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Remember our safety on the road

Memorial Day, which marks the unofficial start of summer, is just a few days away. And, with the sunny skies and warmer temperatures that the Tri-State Area is finally experiencing, it’s anticipated there will be an increase in traffic this coming weekend and during the weeks ahead. Unfortunately, more vehicles on our roads mean there will be greater chances for accidents. That’s why it’s important for all motorists to be careful, especially when they are riding or sharing the road with motorcyclists. While that message always is important, it gets special attention each May, ...

Capito is not giving up on West Virginia

It’s good to have friends, and West Virginians know they’ve got someone they can rely on in Washington, D.C. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., continues to use her experience and her rank to serve Mountain State residents wherever she can find the opportunity. This week, she’s among those pitching the Water Resources Development Act of 2024, in her role as ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The bill would authorize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to continue work on projects that include many right here. Examples include addressing ...

State must stop failing its children

As lawmakers returned to Charleston Sunday, they had a lot on their plates. Supplemental appropriations were needed for restoring funding for the Department of Health and Human Services, a new agriculture lab for West Virginia State University, an emergency food fund, paving projects, the Hope Scholarship program, contract nursing for West Virginia Veterans Home and veterans nursing facilities … and let’s not forget $2.8 million for a historical mural project in the upper rotunda of the State Capitol Building, were all included on the list. Childcare was not. “When people and ...

Finding a better understanding

First, the good news: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of fatal overdoses in the U.S. decreased last year — down 3% from 2022. Now, the not so great news: That’s still 107,500 people who died at the hands of a decades-long substance abuse epidemic; and those same CDC researchers say the last time there was such a decrease, the number of fatal overdoses increased dramatically in the following year. Further, Brandon Marshall, a Brown University researcher who studies overdose trends, offered some less-than-comforting reasons for the ...

Appreciating our law enforcement

We hope that everyone will take a moment and reflect on the lives and sacrifices of Leslie J. McDonald, Lafayette Mercer, Owen Burns, Scott Roe, Leonard Lamatrice and Thomas McGough of the Steubenville Police Department; William J. Snider and Michael Maguschak Sr. of the Mingo Junction Police Department; Benton Miller Sr. of the Toronto Police Department; Michael Brandle of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department; and Harding Duval of the Brooke County Sheriff’s Department. They are the law enforcement officers in our region who have lost their lives in the line of duty, and ...

The continuing voter apathy

Another election, another case of low voter turnout. According to the office of Secretary of State West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner, statewide voter turnout for Tuesday’s primary election was just 30 percent. That’s less than one in three registered voters in the state taking the time to be part of the process of electing candidates. Counties in the Northern Panhandle fared little better. Starting at the top of the panhandle, Hancock County had 28.2 percent turnout; Brooke County had 32 percent turnout and Ohio County saw 40.1 percent turnout. Sadly, turnout was ...