeping a home cool is becoming more expensive. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says 2024 is predicted to be an unusually hot summer for most of the country. West Virginia and portions of the Northeast are predicted to get the worst of it. Meanwhile, the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and the Center for Energy Poverty and Climate have put together a report that suggests the financial burden for families to keep cool this ...

Getting our jails, prisons in order

It seems as though plaintiffs in a lawsuit regarding the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation in West Virginia aimed for the wrong targets, according to a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Irene Berger. She granted motions to dismiss the class action lawsuit against Gov. Jim Justice and state Department of Homeland Security Cabinet Secretary Mark Sorsaia earlier this month. But importantly, Berger did not rule the accusation of poor conditions bordering on cruel and unusual punishment and complaints of alleged injuries were without merit. She ruled the plaintiffs did not ...