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Guest Opinion: Thanksgiving is a time for thanks

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on gratitude, family, and, of course, food. As we approach the holiday, I couldn't help but reflect on just how far we’ve come. In the early 1600s, when the Pilgrims and native Americans gathered for what we now remember as the “First Thanksgiving,” refrigeration didn’t exist, nor did the electrical grid. They didn’t have a refrigerator humming quietly in the kitchen. There was no electric oven, no cranberry sauce, no containers of whipped cream waiting in the fridge. They hunted their food, smoked or dried it for preservation, and ...

We only need one governor at a time

Larry Pack has a good reputation as an accountant and businessman, having operated an assisted living company until selling it off a few years ago. He was an active member of the West Virginia House of Delegates. He continues to be a respected Republican National Committeeman. He moved on to serve as a senior advisor to former governor Jim Justice and easily slid into a vacancy as Department of Revenue secretary during Justice’s final year in office. Pack won election unopposed as state treasurer, taking office early in January so that former state treasurer Riley Moore could be ...

Transparency needed in school finances

There has been a great deal of discourse throughout the Hancock County community and beyond since Monday night when board of education members voted on, and approved, the termination of the school system’s former director of finance, followed by the announcement that representatives of the West Virginia Department of Education and others had been in the county in recent weeks to go over the financial record because of incomplete information and other discrepancies. Before the meeting was even over, the rumor mill had gone into overdrive, with questions, commentary, and a lot of ...

Guest Opinion: Finding West Virginia’s path forward

Policies are not just words on paper – they are the driving force behind the reality you experience. They’re the framework that helps shape the trajectory of your life, and those you love. Policies are the difference between whether you have a job created or lost, a bridge built or delayed, a population that is growing or shrinking and a community that thrives or fades. If you live, work or raise a family in West Virginia, you are personally invested in the outcomes of our state’s policy. And that’s exactly what the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce advocates for every day. ...

Guest Opinion: The government is in the way of the American dream

Politicians at all levels like to campaign on the idea of shrinking, streamlining or removing barriers to growth that prevent regular Americans from realizing the version of the American Dream. This is something President Donald J. Trump has campaigned on because the President understands how burdensome navigating the government can be for the average citizen. President Trump has focused his effort shrink the size of government by attempting to wrangle in our national debt and streamlining bureaucratic methods. But at every step, the President is met by fierce special interests and ...

Guest Opinion: West Virginia entrepreneurship on full display at the Hayhurst Invitational and Innovators Summit

Last week, Lewis County was the epicenter of innovation and entrepreneurship as Stonewall Resort hosted the Mountain State Innovators Summit and its marquee event, the Hayhurst Invitational. I had the distinct honor to attend this event all three days. I served as a keynote speaker and as a judge. While I was there to inspire and encourage entrepreneurs of all ages, I left inspired with the knowledge that entrepreneurship is alive and well in West Virginia. For three days last week, some of West Virginia’s most energetic entrepreneurs - middle school students, college innovators, ...