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Getting the system right

While politicians and some homeschool advocates continue to ask for West Virginia’s laws (and enforcement) regarding homeschooling to remain unchanged, the West Virginia Department of Education has produced data that should change their minds. According to a report by WCHS, the data show only one-third of Mountain State homeschool families turn in the required assessments As WCHS points out, state law gives county school districts the authority to take nonreporting families to court. But it does not require them to do so. After the death of Kyneddi Miller in Boone County, it was ...

The reason for our nation’s freedoms

We cannot describe the spirit of freedom any better than those who created the document which led the nation toward the actions which we celebrate on Thursday. The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that ...

Enjoy our local fireworks displays

We ask everyone to take a moment during the next couple of days and remember that, despite whatever differences we have, there are few nations in the world where citizens are able to gather to celebrate the freedoms residents of the United States of America too often take for granted. It’s an important thought as our nation prepares to celebrate its 248th birthday on Thursday. The Fourth of July is a true national holiday, one that is celebrated from the smallest township to the largest city. It’s a day of picnics, family gatherings, parades and summer fun, all played out against ...

West Virginia lacking independence

Independence Day is fast-approaching. Here in the Mountain State, we like to think of ourselves as being a fairly independent bunch. According to WalletHub’s “Most and Least Independent States (2024),” the data does not support that self-image. “Americans value independence,” the report’s authors write. “We fought hard for it during the Revolutionary War, and in the present day, we celebrate not only our freedom from the British crown but also our strong ability to rely upon ourselves as individuals. Now, with inflation affecting people across the country, many Americans ...

Celebrate the Fourth safely

The Fourth of July is a time traditionally shared with family picnics and get-togethers. Many of those celebrations will be accompanied by a few bangs, booms and splashes of color and sparks. And, while we hope everyone will have a good time, we ask, once again, that you leave the fireworks to the professionals. Summer, especially the weeks that surround the Independence Day holiday, offers the promise of relaxing, care-free enjoyment, but this time of year can be dangerous. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were an estimated 9,700 fireworks-related injuries ...

Teaming up with the Red Cross

Give them credit, the American Red Cross knows when to make alliances with adversaries, if it will help it complete its mission. With the startlingly high number of tornadoes this season, the Red Cross notes “It’s vital for blood donors to make time in between summer celebrations to give blood and help ensure lifesaving blood products are ready the moment they are needed in times of disaster or where severe weather may prevent people from being able to donate.” The Tri-State Area has not been immune to ravages of the storms — a tornado in May struck parts of Jefferson, Hancock ...