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Local Columns

Tough acts to follow for Mr. Clever Cupid

A note that reads “hard boiled eggs in fridge” with a heart drawn next to it hardly sounds like the stuff of a romance novel, but when I forget to make hard-boiled eggs and want one really bad in my salad that I take to work, that sort of message is lovey-dovey in my book when I find it ...

Observations from the fourth week

Probably for the first time ever, a bill repealing the state’s certificate of need for healthcare providers not only made it on a committee agenda, but it received a lengthy debate before being voted down. I’ll admit, I had assumed it might not make it through the House Health and Human ...

Some odds and ends from the last week

My thoughts were a little scattered as I sat down to write this week’s column, so I figured I would throw together just a few random observations based on the activities of the last few days or this weekend. The winter weather we’ve been experiencing in recent weeks has taken away much of ...

Our climate and jobs fight at the U.S. Supreme Court

President Biden has made no secret of his radical plan to unilaterally decarbonize America. But before he can put his policies into effect, the United States Supreme Court will decide the case of West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency. The case will determine whether Congress, and ...

Finding innovative ways to combat our substance abuse and mental health crisis

As your state senator, I have always made the mental health issues faced by West Virginians one of my top priorities here in Charleston. That’s why earlier this week I was thrilled to see my legislation on what are known as Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC’s) – Senate ...

Creation of horse coalition vital to West Virginia’s equine industry

As a former state lawmaker and the current Commissioner of Agriculture, we are constantly asked about what our neighbors are doing right and wrong. When it comes to burdens, we steer away from the mistakes, and when it comes to success stories, we try to replicate them. To the west, Kentucky ...