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Government providing fewer obstacles

Smaller, rural communities across West Virginia rely on volunteer fire departments to respond to a wide variety of emergencies, ranging from fender benders to fully involved structure fires. The men and women who give their time to those departments have their hands full — and that’s before they have to turn their attention to paperwork and red tape while they try to manage the money they receive through state funding and other sources. According to Mike Jones, audit manager in the state’s post audit division, they are doing an admirable job of it. In fact, Jones told a ...

We all can contribute toward saving the planet

Today is an important day for our planet — it’s Earth Day. The theme of this year’s recognition is Planet vs. Plastics, and it represents a chance for everyone on every continent to recognize and appreciate the land on which we live. It is, according to Earthday.org, a call for widespread awareness on the health risks of plastics, rapidly phase out all single use plastics, urgently push for a strong UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution and demand an end to fast fashion. There are, the Washington, D.C.-based organization with a goal of diversifying, educating and activating the ...

Patience and safe driving are necessary

Orange work-zone barrels are appearing all around us, and while construction projects often can lead to traffic delays, we remind everyone about the importance of driving safely through construction zones. That’s the message being shared once again across the country as National Work Zone Awareness Week wraps up, and drivers again are reminded to be patient, slow down and pay attention in road construction areas. Work already has started in our area. Municipal workers have been busy patching potholes, cleaning storm drains and making other repairs on city streets; traffic is ...

National Guard’s impact around the world

For many Mountain State residents, their knowledge of the work of the West Virginia National Guard begins and ends at disaster response and recovery. Maybe we know a little about the work that was done during the COVID-19 pandemic, or when other states ask for our help. Far less familiar are the international relationships the West Virginia National Guard builds through the State Partnership Program. Last month, Maj. Gen. William Crane, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, joined a delegation that met in Peru. Officials discussed everything from upcoming humanitarian ...

Show your support for OVHC

For nearly 20 years, residents of the region have been willing to step up and support the Ohio Valley Health Center. They will have another chance to do that on April 28. That’s when the center will hold its 18th-annual fundraising gala at the St. Florian Event Center in Wintersville. Money raised there will go a long way toward helping the center continue its mission of providing health care to the area’s uninsured and underinsured residents. The facility has seen many changes since it opened on March 13, 2006, at 701 N. Fourth St. in Steubenville. Issues with the roof on that ...

Making gains on higher education

Fewer than 48% of 2023 public high school graduates in the Mountain State went on to attend college this year, according to a report by the state Higher Education Policy Commission. Believe it or not, that’s an improvement, albeit a slight one. According to a report by WV MetroNews, HEPC Director of Research and Analysis Zornista Georgieva said this year’s 47.4% is almost 1 percentage point higher compared to the 2022 graduating class. In fact, she said the data shows 36 of our state’s 55 counties showed increases in their college-going rates in 2023. Meanwhile, despite their ...